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Compare · Geography

Compare. Metro by metro.

Pick any two of 18 U.S. metros. Every metric is drawn on a shared scale - the volume bar fills against the top metro, the year-over-year bar diverges from a shared zero - so the bar lengths themselves are the comparison across the gutter. Assignee-vs-assignee lives in its sibling patents-deep; this page owns the spatial cut.

What this compares

2024 grants and share of the U.S. total, year-over-year movement, and anchor employers - the same curated 2024 figures used across the site, joined here by metro rank. The sector lean is illustrative (curated from the anchor employers, not yet computed from CPC codes) and is badged as such on each card. The PatentsView swap-point is documented in this page's source.

Choose a metro for each panel

Panel A

01 CA Growing

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara

18,450 grants in 2024 · 5.8% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 18,450
Year over year +3%
Anchor employers

Apple, Google, Nvidia, Intel

Sector lean illustrative
SemiconductorsComputingSoftware
02 CA Growing

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward

9,820 grants in 2024 · 3.1% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 9,820
Year over year +5%
Anchor employers

Salesforce, Stripe, Lyft, Cruise

Sector lean illustrative
SoftwareAIAutonomy
03 WA Growing

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue

8,740 grants in 2024 · 2.7% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 8,740
Year over year +6%
Anchor employers

Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing

Sector lean illustrative
SoftwareCloudAerospace
04 NY Steady

New York-Newark-Jersey City

6,610 grants in 2024 · 2.1% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 6,610
Year over year +2%
Anchor employers

IBM, Pfizer, Bloomberg

Sector lean illustrative
ComputingPharmaMedia
05 MA Growing

Boston-Cambridge-Newton

6,395 grants in 2024 · 2.0% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 6,395
Year over year +4%
Anchor employers

MIT, Moderna, Akamai

Sector lean illustrative
BiotechPharmaNetworking
06 CA Steady

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim

5,820 grants in 2024 · 1.8% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 5,820
Year over year +1%
Anchor employers

Disney, SpaceX, Northrop

Sector lean illustrative
AerospaceMediaDefense
07 CA Cooling

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad

5,390 grants in 2024 · 1.7% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 5,390
Year over year -1%
Anchor employers

Qualcomm, Illumina, ViaSat

Sector lean illustrative
WirelessGenomicsCommunications
08 TX Growing

Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown

4,720 grants in 2024 · 1.5% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 4,720
Year over year +9%
Anchor employers

Tesla, AMD, Dell, IBM

Sector lean illustrative
SemiconductorsComputingAutomotive
09 MN Steady

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington

3,980 grants in 2024 · 1.3% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 3,980
Year over year +2%
Anchor employers

3M, Medtronic, Cargill

Sector lean illustrative
Medical DevicesMaterialsChemistry
10 IL Steady

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin

3,805 grants in 2024 · 1.2% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 3,805
Year over year +1%
Anchor employers

Abbott, Boeing HQ, Motorola

Sector lean illustrative
Medical DevicesAerospaceWireless
11 MI Steady

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn

3,690 grants in 2024 · 1.2% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 3,690
Year over year 0%
Anchor employers

Ford, GM, Stellantis

Sector lean illustrative
AutomotivePowertrainsMaterials
12 TX Growing

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands

3,175 grants in 2024 · 1.0% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 3,175
Year over year +3%
Anchor employers

ExxonMobil, Halliburton

Sector lean illustrative
EnergyChemistryDrilling
13 TX Growing

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

2,960 grants in 2024 · 0.9% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 2,960
Year over year +4%
Anchor employers

Texas Instruments, AT&T

Sector lean illustrative
SemiconductorsTelecomNetworking
14 PA Steady

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington

2,810 grants in 2024 · 0.9% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 2,810
Year over year +1%
Anchor employers

Comcast, Merck, DuPont

Sector lean illustrative
PharmaChemistryNetworking
15 NC Growing

Raleigh-Cary

2,410 grants in 2024 · 0.8% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 2,410
Year over year +7%
Anchor employers

IBM RTP, Cisco, GSK

Sector lean illustrative
NetworkingComputingPharma
16 OR Steady

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro

2,370 grants in 2024 · 0.7% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 2,370
Year over year +2%
Anchor employers

Intel Hillsboro, Nike

Sector lean illustrative
SemiconductorsMaterialsWearables
17 AZ Growing

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

2,120 grants in 2024 · 0.7% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 2,120
Year over year +5%
Anchor employers

Intel Chandler, Honeywell

Sector lean illustrative
SemiconductorsAerospaceControls
18 GA Growing

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell

2,050 grants in 2024 · 0.6% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 2,050
Year over year +3%
Anchor employers

