USGBC’s Top 10 States for LEED in 2014

This week, USGBC released its list of the Top 10 States for LEED in 2014. The annual list ranks U.S. States based on the amount of LEED certified square feet per person over the past year. For the second year running Illinois took the top spot with 174 projects, and 42.44 Million sq ft of LEED certified space (3.31 sq ft per capita). Colorado jumped up seven spots from last year, coming in a close second with 3.14 sq ft per capita (102 projects; 15.82 Million sq ft). Sixth place on the list, California, had by far the most total activity in 2014 with 517 LEED certified projects equaling nearly 70 Million sq ft!

USGBC’s Top 10 States for LEED in 2014 were:

It’s also worth noting that for the 2nd year running, Washington, DC would have been #1 on the list by a hefty margin were it a state. With nearly 18 Million sq ft LEED certified in 2014, DC dominated the per-capita competition with 29.44 sq ft per resident. Unfortunately, DC is not a state so the federal district is once again on the outside looking in as a very sustainable asterisk. Certification Without Representation, indeed. (I’m going to keep using this joke until it catches on.)

See USGBC’s beautiful infographic highlighting the Top 10, and follow the links above to visit GBIG Place Profiles for each top ranked state. GBIG Place Profiles provide a snapshot of green building activity within a geographic location, including LEED and Energy Star certification statistics, metrics for walkability, transit access, operational energy efficiency, and more.