The City of Atlanta ranked 6th on the list of top 10 cities across the nation with the greatest number of green buildings! The annual U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) ranking is based on LEED-certified gross square footage per capita within the previous year. With a gross square footage per capita of 2.25, Atlanta had 66 projects certified in 2022.

“There’s always a lot of LEED and green building activity in the state,” stated Ryan Snow, USGBC South-Atlantic and South-Central regional director. “But in 2022, there were 66 projects that were certified including large notable projects. For example, the Georgia World Congress Center was re-certified, and that building alone is almost 4 million square feet. So, it certainly contributed to the ranking this year.”

As the world’s most-used green building system, the LEED program was developed by the USGBC to set leading standards for resilient, high-performing and healthy green buildings. In the past year, the USGBC exceeded 100,000 LEED-certified buildings worldwide and 11 billion certified gross square feet.

“It was a strong year for LEED certifications across the U.S. as companies and governments embrace LEED as a tool for meeting ESG goals and organizational commitments to climate action, occupant well-being and resource efficiency,” stated USGBC president and CEO Peter Templeton. “LEED buildings are environmentally friendly, cutting their emissions and waste, and use less energy and water. At the same time, they also help reduce operational and maintenance costs, contributing to the bottom line.”

Here is a list of the full USGBC rankings:

1. Massachusetts – 96 projects, 3.76 GSF per capita
2. Illinois – 91 projects, 3.48 GSF per capita
3. New York – 142 projects, 3.17 GSF per capita
4. California – 386 projects, 2.44 GSF per capita
5. Maryland – 80 projects, 2.39 GSF per capita
6. Georgia – 66 projects, 2.25 GSF per capita
7. Colorado – 59 projects, 2.17 GSF per capita
8. Virginia – 95 projects, 1.89 GSF per capita
9. Texas – 174 projects, 1.67 GSF per capita
10. Oregon – 36 projects, 1.43 GSF per capita

For additional information on the top 10 cities in 2022 with LEED-certified buildings, visit www.USGBC.org.