Illinois moved into the top position for LEED certification with 171 projects representing 2.29 square feet of LEED space per resident, according to the USGBC’s Top 10 States for LEED. The per-capita list is based on 2010 U.S. Census data and includes commercial and institutional green building projects that were certified throughout 2013.
The mid-Atlantic region reigned in 2013 with Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia all topping the list. Washington, D.C., had 106 LEED-certified projects representing 32.45 square feet of space per resident. Maryland and Virginia followed Illinois in the second and third positions, respectively, certifying 2.20 and 2.11 square feet of LEED space per resident in 2013.
Newcomers to the top 10 states list from 2012 include:
- Oregon, which certified 47 projects representing 1.83 square feet per resident in 2013;
- North Carolina, with 1.80 square feet per resident;
- Hawaii, with 1.71 square feet per resident; and
- Minnesota, with 1.55 square feet per resident.
Reflecting the continued trend of LEED existing buildings outpacing their newly built counterparts, in 2013 the LEED for Building Operations and Maintenance rating system accounted for 48% of total square footage certified in these states. This compares to 43% of square footage certified under LEED for Building Design and Construction and 9% certified under LEED for Interior Design and Construction.
The full ranking is as follows:
| Rank | State | Projects certified in 2013 | Square feet certified in 2013 | Per-capita square footage |
| 1 | Illinois | 171 | 29,415,284 | 2.29 |
| 2 | Maryland | 119 | 12,696,429 | 2.20 |
| 3 | Virginia | 160 | 16,868,693 | 2.11 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 101 | 13,684,430 | 2.09 |
| 5 (tie) | New York | 259 | 37,839,395 | 1.95 |
| 5 (tie) | California | 595 | 72,729,476 | 1.95 |
| 6 | Oregon | 47 | 6,991,942 | 1.83 |
| 7 | North Carolina | 133 | 17,183,099 | 1.80 |
| 8 | Colorado | 124 | 8,894,187 | 1.77 |
| 9 | Hawaii | 17 | 2,323,379 | 1.71 |
| 10 | Minnesota | 51 | 8,205,155 | 1.55 |
| * | Washington, D.C. | 106 | 19,524,216 | 32.45 |
*Washington, D.C. is not ranked as it is a federal district, not a state.
Collectively, 1,777 commercial and institutional projects became LEED certified within the top 10 states in 2013, representing 226.8 million square feet of real estate. Worldwide, 4,642 projects were certified in 2013, representing 596.8 million square feet.
