The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC; Washington, D.C.) released its annual listing of the top 10 states in LEED-certified building design, according to a news release.

In its 25th year, the list ranks states based on the square footage per capita of LEED-certified building space across 132 projects. Massachusetts leads the list for 2024 with 4.95 square feet per capita of LEED-certified building space, improving from third place in the 2023 ranking.

Following Massachusetts on the list are:

  • Illinois (4.017 certified square feet per capita; 102 projects),
  • New York (3.438 certified square feet per capita; 170 projects),
  • Washington state (3.03 certified square feet per capita; 90 projects),
  • Maryland (2.775 certified square feet per capita; 100 projects),
  • California (2.58 certified square feet per capita; 437 projects),
  • Texas (2.58 square feet per capita; 205 projects),
  • Nevada (2.47 square feet per capita; 29 projects),
  • Colorado (2.4 square feet per capita; 64 projects), and
  • Virginia (2.32 square feet per capita; 108 projects).

The District of Columbia, though not officially on the list because it is a federal district, led the nation with more than 33 square feet of LEED-certified building space per resident. That square footage is spread across 111 green building projects.

In 2024, the top 10 states certified 1,437 LEED projects equaling more than 414 million gross square feet. Texas and Nevada returned to the list in seventh and eighth place after not placing in 2023. Maryland climbed five spots in the ranking compared to 2023, with a 61 percent increase in the number of LEED-certified projects.

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