USGBC Names Top 10 Green States

For the second year in a row, Illinois leads the list of U.S. states with the highest concentration of LEED-certified commercial and institutional buildings.

The U.S. Green Building Council's Top 10 States for LEED in 2014 ranking, announced Wednesday (Feb. 4), is based on certifications earned during the past year and Census data from 2010.

© iStock.com / Stuartb

Illinois certified 174 LEED commercial and institutional projects in 2014.

In Illinois, 174 projects comprising 42.5 million square feet of space earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification in 2014. That translates to 3.31 square feet per capita.

Other LEED-leading states are Colorado and Maryland, with 3.14 and 2.70 square feet of LEED-certified space per person, respectively.

Momentum in the South, Southwest

Making their debuts on the Top 10 list this year were Georgia, with 1.83 square feet per person, and Arizona, with 1.74 square feet per capita

The newcomers “show that 2014 was a year of major growth for LEED in the South and Southwest regions of the country,” according to the USGBC.

Collectively, 1,662 commercial and institutional projects became certified within the Top 10 states in 2014, representing 251.7 million square feet of real estate. Worldwide, 4,502 projects were certified in 2014, representing 675.7 million square feet, according to USGBC.