USGBC Releases Top 10 LEED States for 2019
The U.S. Green Building Council released its annual Top 10 States for LEED last week, recognizing the nation’s leaders committed to more sustainable and resilient buildings, cities and communities.
The Top 10 list is based on 2010 U.S. Census data combined with commercial and institutional green building projects certified through 2019 and ranks the states based on the number of LEED certified square feet per person.
For the first time since 2001, Colorado has taken the top spot.
“As we embark on a new decade, the USGBC community is focused on helping more projects get on the path to LEED certification and a more sustainable future,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, President and CEO, USGBC.
“Over the last year, the Top 10 states have certified projects that serve as incredible examples of how green building can create more sustainable and resilient spaces that improve our living standard.”
This year’s top states are home to more than 105 million people, according to the USGBC, including more than 80,000 LEED green building professionals.
In 2019, Colorado certified 102 green building projects representing 4.76 square feet of LEED-certified space per resident. The state has made the Top 10 list each year, but jumped to the top spot after ranking sixth in 2018. Minnesota and Oregon reemerged as Top 10 states after missing the list last year, coming in at number eight and nine, respectively.
The 2019 Top 10 States for LEED are:
Since Washington, D.C., is not ranked as a state, it’s not on the list; however, the district comes in with the highest number of GSF per capita at 52.86, along with 31.8 million GSF in total, 143 projects and 2,597 professionals.
“There is still much work to be done, but the progress made across these states shows us that our work is having a tangible impact on people’s lives,” Ramanujam added. “As we enter our next chapter, we are committed to helping more buildings, cities and communities improve their sustainability performance through LEED.”
