Tri-Cities Tech Business Update
Washington claims top spot for patents per employee
Following several years of growth, Washington emerged as a leader in patenting per employee for the first time. For the five-year period between 2004 and 2009, the state increased its patent per employee figure by almost 90 percent. In 2004, Washington produced 90.6 patents per 100,000 employees, which grew to 171.2 patents in 2009. Increased patenting activity at Microsoft, and to some extent Boeing, drove the state's rise from its position as the 12th most active patenting state per employee to the national leader. Washington also had the highest rate of growth of any state during the five-year period. Read more or contact the State Science & Technology Institute at (614) 901-1690.
