Patents Granted
Inventive activity is a proxy for the quality of the innovation environment. Innovation requires both ability and creativity. Thus, the number of patents granted is one measure of a region’s ability to innovate. Regions where companies, universities, and individuals are engaged in innovation should have more patents granted.
The number of patents granted per 1 million residents is presented on Arizona Indicators. Only “utility” patents, also known as “patents for inventions,” with a United States origin are included.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/reports.htm. The annual data are updated in April. Click on “By Geographic Origin.”
Annual population estimates, expressed as of July 1, are produced by the U. S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau. The national and state estimates are released in December. The time series of population estimates is most easily accessed from the BEA: http://www.bea.gov/regional/index.htm.
Many patent applications list more than one inventor. The geographic allocation of a patent granted is determined by the residence of the first-named inventor at the time of the grant. The geographic distribution of patents could be different if the residence of all inventors was considered. A simple count of number of patents granted does not distinguish between patents with considerable near-term commercialization potential and those with more nebulous marketability.
Number of Patents Granted Per 1 Million Residents
Visualization Notes:
The number of patents granted relative to the size of the population was approximately equal to the national average in Arizona from 1980 through 2008. Since then, the Arizona figure has been lower than the national average in each year by at least 8 percent. The differential was 21 percent in 2013, the largest since 1972. The per capita number of patents nationally has increased substantially since 2009. A smaller gain was registered in Arizona from 2009 through 2012, but the 2013 figure dropped marginally.
Data Source
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/reports.htm. The annual data are updated in April. Click on “By Geographic Origin.”
Annual population estimates, expressed as of July 1, are produced by the U. S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau. The national and state estimates are released in December. The time series of population estimates is most easily accessed from the BEA: http://www.bea.gov/regional/index.htm.
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