This paper re-examines the shifting pattern of (utility) patents across the American metropolitan landscape during the recent period 1990–2015. Patent volumes and densities (per capita volumes) are both analyzed at five-year intervals. All results reflect a reconstituted data base that addresses the demographic, economic, and geographic conditions prevailing among the nation’s n = 377 metropolitan areas. Standard multivariate analysis is used to distill nearly twenty input variables down to six orthogonal factors. Using the underlying factor scores, performance scores for patenting are calculated across the metropolitan areas at regular points in time. When assembled in order, these cross-sectional scores trace out the performance trends of the various metropolitan economies over the 25-year study period. Linear regression procedures, adjusted for spatial dependency, indicate that two factors—human capital and human-created amenities—have become increasingly important determinants of patenting activity across U.S. metropolitan areas during recent times. A few straightforward policy prescriptions follow from the analysis.

本文重新审视了 1990 年至 2015 年期间美国大都市景观中（实用）专利的变化模式。专利数量和密度（人均数量）均以五年为间隔进行分析。所有的结果反映了重组的数据基础，全国中普遍存在地址人口，经济和地理条件ñ = 377 个大都市区。标准多变量分析用于将近 20 个输入变量提取为六个正交因子。使用基本因素得分，可以在固定时间点计算大都市区的专利申请绩效得分。当按顺序组合时，这些横截面分数可描绘出各个大都市经济体在 25 年研究期间的表现趋势。针对空间依赖性进行调整的线性回归程序表明，最近两个因素——人力资本和人类创造的便利设施——已成为美国大都市地区专利活动越来越重要的决定因素。分析得出了一些直接的政策处方。