Top 10 U.S. biopharma hubs of 2024: East Coast dominance continues

A new analysis of year-to-date 2024 patent filings, NIH funding, and real estate data reveals a fiercely competitive landscape in America’s biopharma clusters. Boston/Cambridge maintains its overall leadership position and leads in YTD international pharma patent filings, while the New York/New Jersey metro area leads in NIH funding for FY2025 and ranks second in patents. The San Francisco Bay Area, ranking third overall, showing strength in research infrastructure, though its current NIH funding trails other competitive areas. To learn how the other hubs fare, read on.

1. Boston/Cambridge

Boston/Cambridge continues to be the top biopharma hub in the world thanks to its strong performance in terms of funding and patent activity. While the region has faced headwinds in recent years, it has remained resilient overall. In the first half of the year, 50 biotech startups raised significant funding rounds, pointing to a cautious recovery for the sector. In FY2025, relevant Congressional Districts in the area received $5.59M in NIH funding.

2. New York City/New Jersey corridor

Home to one of the densest concentrations of pharma firms on the earth, this region continues to be strong overall, with $9.08M in NIH funding for FY2025. In July, BeiGene inaugurated an $800 million biologics manufacturing and R&D center in Hopewell, New Jersey while Enzene appointed a new site lead for its $50 million continuous biomanufacturing facility in the same city in September. Meanwhile, Bridgewater-based Insmed earned a No. 1 ranking on Science’s 2024 Top Biopharma Employers List. There have been some struggles as well, however. Bristol Myers Squibb, for instance, announced plans to lay off 863 employees in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, by the end of the year.

3. San Francisco Bay Area/Silicon Valley

The Bay Area maintained its position as a leading biopharma hub in 2024, with 433 patents granted across 39 research-active organizations in the dataset. While the region has seen significant biopharma layoffs, there have also been positive developments. The region received $1.74M in NIH funding for FY2025, with key players Gilead Sciences, Genentech, and Stanford University anchoring the region’s innovation ecosystem. Stanford Medicine alone was awarded a $70 million Clinical and Translational Science Award from the NIH in 2024. Additionally, Astellas opened a new $90 million West Coast Innovation Center in South San Francisco while Septerna had an upsized $288 million IPO. In addition, Nurix Therapeutics secured a $125 million public offering to advance its clinical programs. The hub particularly excelled in AI integration and talent attraction, ranking second overall in JLL’s national assessment.

4. San Diego

2024 was something of a mixed year for San Diego’s biopharma sector. Yet the region remains a key innovation hub with 245 patents across 34 research-active organizations in the data set and $4.01M in NIH funding. While the region saw a slight contraction in life sciences establishments and employment, according to a report from California Life Sciences, it attracted substantial M&A activity, including Lundbeck’s $2.6 billion acquisition of Longboard Pharmaceuticals and several other major deals like BMS’s purchases of Mirati Therapeutics ($5.8B) and RayzeBio ($4.1B). The hub maintained strong real estate momentum. One case in point is Pfizer’s signing of a 15-year lease for a 230,000-square-foot research space in Torrey Pines and Neurocrine Biosciences’ expansion into a 535,000-square-foot facility. Average life sciences wages are up in the region while venture investment remains strong.

5. Greater Los Angeles

The Greater Los Angeles biopharma ecosystem encompasses two distinct but proximate innovation clusters. The central Los Angeles cluster generated 174 patents from 8 companies YTD in 2024, with key players like the University of California, Celgene, and Array Biopharma. Meanwhile, the Thousand Oaks cluster, anchored by Amgen, MANNKIND, and ASKGENE, contributed an additional 75 patents from 3 companies, demonstrating particularly high R&D efficiency at 25.00. Together, these clusters received $2.64M in NIH funding for FY2025 and contribute to a strong regional ecosystem of 2,890 life sciences establishments employing 190,000 people, anchored by UCLA, USC, and Caltech. The Los Angeles biopharma cluster boasts high efficiency, generating 174 patents from 8 companies YTD in 2024, resulting in an R&D efficiency score of 21.75 and a patent density of 0.1 patents/km² within its 21.4 km radius. The region received $2.64M in NIH funding for FY2025. Key players like the University of California, Celgene, and Array Biopharma contribute to a strong ecosystem of 2,890 life sciences establishments employing 190,000 people, anchored by UCLA, USC, and Caltech. This hub, a leader along with Orange County in medtech and AI integration, continues to face extremely limited real estate availability (3% of the 12 million sq ft inventory) driving rents to $66.00 NNN, while lab costs range from $520 to $928.

