Sources: U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, D.C.; CP staff
With 136 projects representing 3.73 square feet of certified space per resident, Massachusetts heads the new Top 10 States for LEED, the U.S. Green Building Council’s annual ranking of states showing significant strides in sustainable building design, construction and transformation.
Now in its seventh year, the ranking assesses the total square feet of LEED-certified space per resident based on U.S. Census data and includes commercial and institutional green building projects certified during 2016. This year’s list has the highest average (2.55 square feet) per capita of LEED-certified space among the top 10 states since 2010. Four of the nine states included in the 2015 list increased the square feet of space they certified per resident in 2016 (Massachusetts, Colorado, California and Virginia).
“LEED guides our buildings, cities, communities and neighborhoods to become more resource- and energy-efficient, healthier for occupants and more competitive in the marketplace,” contends USGBC President Mahesh Ramanujam. “The green building movement continues to evolve with advancements in technology, benchmarking and transparency, and the states on this list are leading the way toward a more sustainable future.”
| TOP 10 STATES FOR LEED | ||||
| Rank | State | Certified Gross Square Footage | Per-Capita Certified GSF | Project Count |
| 1 | Massachusetts | 24,398,765 | 3.73 | 136 |
| 2 | Colorado | 15,921,457 | 3.17 | 92 |
| 3 | Illinois | 36,188,485 | 2.82 | 151 |
| 4 | New York | 48,405,204 | 2.5 | 211 |
| 5 | California | 88,891,641 | 2.39 | 632 |
| 6 | Nevada | 6,397,602 | 2.37 | 22 |
| 7 | Maryland | 13,426,623 | 2.33 | 104 |
| 8 | Virginia | 18,444,309 | 2.31 | 155 |
| 9 | Washington | 15,103,478 | 2.25 | 105 |
| 10 | Texas | 41,942,393 | 1.67 | 211 |