Best States for Sustainable Development

The U.S. government is investing over $6 billion to implement decarbonization measures for the highest-emitting industries, representing the largest investment in industrial decarbonization in American history. This investment highlights our country’s growing commitment to sustainable development, pushing for a cleaner environment, reduced waste, and lower emissions.

While some states are actively implementing eco-friendly construction practices and promoting individual responsibility in reducing waste, others are still building momentum in their sustainability efforts. To highlight states that provide the best environments for sustainability and the ones that need to improve, SmileHub compared all 50 states across 20 key metrics. The data set ranges from green buildings per capita to the share of urban tree cover to clean energy jobs per capita.

If you want to support sustainable development in your community but don't know where to donate, check out our picks for the Best Charities for Environmental Protection in 2025.

• Main Findings
• Methodology

Main Findings

Best States for Sustainable Development

Overall Rank*	State	Total Score	Consumption & Pollution Baseline Rank	Environmental Support & Standards Rank	Urban Sustainability Rank
1	California	77.59	5	1	3
2	Vermont	76.76	1	3	1
3	Massachusetts	72.10	10	6	2
4	Oregon	70.27	7	2	7
5	Maryland	68.64	13	8	4
6	Washington	67.81	2	10	6
7	Virginia	64.70	27	7	5
8	Colorado	64.06	23	4	8
9	Maine	61.49	3	12	13
10	New York	60.55	9	13	12
11	Connecticut	59.17	4	14	15
12	Hawaii	58.04	24	15	10
13	Minnesota	57.81	6	9	16
14	New Jersey	56.31	29	20	9
15	Rhode Island	54.85	12	11	21
16	North Carolina	51.42	21	17	19
17	New Hampshire	49.24	8	27	24
18	Illinois	48.86	35	18	17
19	Arizona	48.26	22	29	14
20	Pennsylvania	47.75	40	16	20
21	Michigan	47.65	38	5	32
22	New Mexico	45.12	17	31	22
23	Florida	45.06	15	38	11
24	Texas	44.12	33	19	30
25	Utah	43.32	46	21	23
26	Wisconsin	42.89	25	25	33
27	Missouri	42.15	32	23	35
28	Nevada	40.31	37	28	28
29	Montana	40.29	16	32	29
30	Georgia	39.95	14	47	18
31	Delaware	39.81	45	26	27
32	South Carolina	38.85	34	24	38
33	Ohio	37.09	47	30	25
34	Iowa	35.21	19	43	31
35	Indiana	35.17	49	22	40
36	Nebraska	34.53	20	41	34
37	Oklahoma	33.47	28	34	45
38	South Dakota	33.20	11	49	44
39	Kansas	32.63	18	46	36
40	Tennessee	31.84	39	33	43
41	Idaho	30.68	26	44	42
42	Arkansas	30.46	30	42	41
43	Alaska	28.16	48	48	26
44	North Dakota	27.98	31	36	48
45	Wyoming	27.65	41	45	39
46	Alabama	26.54	36	40	47
47	Kentucky	26.48	42	37	46
48	West Virginia	24.61	44	39	49
49	Louisiana	23.74	50	35	37
50	Mississippi	21.50	43	50	50

Notes: *1 = Best

With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of each state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that category.

Methodology

In order to identify the best states for sustainable development, SmileHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: 1) Consumption & Pollution Baselines, 2) Environmental Support & Standards and 3) Urban Sustainability.

We evaluated those dimensions using 20 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of sustainable development. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), the square root of the population was used to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for population differences across states.

We then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.

Consumption & Pollution Baselines - Total Points: 25

• Energy Consumption per Capita: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)

• Share of Renewable Energy Consumption: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)

• Industrial Toxins per Square Mile of Land Area: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)

• Daily Water Consumption per Capita: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)

• Water Efficiency and Sustainability Score: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on data from Alliance for Water Efficiency’s “2022 State Policy Scorecard for Water Efficiency and Sustainability” report.

• Total Tonnage of Landfill Waste per Capita: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)

Environmental Support & Standards - Total Points: 35

• Environmental Protection Charities per Capita*: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)

• Climate Action Plan Status: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
  Note: This is a binary metric:
  
  • 1 - The state has a climate action plan released;
    
  • 0.5 - The state is updating a climate action plan;
    
  • 0 - The state neither has a released climate action plan nor is updating a climate action plan.

