Plans to build the Freedom Tower in lower Manhattan started in late 2001. It has taken nearly a decade and a half to complete the project, which created the tallest building in America. It is a part of a tradition of New York’s grip on the title that dates back, with the exception of a few years, at least to the Empire State Building, which was finished in 1931.
The Freedom Tower was designed to be 1,776 feet tall, in commemoration the year the Declaration of Independence was signed. Architect of the original World Trade Center, Minoru Yamasaki, wrote of his design: “I am happy I was able to design very large buildings which have the scale relationship to man so necessary to him; they are intended to give him a soaring and inspired feeling, imparting pride and a sense of nobility in his environment.” This sense of pride and association is apparent in the residents of major cities who associate the place with the skyline and the landmark structures that comprise it.
A state’s tallest building is often in its largest city. Most are office buildings, hotels, or a mix of the two. The height of a state’s tallest building often reflects the size of its largest city’s economy. Of the five tallest buildings on this list, four are in the largest cities in the country by GDP.
Likewise, states with smaller economies often lack the commercial activity that would necessitate a skyscraper. The tallest building in Wyoming, for example, is in Cheyenne, whose $5.3 billion metro area GDP is dwarfed in comparison to the New York metro area’s $1.56 trillion GDP. The Wyoming Financial Center is just 148 feet tall, or 11 stories high. By comparison, there are over 6,000 buildings in New York City that are 10 stories or higher.
Click here to see the tallest building in every state.
Of course, the presence of a large commercial center is not the only reason skyscrapers are constructed. For cities and countries, a tall building can serve as a symbol of achievement or cultural supremacy. It can serve as a landmark that lends a unique, memorable image to a city or the business associated with the building. This is why for more than a century, there have been races to build the tallest skyscraper in a particular country, or in the world. New York’s Chrysler building was constructed in 1930, winning such a race. Today, Iraq and Saudi Arabia are rushing to gain the prestige of having the world’s tallest. Construction is already underway on a 3,280 ft. tower in Dubai. A 3,780 ft. skyscraper is being considered in the Basra Province of Iraq. The current tallest building, Dubai’s, Burj Khalifa, is 2,717 ft. tall.
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, the world’s leading resource on tall buildings, classifies height in two categories. There is the height of the tallest usable floor, and vanity height. Vanity height is the distance between a building’s highest usable floor and its architectural top, often achieved by a spire or antenna. Without vanity height, more than half of the world’s tallest buildings would lose their “supertall” status of being 300 meters (984 feet) or taller. One World Trade Center’s antenna contributes to the building’s vanity height of 441 feet, just under one quarter of the building’s total height.
Click on image to enlarge.
Other considerations can affect what ranks as the tallest building in a state. For example, Washington, DC has a height restriction that limits a building’s height to no more than 20 feet higher than the width of the street on which it is situated. The ordinance preserves the Jeffersonian vision for a safe capital with a “light and airy” character. Currently, the tallest building in DC is the 315 ft. Old Post Office Building, built before the restriction was imposed in 1910.
To determine the tallest building in every state, 24/7 Wall St. compiled a list with data from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). Proposed buildings or buildings under construction, whose height may surpass that of the current tallest building, were excluded. The text of Yamasaki’s letter was also provided by the CTBUH. Metropolitan area GDP figures came from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
These are the tallest buildings in every state.
1. Alabama
> Tallest building: RSA Battle House Tower
> City: Mobile
> Building height: 745 ft.
> Year built: 2007
> Metro area GDP: $18.3 billion
2. Alaska
> Tallest building: Conoco-Phillips Building
> City: Anchorage
> Building height: 296 ft.
> Year built: 1982
> Metro area GDP: $30.7 billion
3. Arizona
> Tallest building: Chase Tower
> City: Phoenix
> Building height: 486 ft.
> Year built: 1972
> Metro area GDP: $215.2 billion
[nativounit]
4. Arkansas
> Tallest building: Metropolitan Tower
> City: Little Rock
> Building height: 546 ft.
