Virginia ranks #21 among US states for total patents filed all time, with 165,887 patents from 34,511 inventors across 625 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 19.2 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Virginia All Time
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Richmond, VA | 11,017 | 2,372 |
| #2 | McLean, VA | 8,410 | 1,297 |
| #3 | Arlington, VA | 8,277 | 1,838 |
| #4 | Vienna, VA | 7,940 | 839 |
| #5 | Alexandria, VA | 7,146 | 1,823 |
| #6 | Charlottesville, VA | 6,933 | 1,304 |
| #7 | Fairfax, VA | 6,782 | 1,249 |
| #8 | Herndon, VA | 6,164 | 878 |
| #9 | Midlothian, VA | 5,778 | 917 |
| #10 | Blacksburg, VA | 5,142 | 1,029 |
| #11 | Ashburn, VA | 4,804 | 799 |
| #12 | Reston, VA | 4,585 | 864 |
| #13 | Falls Church, VA | 3,667 | 738 |
| #14 | Virginia Beach, VA | 3,126 | 992 |
| #15 | Glen Allen, VA | 2,995 | 521 |
| #16 | Roanoke, VA | 2,799 | 603 |
| #17 | Leesburg, VA | 2,709 | 496 |
| #18 | Great Falls, VA | 2,347 | 347 |
| #19 | Springfield, VA | 2,344 | 553 |
| #20 | Newport News, VA | 2,229 | 572 |
| #21 | Centreville, VA | 2,150 | 321 |
| #22 | Lynchburg, VA | 2,098 | 554 |
| #23 | Manassas, VA | 1,875 | 524 |
| #24 | Sterling, VA | 1,867 | 444 |
| #25 | Salem, VA | 1,865 | 518 |