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Patent agent salary
Average patent agent salary
$65,466
Understanding the Patent Agent Salary Landscape
As of October 2025, Patent Agents earn an average salary of $65,466 a year. This figure reflects the increasing demand for professionals who navigate the complexities of intellectual property law. Their role typically involves preparing and filing patent applications, advising clients on patent rights, and ensuring compliance with legal standards.
Salary Variations by Experience
Experience significantly influences salary levels. Entry-level Patent Agents can expect to earn less, while those with several years of experience often see substantial increases. For instance, mid-career professionals usually earn between $70,000 and $90,000 annually.
Regional Differences in Earnings
Location also plays a crucial role in salary differences. Patent Agents in states like California and New York often command higher salaries due to the cost of living and the concentration of technology companies. Understanding these geographic disparities is essential for job seekers aiming to maximize their earning potential.
Opportunities for Advancement
With the right qualifications and experience, Patent Agents can pursue further career opportunities, such as becoming a Patent Attorney or specializing in a particular field of technology. This pathway not only enhances earning potential but also enriches professional satisfaction.
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Where can a Patent Agent earn more?
Patent agent salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level patent agent | $38,000 | $18.27 |
| Mid-level patent agent | $45,800 | $22.04 |
| Senior-level patent agent | $96,200 | $46.24 |
Patent agent salary estimates from across the web
Average patent agent salary by state
The average patent agent salary in New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average patent agent salary states are Maine, Wyoming, and Montana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for patent agents
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $95,731 | $46.02 |
| 2 | Vermont | $76,846 | $36.95 |
| 3 | New York | $102,522 | $49.29 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $74,643 | $35.89 |
| 5 | Michigan | $70,676 | $33.98 |
| 6 | Delaware | $75,100 | $36.11 |
| 7 | Arizona | $68,437 | $32.90 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $89,992 | $43.27 |
| 9 | California | $84,784 | $40.76 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $94,783 | $45.57 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $67,357 | $32.38 |
| 12 | Alaska | $82,841 | $39.83 |
| 13 | Texas | $71,803 | $34.52 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $79,558 | $38.25 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | $67,520 | $32.46 |
| 16 | Maryland | $78,725 | $37.85 |
| 17 | Colorado | $69,082 | $33.21 |
| 18 | Louisiana | $62,066 | $29.84 |
| 19 | Tennessee | $65,272 | $31.38 |
| 20 | Virginia | $76,196 | $36.63 |
| 21 | Oregon | $64,003 | $30.77 |
| 22 | Illinois | $70,188 | $33.74 |
| 23 | Ohio | $59,061 | $28.39 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $66,212 | $31.83 |
| 25 | Utah | $57,276 | $27.54 |
| 26 | Florida | $62,252 | $29.93 |
| 27 | Alabama | $57,644 | $27.71 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $59,993 | $28.84 |
| 29 | Georgia | $61,640 | $29.63 |
| 30 | Nebraska | $51,769 | $24.89 |
| 31 | Nevada | $53,069 | $25.51 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $51,401 | $24.71 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $60,189 | $28.94 |
| 34 | Mississippi | $50,789 | $24.42 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $54,919 | $26.40 |
| 36 | Minnesota | $57,720 | $27.75 |
| 37 | Iowa | $56,807 | $27.31 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $45,809 | $22.02 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $52,872 | $25.42 |
| 40 | Idaho | $50,266 | $24.17 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $50,336 | $24.20 |
| 42 | Montana | $44,827 | $21.55 |
| 43 | Washington | $54,785 | $26.34 |
| 44 | South Dakota | $47,882 | $23.02 |
| 45 | Missouri | $42,873 | $20.61 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $53,501 | $25.72 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $47,330 | $22.75 |
| 48 | Kansas | $50,176 | $24.12 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $43,877 | $21.09 |
| 50 | Maine | $47,170 | $22.68 |
| 51 | Indiana | $43,713 | $21.02 |
Highest paying cities for patent agents
The highest-paying cities for patent agents are New York, NY, Boston, MA, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | $103,499 | $49.76 |
| 2 | Boston, MA | $96,237 | $46.27 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $95,044 | $45.69 |
