California No. 1 in Patents Awarded

Californians have received twice as many patents than residents of any other state have over the last 18 months, according to the Patent and Trademark Office.

Californians have been awarded 25,888 patents since the beginning of 1998, compared with 10,025 awarded over the same period to residents of New York, which is No. 2 on the list.

California’s high-tech economy is largely responsible for the state’s heavy volume of patent awards.

Other states high on the list include, in descending order, Texas, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Massachusetts.