The U.S. Green Building Council has released its list of top U.S. states for LEED-certified projects in 2011.

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The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has released its 2011 list of top 10 states for LEED-certified commercial and institutional green buildings per capita, based on the U.S. 2010 Census information. The District of Columbia leads the nation, with more than 31 sq ft of LEED-certified space per person in 2011. The District of Columbia, it should be noted, has a mandate for government buildings to become LEED-compliant, which accounts for the much higher square footage.

The top 10 LEED states, ranked by per capita:

1. Colorado, 2.74 sq ft
2. Illinois, 2.69 sq ft
3. Virginia, 2.42 sq ft
4. Washington, 2.18 sq ft
5. Maryland, 2.07 sq ft
6. Massachusetts, 2.00 sq ft
7. Texas, 1.99 sq ft
8. California, 1.92 sq ft
9. New York, 1.89 sq ft
10. Minnesota, 1.81 sq ft

"Looking past the bricks and mortar, people are at the heart of what buildings are all about," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, USGBC. "Examining the per capita value of LEED square footage in these states allows us to focus on what matters most - the human element of green buildings."

LEED is the internationally recognized mark of green building excellence, with more than 44,000 projects commercial projects participating, comprising more than 8 billion sq ft of construction space in all 50 states and 120 countries. 

In December 2011, USGBC announced that LEED-certified existing buildings outpaced their newly built counterparts by 15 million sq ft on a cumulative basis. A focus on heightened building performance through green operations and maintenance is essential to cost-effectively driving improvements in the economy and the environment.

A list of recently completed projects to receive LEED certification can be found here.