• States with Electronic Waste Recycling Programs: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
  Note: This is a binary metric:
  
  • 1 - States with e-waste recycling programs;
    
  • 0 – States with no e-waste recycling programs.

• State Renewable Portfolio Standards: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
  This binary metric considers the presence or absence of renewable portfolio standards in the states. Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) require that a specified percentage of the electricity that utilities sell comes from renewable resources.
  
  • 0 - States and territories with no standard or target;
    
  • 0.5 - States and territories with a voluntary renewable energy standard or target;
  • 1 - States and territories with Renewable Portfolio Standards.

• Clean Energy Jobs per Capita: Double Weight (~10.00 Points)
  Note: Per E2, clean energy jobs include jobs in solar energy, wind energy, combined heat and power, bioenergy, non-woody biomass, low-impact hydro power, geothermal, electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, hydrogen and fuel-cell vehicles, clean energy storage, smart grid, micro grid, grid modernization, advanced biofuels, and energy efficiency including ENERGY STAR® and high efficiency appliances, efficient lighting, HVAC, renewable heating and cooling, and advanced building materials. The clean energy occupations covered in this report span economic sectors including agriculture, utilities, construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, professional services, and other services.

• Clean Energy Job Growth: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)

Urban Sustainability - Total Points: 40

• Green Buildings per Capita: Double Weight (~8.89 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the number of LEED-certified units per capita.

• Recycling Rate: Full Weight (~4.44 Points)
  Note: Recycling rate of packaging materials without cardboard, boxboard, paper packaging, plastic films, and flexible plastic packaging. All recycling rates are the real recycling rate — in other words, the quantity of material that is actually recycled and re-incorporated into a new product.

• Share of Tree Cover in Urban Areas: Full Weight (~4.44 Points)
  Note: Urban forests vary in extent and composition across the United States. This forest variation along with differences in climate and human populations affects the magnitude and value of services provided by urban forests across the nation. Research on urban forests over the past several decades has advanced our understanding of this resource and its impact on society. These impacts include many ecosystem services and costs associated with vegetation in close proximity to people, many of which remain to be quantified. These services include moderating climate, reducing building energy use and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), improving air and water quality, mitigating rainfall runoff and flooding, enhancing human health and social well-being, and lowering noise impacts (Dwyer et al. 1992, Nowak and Dwyer 2007, Dobbs et al. 2017).

• Share of Population Using Green Transportation: Full Weight (~4.44 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the percentage of the population who walk, bike, carpool, take public transportation or work from home.

• Share of Electric or Hybrid Electric Vehicles: Full Weight (~4.44 Points)
  Note: Electric and hybrid electric vehicles include Electric (EV), Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), and Hybrid Electric (HEV) vehicles.

• Electric Vehicle Charging Stations per Capita: Full Weight (~4.44 Points)

• Presence of Wastewater Reuse Initiatives: Full Weight (~4.44 Points)
  This is a binary metric:
  
  • 1 – The state has a water reuse project or projects;
    
  • 0 – The state does not have a water reuse project or projects.

• Presence of Green Infrastructure for Stormwater Management Policies: Full Weight (~4.44 Points)
  This is a composite metric:
  
  • 1 - The state has green infrastructure for stormwater management policies;
    
  • 0 - The state does not have green infrastructure for stormwater management policies;

  Green infrastructure projects are an innovative approach to stormwater management that can protect water quality and increase a state’s climate resilience. Projects can include:
  Bioswales: Engineered landscape elements designed to increase infiltration of stormwater to the groundwater basin and filter out pollutants.
  Green roofs: Vegetated roof with a layer of soil atop a drainage system to filter contaminants, absorb rainfall and delay runoff to reduce stress on stormwater systems, lower energy bills, reduce heat island effects and improve air quality.
  Permeable pavement: Permeable pavers and porous concrete surfaces that allow water to penetrate pavement and soak slowly into the ground rather than run off into city drains.
  Constructed wetlands: Human-made wetlands that mimic the stormwater capture and nutrient load reduction benefits of natural wetlands and treat waste and stormwater with specific vegetation, soils and bacteria instead of chemicals.
  

 
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Energy Information Administration, Department of Energy, Internal Revenue Service, Environmental Protection Agency, United States Geological Survey, Green Building Council, E2, Eunomia, Journal of Forestry, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, Alliance for Water Efficiency and National Conference of State Legislatures.