U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) has released its fifth-annual list of the top states for LEED, using the square footage of LEED-certified space per resident (per capita) as the benchmark. How does your state stack up? Read on and see the top 10:
Rank | State | Projects Certified in 2014 | LEED-certified square feet (2014) | Square footage per capita |
1. | Illinois | 174 | 42,457,254 | 3.31 |
2. | Colorado | 102 | 15,816,498 | 3.15 |
3. | Maryland | 132 | 15,583,423 | 2.70 |
4. | Virginia | 150 | 18,617,712 | 2.33 |
5. | Massachusetts | 99 | 14,662,950 | 2.2 |
6. | Hawaii | 30 | 2,657,808 | 1.95 |
7. | California | 517 | 69,762,936 | 1.87 |
8. | Georgia | 87 | 17,748,781 | 1.83 |
9. | Minnesota | 39 | 9,511,684 | 1.79 |
10. (tie) | Arizona | 82 | 11,152,201 | 1.74 |
10. (tie) | New York | 250 | 33,691,209 | 1.74 |
USGBC says both Maryland and Virginia’s high rankings are evidence that the mid-Atlantic region remains the epicenter of green building across the country, but the South and Southwest are making strides and adding newcomers Georgia and Arizona to the list. Illinois and Colorado are the only two states to make the list every year since 2010.
Washington, D.C., home to USGBC, was not included on the official list of top states due to its status as a federal territory, yet it is continues to lead the nation with 29.44 square feet of space per resident certified in 2014.