Data from the U.S. Green Building Council on LEED-certified commercial and institutional buildings as of July 2025 were used to rank cities by number of LEED-certified buildings per 100,000 residents. Population and median household income are from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey five-year estimates. Only cities with at least 300 LEED-certified buildings were included. Cities leading in per-capita certification commonly feature municipal sustainability mandates, active green-design firms, state incentives, university pilot programs, or redevelopment of former industrial sites. Fifteen of the top 25 are in the South and six are in the West; only two are in the Northeast.
Many are in the Phoenix, Dallas, Austin, or Washington, D.C. metro areas, while some are more remote. Of the 25 cities with the most LEED buildings per capita, 15 are in the South, and six are in the West. Just three are in the Midwest, and only two - Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Princeton, New Jersey - are in the Northeast.
To determine the cities leading the green building revolution, 24/7 Wall St. analyzed data from the U.S. Green Building Council. Cities were ranked based on the number of LEED-certified commercial and institutional buildings per 100,000 residents as of July 2025. Supplemental data on population and and median household income are from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey and are five-year estimates. Only cities with at least 300 LEED-certified buildings were considered.
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