Design and Construction, Green Building, Maintenance and Operations, Sustainability/Business Continuity

Top 10 States for LEED-Certified Green Buildings in 2024

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has released its annual Top 10 list of U.S. states LEED-ing the way on green buildings, with Massachusetts taking the top spot in 2024.

The USGBC ranking is based on LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified gross square footage per capita over the past year. The LEED rating system is the world’s most widely used green building program and was created by the USGBC as a standard defining best practices for healthy, high-performing green buildings.

Improving its showing from 2023, Massachusetts ranked first with 4.95 LEED-certified square footage per capita in 2024. After Massachusetts, the Top 5 states were Illinois (4.017 certified square feet per capita), New York (3.438 certified square feet per capita), Washington state (3.03 certified square feet per capita), and Maryland (2.775 certified square feet per capita).

Though not officially on the list because it is a federal district, the District of Columbia continued to lead the nation, seeing more than 33 square feet of certified space per resident across 111 green building projects.

“More than ever, governments and organizations are seeking to build more resilient, healthy, affordable, and sustainable cities and communities that address immediate and future needs,” said Peter Templeton, president and CEO of the USGBC. “LEED provides a proven path to meeting these critical priorities. We commend these states and the District of Columbia for their leadership and progress toward a more resilient and sustainable future for all.”

Companies and institutions turn to tools like LEED certification to demonstrate responsible stewardship and measure impact. The LEED framework helps organizations align their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals and provide transparent data that demonstrates progress.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the USGBC’s launch of the LEED rating system, and the Top 10 list highlights the program’s growth across the country.

In 2024, the Top 10 states certified a total of 1,437 LEED projects, equaling over 414 million gross square feet. Some notable achievements include:

  • Massachusetts climbed two spots from 2023 to reach the top spot.
  • Texas and Nevada return to the list after not placing in 2023; Texas ranked ninth in 2022, and Nevada last placed in 2021.
  • Maryland made the biggest jump in the ranking, climbing five spots. The state had a 61% increase in the number of projects.

More info on the 2024 rankings, along with a list of notable projects, can be found here.

Notably, the USGBC is finalizing its latest iteration of the rating system—LEED v5. Following a public comment period, LEED v5 will officially be released later this year and will reflect the feedback received from the community.

To learn what LEED v5 means for facilities managers, watch this exclusive 2024 interview with Kat Wagenschutz, the USGBC’s director of existing buildings:

In the FMA Insights video, Wagenschutz answers the following questions:

  1. What is LEED, in general, and why is it so important? (1:00)
  2. Why update LEED now? What are some new core components of the draft LEED v5? (2:50)
  3. What are some key steps facilities managers can take to help their organization meet these higher standards? (5:25)
  4. Is there a business case facilities managers can make to help encourage their organization to invest in green buildings and obtain this new LEED certification? (10:40)
  5. What if a facility already has a LEED certification under a previous version? Should the facilities manager start preparing for recertification under this new standard? (13:30)
  6. What’s next in the process? When does the USGBC expect to finalize this version 5? (14:45)

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