The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC; Washington, D.C.) released its annual ranking of U.S. states leading the way on green building. The list is based on LEED-certified gross square footage per capita over the past year.
In 2022, Massachusetts topped the ranking with 96 buildings encompassing more than 26 million square feet, or 3.7 LEED-certified square feet per resident.
“It was a strong year for LEED certifications across the U.S. as companies and governments embrace LEED as a tool for meeting ESG goals and organizational commitments to climate action, occupant well-being, and resource efficiency,” Peter Templeton, USGBC president and CEO, said in a release.
“LEED buildings are environmentally friendly, cutting their emissions and waste, and use less energy and water. At the same time, they also help reduce operational and maintenance costs, contributing to the bottom line.”
Rounding out the top five states were Illinois, New York, California, and Maryland. As a federal territory, Washington, D.C., doesn’t appear in the official list but outperformed all states by certifying 46 square feet of space per resident across 115 green building projects.
In total for 2022, the top 10 states certified 1,225 projects and nearly 353 million gross square feet under LEED. For more information, visit usgbc.org.
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