Illinois Retains Top Position in LEED Top 10 List; Utah Makes 1st Appearance

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LEED logoIllinois has retained its top national position in the list of Top 10 States for LEED; a newcomer to the Top 10 list is Utah, while Texas, Washington and Nevada are back on the list after a three-year hiatus.

The USGBC's Top 10 States for LEED is in its sixth year. The ranking looks at total square feet of LEED-certified space per resident, based on US Census data, and includes commercial and institutional green building projects certified throughout 2015. Illinois, the top state for three years in a row, has 161 LEED certifications representing 3.43 square feet of certified space per resident. Illinois and Colorado are the only two states to have made the list every year since 2010.

A continued strong performance from Maryland and Virginia has reaffirmed the mid-Atlantic region, which includes Washington, D.C., as the epicenter of green building. While D.C. is not included in the list of top states due to its status as a federal territory, it is notable, as it continues to lead the nation with 19.3 square feet of LEED space per resident certified in 2015.

This year’s list has the highest average (2.47) per capita space LEED-certified among the top 10 states since 2010. Four of the six states included in the 2014 list increased the square feet of space they certified per resident in 2015 (Ill., Md., Mass. and Calif.).

Collectively, 1,633 commercial and institutional projects became LEED-certified within the Top 10 States for LEED in 2015, representing 274.9 million square feet of real estate. Worldwide, 4,837 projects were certified in 2015, representing 818.9 million square feet.

“Green construction is quickly outpacing conventional construction in the US,” says Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding chair of USGBC. He adds that LEED construction drives economic growth, creates jobs and makes communities greener.

 

 

The complete list can be seen in the chart below.

LEED top 10 list 2015

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