Colorado metros make list of most innovative cities

Three Colorado metro areas have been ranked in the top 25 most innovative cities in the U.S.

Boulder, Fort Collins-Loveland and Greeley all made the list, compiled by 24/7 Wall St. The ranking is based on data obtained from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the year 2015, the most recent year available. The ratings look at number of patents issued for 100,000 residents.

Boulder ranks No. 4, with 260.2 patents filed per 100,000 residents in 2015. The city had a total of 9,137 patents issued and had a population of 319,372 in 2015. About 63 percent of adults in Boulder have at least a bachelor’s degree.

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Only three U.S. cities had a higher number of patents filed per 100,000 residents: Rochester, Minn., with 263.7; Bremerton-Silverdale, Wash., with 348.7 and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif., with a whopping 739.5.

Fort Collins-Loveland ranked No. 18. It had 117.5 patents filed per 100,000 residents. There were 5,861 patents filed in 2015 and a population of 333,577 people. Almost 48 percent of adults have at least a bachelor’s degree.

Finally, Greeley rounded out the list at No. 25. There were 98.2 patents filed per 100,000 residents. In total, 3,120 patents were filed in 2015 with a population of 285,174. About 27.5 percent of adults have at least a bachelor’s degree.