| 4 | West Orange, NJ | $90,305 | $43.42 |
| 5 | San Francisco, CA | $88,863 | $42.72 |
| 6 | McLean, VA | $78,850 | $37.91 |
| 7 | Austin, TX | $73,049 | $35.12 |
| 8 | Glenview, IL | $71,147 | $34.21 |
| 9 | Denver, CO | $68,809 | $33.08 |
| 10 | Philadelphia, PA | $67,986 | $32.69 |
| 11 | Portland, OR | $63,143 | $30.36 |
| 12 | Raleigh, NC | $62,090 | $29.85 |
| 13 | Cleveland, OH | $61,901 | $29.76 |
| 14 | Atlanta, GA | $61,185 | $29.42 |
| 15 | Minneapolis, MN | $57,774 | $27.78 |
| 16 | Salt Lake City, UT | $56,490 | $27.16 |
| 17 | Vancouver, WA | $56,036 | $26.94 |
| 18 | Henderson, NV | $52,698 | $25.34 |
Patent agent salary details
A patent agent's salary ranges from $34,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $124,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a patent agent's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $124,000 | $10,333 | $60 |
| 75th Percentile | $91,000 | $7,583 | $44 |
| Average | $65,466 | $5,456 | $31 |
| 25th Percentile | $46,000 | $3,833 | $22 |
| 10th Percentile | $34,000 | $2,833 | $16 |
Highest paying patent agent jobs
The highest paying types of patent agents are corporate counsel, legal counsel, and general counsel.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing Counselor | $78,730 | $6,561 | $37.85 | 33,639 |
| Legal Administrator | $47,198 | $3,933 | $22.69 | 56,419 |
| Legal Counsel | $132,867 | $11,072 | $63.88 | 10,337 |
| Attorney | $109,476 | $9,123 | $52.63 | 10,991 |
| Lawyer | $115,808 | $9,651 | $55.68 | 2,897 |
| Criminal Justice Lawyer | $49,977 | $4,165 | $24.03 | 824 |
Top companies hiring patent agents now:
Which companies pay patent agents the most?
Patent agent salaries at Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average patent agent salary at companies like DLA Piper and Pepper Hamilton are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner | $200,334 | $96.31 |
| 2 | Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman | $178,682 | $85.90 |
| 3 | DLA Piper | $177,688 | $85.43 |
| 4 | Pepper Hamilton | $172,002 | $82.69 |
| 5 | Baker Botts | $170,982 | $82.20 |
| 6 | Morgan Lewis | $169,929 | $81.70 |
| 7 | Apple | $149,906 | $72.07 |
| 8 | Lando & Anastasi | $144,204 | $69.33 |
| 9 | Baker McKenzie | $143,573 | $69.03 |
| 10 | Lee & Hayes | $141,515 | $68.04 |
| 11 | Oblon | $141,282 | $67.92 |
| 12 | BakerHostetler | $133,470 | $64.17 |
| 13 | Merchant & Gould P.C. | $132,055 | $63.49 |
| 14 | Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati | $127,552 | $61.32 |
| 15 | Incyte | $127,451 | $61.27 |
| 16 | Splunk | $126,778 | $60.95 |
| 17 | Mintz | $125,697 | $60.43 |
| 18 | Lenovo | $116,364 | $55.94 |
| 19 | Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton | $116,244 | $55.89 |
| 20 | Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | $114,001 | $54.81 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Patent agent salary trends
The average patent agent salary has risen by $7,025 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average patent agent earned $58,441 annually, but today, they earn $65,466 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for patent agents over the last decade.
Compare patent agent salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average patent agent salary over time
Compare patent agent salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Patent agent salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $65,500 | $31.47 | +3.1% |
| 2025 | $63,400 | $30.49 | +1.7% |
| 2024 | $62,400 | $29.98 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | $61,500 | $29.57 | +0.9% |
| 2022 | $60,900 | $29.30 | +2.0% |
Recently added patent agent salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan, Lewis & Bockius | Patent Agent-Technology | Seattle, WA | 06/30/2025 | $113,580 |
| Crowell & Moring | Scientific Advisor-Patent Agent | Fine, NY | 06/29/2025 | $150,000 |
| Crowell & Moring | Scientific Advisor-Patent Agent | Ione, WA | 06/29/2025 | $150,000 |
| Vanguard-Ip | Patent Agent/Advisor (Chemistry) VIP | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $125,000 |
| Vanguard-Ip | Biotechnology Patent Agent VIP | Chicago, IL | 06/29/2025 | $150,000 |
| Vanguard-Ip | Patent Agent/Technology Specialist-Computer Science or Electrical and Computer Engineering VIP | Boston, MA | 06/29/2025 | $160,000 |
| Morgan, Lewis & Bockius | Patent Agent-Life Sciences | Boston, MA | 06/28/2025 | $124,200 |
| MNF Global | Biotech Patent Agent-Mandarin | Palo Alto, CA | 06/28/2025 | $100,000 |
| Genentech | Patent Agent (Large Molecule) | South San Francisco, CA | 06/26/2025 | $162,800 |
| Vanguard-Ip | Patent Agent/Technology Specialist-Ee/Me Engineer VIP | Saint Louis, MO | 06/26/2025 | $100,000 |
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