Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A recent report has ranked Rochester as the third most innovative city in the nation. The analysis by the website Wall Street 24/7 used data collected by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office from 2015 to compile the list of metropolitan areas with the highest per-capita rates for the number of patents issued.

Rochester, largely due to the work of local IBM employees and Mayo Clinic innovators, was credited with just over 5900 patents during 2015. That works out to a rate of almost 264 patents per 100,000 residents. The report also notes nearly 40-percent of Rochester area residents have, at least, a four-year college degree.

The San Jose, California metropolitan area is on top of the rankings. The Silicon Valley headquarters was credited with over 143,000 patents for a rate of almost 740 patents per 100,000 residents. The Bremerton, Washington metropolitan area near Seattle was ranked second with a rate of 348 patents for every 100,000 people.

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