by Brianna Crandall — February 1, 2016—This past week, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced its annual Top 10 States for the widely used Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system. The per capita list highlights states throughout the country that are making significant strides in sustainable building design, construction, maintenance and operations.
According to USGBC, LEED-certified spaces use fewer energy and water resources; save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce carbon emissions; create jobs; and establish a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community.
Now in its sixth year, the ranking looks at total square feet of LEED-certified space per resident, based on U.S. Census data, and includes commercial and institutional green building projects certified throughout 2015. Illinois retained its top national position for the third year in a row, with 161 LEED certifications representing 3.43 square feet of certified space per resident. Illinois and Colorado are the only two states to have made the list every year since 2010.
A newcomer to the Top 10 list is Utah, illustrating how LEED is expanding beyond states with densely populated urban areas. And after a three-year hiatus, Texas, Washington and Nevada are again on the list.
A continued strong performance from Maryland and Virginia has reaffirmed the mid-Atlantic region, which includes Washington, DC, as the epicenter of green building. While DC is not included in the list of top states due to its status as a federal territory, it is notable, as it continues to lead the nation with 19.3 square feet of LEED space per resident certified in 2015, says USGBC.
This year’s list has the highest average (2.47) per capita space LEED-certified among the top 10 states since 2010. Four of the six states included in the 2014 list increased the square feet of space they certified per resident in 2015 (Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts and California).
The full ranking is as follows:
| 2015 Top 10 States for LEED | ||||
| Rank | State | Gross Square Footage (gsf) | Per Capita Certified GSF | Total No. Projects |
| 1 | IL* | 43,979,595 | 3.43 | 161 |
| 2 | MD* | 17,659,881 | 3.06 | 127 |
| 3 | MA* | 19,850,624 | 3.03 | 112 |
| 4 | WA | 17,450,321 | 2.60 | 101 |
| 5 | CO* | 12,218,992 | 2.43 | 95 |
| 6 | NV | 6,534,960 | 2.42 | 30 |
| 7 | CA* | 87,358,563 | 2.34 | 618 |
| 8 | TX | 52,445,321 | 2.09 | 237 |
| 9 | VA* | 13,005,968 | 1.63 | 121 |
| 10 | UT | 4,494,301 | 1.63 | 31 |
| ** | DC | 11,612,237 | 19.30 | 84 |
*Included in 2014 Top 10 States for LEED list
**Washington, DC, is not ranked because it is a federal district, not a state
Collectively, 1,633 commercial and institutional projects became LEED-certified within the Top 10 States for LEED in 2015, representing 274.9 million square feet of real estate. Worldwide, 4,837 projects were certified in 2015, representing 818.9 million square feet.
USGBC calculates the list using per capita figures as a measure of the human element of green building. The group says this also allows for fair comparisons among states with significant differences in population and number of buildings.
In 2015, LEED for Building Operations and Maintenance was once again the most popular rating system within the top 10 states, representing 49% of the total square footage certified. LEED for Building Design and Construction was the second most popular rating system in the top 10, representing 46% of the square footage certified, and LEED for Interior Design and Construction was the third most popular rating system, representing 5% of total square footage certified in these states in 2015.
Worldwide, more than 52,000 commercial, neighborhood and residential projects are currently LEED-certified, comprising more than 5 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states in the United States and in more than 150 countries and territories globally.
