Counting patents: States with the most inventive residents

DC Studio // Shutterstock In the U.S., those who can dream up the next best tool to improve the lives of others often can cement their names in the bedrock of history. And that process begins with applying for a patent. A patent gives an individual or company exclusive rights to sell or profit from an invention. It also gives them grounds to sue another person or company if they believe the other party is wrongfully profiting from an idea they patented. More than 200,000 patent applications were filed across the 50 states and Washington D.C., in the fiscal year 2022. Global patent activity fell in the second half of 2022, primarily due to the slowdown in the global economy and disruptions from COVID-19, analysts have said. Using data from the Patent and Trademark Office and Census Bureau population estimates, ClickUp ranked the top 15 states by the number of new patents filed per capita in fiscal year 2022, which ran through the end of September. Many states leading the race to patent inventions are also technology hubs. California, home to Silicon Valley and the heart of the tech industry, is the #1 state for patents filed in 2022. It’s the home base for massive companies such as Apple, Google, and Facebook, where multibillion-dollar research budgets buoy innovation. The state filed six times the number of patents as the next top state for overall patent applications last year. #15. North Carolina Canva – New patent applications, FY2022: 6.01 patents filed per 10,000 residents — Total new patent applications, FY2022: 6,433 — Requests for continued examination of patents, 2022: 1,878 In the past decade, North Carolina, a major base of operations for the U.S. banking industry, is a hotspot for computer hardware and software patents and other communications-related inventions. Honeywell, Bank of America, Duke University, and North Carolina State University are some of the state’s largest owners of patents. #14. Utah Canva – New patent applications, FY2022: 6.25 patents filed per 10,000 residents — Total new patent applications, FY2022: 2,114 — Requests for continued examination of patents, 2022: 669 Middle America and the Rocky Mountain regions are not known for their patent activity save for the Denver area, according to USPTO filings from the last 10 years. In Utah, though, the most popular inventions getting patented are those in the medical, surgical, and pharmaceutical drug space. #13. Michigan Canva – New patent applications, FY2022: 6.66 patents filed per 10,000 residents — Total new patent applications, FY2022: 6,680 — Requests for continued examination of patents, 2022: 1,310 The majority of patent application activity happens in the Ann Arbor region of Michigan, according to USPTO data. Pharmaceutical drug patents, PC hardware and software, and motor vehicle engines are also popular sectors for innovation. Ford, GM, and Chrysler maintain headquarters in Michigan. #12. New Hampshire Canva – New patent applications, FY2022: 6.79 patents filed per 10,000 residents — Total new patent applications, FY2022: 948 — Requests for continued examination of patents, 2022: 367 New Hampshire patent applications are led by BAE Systems, a London-based defense contractor and aerospace company with a significant presence in the state. Information storage, software, and communications tech encompass the majority of patents in the state. #11. Connecticut