Wisconsin ranks #15 among US states for total patents filed all time, with 213,471 patents from 40,088 inventors across 700 cities. On a per-capita basis that is 36.2 patents per 1,000 residents, a standard benchmark for comparing state-level R&D intensity.
Top Cities in Wisconsin All Time
| Rank | City | Patents | Inventors |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Madison, WI | 22,785 | 4,527 |
| #2 | Milwaukee, WI | 12,250 | 2,770 |
| #3 | Appleton, WI | 10,072 | 1,506 |
| #4 | Neenah, WI | 6,550 | 889 |
| #5 | Oshkosh, WI | 6,345 | 837 |
| #6 | Waukesha, WI | 6,319 | 1,162 |
| #7 | Racine, WI | 5,396 | 1,018 |
| #8 | Sheboygan, WI | 4,218 | 549 |
| #9 | Brookfield, WI | 4,215 | 745 |
| #10 | Middleton, WI | 3,678 | 564 |
| #11 | Wauwatosa, WI | 3,667 | 672 |
| #12 | Kenosha, WI | 3,592 | 686 |
| #13 | Hudson, WI | 3,314 | 466 |
| #14 | Mequon, WI | 2,865 | 452 |
| #15 | New Berlin, WI | 2,660 | 571 |
| #16 | Green Bay, WI | 2,427 | 718 |
| #17 | Menomonee Falls, WI | 2,401 | 441 |
| #18 | Pewaukee, WI | 2,261 | 359 |
| #19 | Fond du Lac, WI | 2,171 | 383 |
| #20 | Menasha, WI | 2,126 | 360 |
| #21 | Oconomowoc, WI | 2,051 | 386 |
| #22 | West Bend, WI | 2,032 | 449 |
| #23 | Cedarburg, WI | 1,901 | 291 |
| #24 | Verona, WI | 1,882 | 297 |
| #25 | Eau Claire, WI | 1,752 | 370 |