Source: U.S. Green Building Council
Now in its fifth year, the USGBC’s Top 10 States for LEED Green Building Per Capita in Nation ranking is based on 2010 U.S. Census data and includes commercial and institutional green building projects that were certified throughout 2014. Illinois retained its top national position for a second consecutive year, with 174 LEED certifications representing 3.31 square feet of LEED-certified space per resident.
List newcomers Georgia and Arizona show that 2014 was a year of major growth for LEED adoption in the South and Southwest, while the continued strong performance of Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia have helped the Mid-Atlantic region remain the country’s epicenter of green building. Washington, D.C., which is not included on the official list of top states due to its status as a federal territory, is notable as it continues to lead the nation with 29.44 square feet of space per resident certified in 2014. Maryland and Virginia finished third and fourth, respectively, and both states increased their per capita totals to 2.70 and 2.33 square feet of LEED space per resident in 2014.
The 2014 list had the highest average (2.34) of per capita space certified per resident per state since 2010, and the second highest average to date. Six of the eight states—Illinois, Colorado, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, Hawaii—returning to last year’s top 10 ranking from 2013 increased the amount of square feet of certified space per resident. Illinois and Colorado are the only two states to make the list every year since 2010.