6. D.C. Metro Area/Maryland

The D.C. Metro Area (#4 overall in JLL rankings) generated 106 patents across 14 research-active organizations in 2024, with an R&D efficiency of 7.57. The hub, anchored by MedImmune, University of Maryland, and federal research institutions, received $2.89M in NIH funding. Its 13.7M sq ft life sciences inventory (24% availability) maintains competitive rents at $37.21 NNN. Growth accelerated with significant expansions, including QIAGEN’s 40,000-square-foot facility expansion in Frederick and AstraZeneca’s planned $300M manufacturing facility in Rockville (set to create 150 jobs by 2026). The cluster taps its strong federal research presence to rank #4 in GMP manufacturing and #3 in talent concentration, according to JLL’s rankings.

7. Seattle

Seattle’s biopharma sector showcased strong growth in 2024 with 104 patents from seven research-active organizations and an R&D efficiency of 14.86. The hub attracted $3.91M in NIH funding and maintains 5.5M sq ft of inventory (32% availability) at $70.55 NNN. Key players Seagen, Juno Therapeutics, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center drive innovation, with research institutions occupying 48% of lab space. Pfizer’s $43B Seagen acquisition highlighted the hub’s strategic value, while 24% employment growth over five years demonstrates sustained expansion.

8. Research Triangle

North Carolina’s Research Triangle demonstrated significant strength in 2024 with 74 patents across 8 research-active organizations and an R&D efficiency of 9.25. The hub received $3.24M in NIH funding and maintains 17.1M sq ft of inventory (25% availability) at $38.13 NNN. Major expansions included Novo Nordisk’s $4.1B fill-finish plant in Clayton (adding 1,000 jobs) and Eli Lilly’s $2B Concord facility (600 jobs), both focusing on GLP-1 drug production. The region ranks #5 overall and #3 in GMP/biomanufacturing, supported by 18.2M sq ft of lab space and over 75,000 industry jobs.

9. Philadelphia

Philadelphia’s biopharma cluster, particularly strong in cell and gene therapy, generated 70 patents across 6 research-active organizations in 2024, with an R&D efficiency of 11.67. The hub attracted $4.28M in NIH funding and maintains 7.4M sq ft of inventory (24% availability) at $46.65 NNN. Growth accelerated with Legend Biotech’s new R&D facility and the region’s selection for federal innovation hub status, making it eligible for $75M in grants. Housing 12% of global cell and gene therapy companies, the hub faces challenges from recent 24% supply growth but maintains strong venture capital performance. In October 2024, Legend Biotech announced plans to establish a 31,000-square-foot research and development facility in Philadelphia. In addition, the Greater Philadelphia Region was selected as a federal innovation hub, making it eligible for up to $75 million in grants.

10. Chicago

Chicago’s biopharma cluster maintains a strong position with solid R&D efficiency and a strong medical device sector. The region received $1.52M in NIH funding for FY2025. The region benefits from an established research base, anchored by major players like AbbVie, the University of Chicago, and Vanqua Bio. In March 2024, AbbVie agreed to acquire Landos Biopharma, focusing on developing NX-13, an oral NLRX1 agonist in Phase 2 trials for ulcerative colitis. Chicago has also seen growth in wet lab facilities, an expansion of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. In late 2023, the Chicago Biomedical Consortium Hub for Innovative Technology and Entrepreneurship in the Sciences (CBC-HITES) launched to speed the commercialization of biomedical research. With a $10.4 million investment backing—including $4 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—CBC-HITES collaborates with nine local institutions to bridge the gap between research and market-ready products.

