Illinois Continues to Go Green, Tops USGBC’s 2014 LEED-est List

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has just released its infographic charting the top ten states with the most LEED projects per capita built last year.

Image via USGBC

Congrats to Illinois for topping the list for 2014 — which shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering the Prairie State’s track record for going green, and that Illinois State Law requires a minimum of LEED Silver certification for all municipal buildings.

In fact, this is the second year Illinois has won, with the a grand total of 174 completed projects that represent 3.31 square feet of LEED-certified space per resident. While Washington, D.C. clearly snubbed Illinois with 26.13 square feet more of green development, it doesn’t count because of the Capital’s status as a federal district.

Image via USGBC

Here’s a closer look at the major Chicago buildings that helped earn the state its title:

The Aon Center – LEED Silver. Image via Skyscraper City

Advanced Protein Characterization Facility at the Argonne National Laboratory – LEED Gold. Image via Curbed Chicago

NBC Tower – Recertified as LEED Gold. Image via Panoramino

Heller International Building – LEED Gold. Image via Go Erie

While Illinois enjoys its green successes, the mid-Atlantic still holds the top seat in the country as the region with the most LEED projects combined. Of the top ten states from 2014, all but Georgia and Arizona have made the list before, proving that “greening” is also on the rise in the South and Southwest.

The USGBC determines the list using per-capita figures to allow an equal comparison of the level of green buildings occurring in different states with different populations and development density. All information is based on 2010 U.S. Census data.