Coca-Cola, Delta, NCR

Sector lean illustrative
NetworkingPaymentsLogistics

Panel B

01 CA Growing

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara

18,450 grants in 2024 · 5.8% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 18,450
Year over year +3%
Anchor employers

Apple, Google, Nvidia, Intel

Sector lean illustrative
SemiconductorsComputingSoftware
02 CA Growing

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward

9,820 grants in 2024 · 3.1% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 9,820
Year over year +5%
Anchor employers

Salesforce, Stripe, Lyft, Cruise

Sector lean illustrative
SoftwareAIAutonomy
03 WA Growing

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue

8,740 grants in 2024 · 2.7% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 8,740
Year over year +6%
Anchor employers

Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing

Sector lean illustrative
SoftwareCloudAerospace
04 NY Steady

New York-Newark-Jersey City

6,610 grants in 2024 · 2.1% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 6,610
Year over year +2%
Anchor employers

IBM, Pfizer, Bloomberg

Sector lean illustrative
ComputingPharmaMedia
05 MA Growing

Boston-Cambridge-Newton

6,395 grants in 2024 · 2.0% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 6,395
Year over year +4%
Anchor employers

MIT, Moderna, Akamai

Sector lean illustrative
BiotechPharmaNetworking
06 CA Steady

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim

5,820 grants in 2024 · 1.8% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 5,820
Year over year +1%
Anchor employers

Disney, SpaceX, Northrop

Sector lean illustrative
AerospaceMediaDefense
07 CA Cooling

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad

5,390 grants in 2024 · 1.7% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 5,390
Year over year -1%
Anchor employers

Qualcomm, Illumina, ViaSat

Sector lean illustrative
WirelessGenomicsCommunications
08 TX Growing

Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown

4,720 grants in 2024 · 1.5% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 4,720
Year over year +9%
Anchor employers

Tesla, AMD, Dell, IBM

Sector lean illustrative
SemiconductorsComputingAutomotive
09 MN Steady

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington

3,980 grants in 2024 · 1.3% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 3,980
Year over year +2%
Anchor employers

3M, Medtronic, Cargill

Sector lean illustrative
Medical DevicesMaterialsChemistry
10 IL Steady

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin

3,805 grants in 2024 · 1.2% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 3,805
Year over year +1%
Anchor employers

Abbott, Boeing HQ, Motorola

Sector lean illustrative
Medical DevicesAerospaceWireless
11 MI Steady

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn

3,690 grants in 2024 · 1.2% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 3,690
Year over year 0%
Anchor employers

Ford, GM, Stellantis

Sector lean illustrative
AutomotivePowertrainsMaterials
12 TX Growing

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands

3,175 grants in 2024 · 1.0% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 3,175
Year over year +3%
Anchor employers

ExxonMobil, Halliburton

Sector lean illustrative
EnergyChemistryDrilling
13 TX Growing

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

2,960 grants in 2024 · 0.9% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 2,960
Year over year +4%
Anchor employers

Texas Instruments, AT&T

Sector lean illustrative
SemiconductorsTelecomNetworking
14 PA Steady

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington

2,810 grants in 2024 · 0.9% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 2,810
Year over year +1%
Anchor employers

Comcast, Merck, DuPont

Sector lean illustrative
PharmaChemistryNetworking
15 NC Growing

Raleigh-Cary

2,410 grants in 2024 · 0.8% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 2,410
Year over year +7%
Anchor employers

IBM RTP, Cisco, GSK

Sector lean illustrative
NetworkingComputingPharma
16 OR Steady

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro

2,370 grants in 2024 · 0.7% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 2,370
Year over year +2%
Anchor employers

Intel Hillsboro, Nike

Sector lean illustrative
SemiconductorsMaterialsWearables
17 AZ Growing

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

2,120 grants in 2024 · 0.7% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 2,120
Year over year +5%
Anchor employers

Intel Chandler, Honeywell

Sector lean illustrative
SemiconductorsAerospaceControls
18 GA Growing

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell

2,050 grants in 2024 · 0.6% of U.S.
Patents, 2024 2,050
Year over year +3%
Anchor employers

Coca-Cola, Delta, NCR

Sector lean illustrative
NetworkingPaymentsLogistics

Set: 18 U.S. metros ranked by 2024 inventor-address grants, from the Geography of Invention. Source: Hand-curated from public USPTO and PatentsView annual reports. Figures are curated 2024 approximations; the sector lean is illustrative pending a PatentsView ingest.