2024 U.S. Biopharma Innovation Hubs	Key Metrics	Real Estate	Innovation Core
1. Boston/Cambridge Score: 93.86 Patent Count: 657 Core Companies: 69	FY 2025 NIH Funding: $5.59M R&D Efficiency: 9.52 Key Players: Dana-Farber, Vertex, Sage, BeiGene	Lab Space: 49.5M sq ft Availability: 32% Rent: $85.39 NNN	Cambridge/Kendall Square Seaport District Waltham/Lexington Watertown/Arsenal
2. NY/NJ Metro Score: 73.45 Patent Count: 577 Core Companies: 30	FY 2025 NIH Funding: $9.08M R&D Efficiency: 19.23 Key Players: Janssen, BMS, Merck, Pfizer	Lab Space: 12.6M sq ft Availability: 27% Rent: $29.98-96.53 NNN	Manhattan/NYC New Jersey Corridor Long Island
3. San Francisco Bay Score: 60.94 Patent Count: 433 Core Companies: 39	FY 2025 NIH Funding: $1.74M R&D Efficiency: 11.10 Key Players: Gilead, Genentech, Stanford	Lab Space: 39.6M sq ft Availability: 35% Rent: $81.84 NNN	South San Francisco Mission Bay Peninsula/Silicon Valley
4. San Diego Score: 40.02 Patent Count: 245 Core Companies: 34	FY 2025 NIH Funding: $4.01M R&D Efficiency: 7.21 Key Players: Scripps, Mirati, Ionis	Lab Space: 24.3M sq ft Availability: 26% Rent: $70.68 NNN	Torrey Pines UTC Sorrento Valley
5. Los Angeles Score: 28.11 Patent Count: 174 Core Companies: 8	FY 2025 NIH Funding: $2.64M R&D Efficiency: 21.75 Key Players: UC System, Celgene, Array Biopharma	Lab Space: 12.0M sq ft Availability: 3% Rent: $66.00 NNN	Thousand Oaks Westwood/UCLA Pasadena
6. DC Metro Score: 18.80 Patent Count: 106 Core Companies: 14	FY 2025 NIH Funding: $2.89M R&D Efficiency: 7.57 Key Players: MedImmune, UMD, NIH	Lab Space: 13.7M sq ft Availability: 24% Rent: $37.21 NNN	Bethesda Rockville Gaithersburg
7. Seattle Score: 18.50 Patent Count: 104 Core Companies: 7	FY 2025 NIH Funding: $3.91M R&D Efficiency: 14.86 Key Players: Seagen, Juno, Fred Hutch	Lab Space: 5.5M sq ft Availability: 32% Rent: $70.55 NNN	South Lake Union Bothell Pioneer Square
8. Research Triangle Score: 13.97 Patent Count: 74 Core Companies: 8	FY 2025 NIH Funding: $3.24M R&D Efficiency: 9.25 Key Players: Duke, UNC, Biocryst	Lab Space: 17.1M sq ft Availability: 25% Rent: $38.13 NNN	Durham Chapel Hill RTP Core
9. Philadelphia Score: 13.70 Patent Count: 70 Core Companies: 6	FY 2025 NIH Funding: $4.28M R&D Efficiency: 11.67 Key Players: UPenn, Amicus, Wistar	Lab Space: 7.4M sq ft Availability: 24% Rent: $46.65 NNN	University City Navy Yard King of Prussia
10. Chicago Score: 13.50 Patent Count: 31 Core Companies: 3	FY 2025 NIH Funding: $1.52M R&D Efficiency: 10.33 Key Players: Abbvie, U Chicago, Vanqua Bio	Lab Space: 8.2M sq ft Availability: 28% Rent: $45.00 NNN	Lake County Fulton Market O’Hare Corridor

Methodology

*Patent counts represent international pharma patents granted in 2024 YTD (as of early November), based on CPC classifications for pharmaceutical and biotechnology innovations, with patent family deduplication applied. The analysis used BigQuery’s Public Patent Datasets, focusing on pharmaceutical CPC codes including A61K (medical preparations), A61P (therapeutic activity), C07K (peptides), and related classifications. All NIH fundings based on FY2025 as of November 4, 2024. Lab space data from CBRE. The innovation score was a composite metric using patent strength (30%), geographic market reach (30%), research infrastructure including lab space and NIH funding (20%), and ecosystem factors like citation impact and patent density (20%).

Real Estate Data combined metrics from CBRE’s Life Sciences Construction Benchmarks 2024 and JLL’s Life Sciences Real Estate Outlook 2024. NIH Funding analysis used the NIH RePORTER database for FY2024-2025 awards, including R01, SBIR/STTR, and center grants. Funding was mapped to biopharma hubs through congressional district allocations.