> Year built: 1986
> Metro area GDP: $38.6 billion
5. California
> Tallest building: US Bank Tower
> City: Los Angeles
> Building height: 1018 ft.
> Year built: 1990
> Metro area GDP: $866.7 billion
6. Colorado
> Tallest building: Republic Plaza
> City: Denver
> Building height: 714 ft.
> Year built: 1984
> Metro area GDP: $187.1 billion
[recirclink id=309960]
7. Connecticut
> Tallest building: City Place I
> City: Hartford
> Building height: 535 ft.
> Year built: 1980
> Metro area GDP: $85.6 billion
8. Delaware
> Tallest building: 1201 N. Market Street
> City: Wilmington
> Building height: 330 ft.
> Year built: 1988
> Metro area GDP: $391.1 billion
9. District of Columbia
> Tallest building: Old Post Office Building
> City: Washington
> Building height: 315 ft.
> Year built: 1899
> Metro area GDP: $471.6 billion
[nativounit]
10. Florida
> Tallest building: Four Seasons Hotel & Tower
> City: Miami
> Building height: 789 ft.
> Year built: 2003
> Metro area GDP: $299.2 billion
11. Georgia
> Tallest building: Bank of America Plaza
> City: Atlanta
> Building height: 1023 ft.
> Year built: 1992
> Metro area GDP: $324.9 billion
12. Hawaii
> Tallest building: First Hawaiian Center
> City: Honolulu
> Building height: 429 ft.
> Year built: 1996
> Metro area GDP: $59.3 billion
13. Idaho
> Tallest building: 8th & Main Tower
> City: Boise
> Building height: 315 ft.
> Year built: 2014
> Metro area GDP: $29.3 billion
[nativounit]
14. Illinois
> Tallest building: Willis Tower
> City: Chicago
> Building height: 1451 ft.
> Year built: 1974
> Metro area GDP: $610.6 billion
15. Indiana
> Tallest building: Chase Tower
> City: Indianapolis
> Building height: 701 ft.
> Year built: 1990
> Metro area GDP: $125.9 billion
16. Iowa
> Tallest building: 801 Grand
> City: Des Moines
> Building height: 630 ft.
> Year built: 1991
> Metro area GDP: $45.2 billion
[recirclink id=310852]
17. Kansas
> Tallest building: Epic Center
> City: Wichita
> Building height: 320 ft.
> Year built: 1989
> Metro area GDP: $30.3 billion
18. Kentucky
> Tallest building: AEGON Center
> City: Louisville
> Building height: 549 ft.
> Year built: 1992
> Metro area GDP: $67.3 billion
19. Louisiana
> Tallest building: One Shell Square
> City: New Orleans
> Building height: 697 ft.
> Year built: 1972
> Metro area GDP: $80.3 billion
[nativounit]
20. Maine
> Tallest building: 477 Congress Street
> City: Portland
> Building height: 184 ft.
> Year built: 1924
> Metro area GDP: $28.0 billion
21. Maryland
> Tallest building: Legg Mason Building
> City: Baltimore
> Building height: 529 ft.
> Year built: 1973
> Metro area GDP: $173.5 billion
22. Massachusetts
> Tallest building: 200 Clarendon
> City: Boston
> Building height: 790 ft.
> Year built: 1976
> Metro area GDP: $382.5 billion
23. Michigan
> Tallest building: Marriott Hotel, Renaissance Center I
> City: Detroit
> Building height: 727 ft.
> Year built: 1977
> Metro area GDP: $236.5 billion
[nativounit]
24. Minnesota
> Tallest building: IDS Tower
> City: Minneapolis
> Building height: 792 ft.
> Year built: 1973
> Metro area GDP: $235.7 billion
25. Mississippi
> Tallest building: Beau Rivage Casino Hotel
> City: Biloxi
> Building height: 346 ft.
> Year built: 1999
> Metro area GDP: $15.8 billion
26. Missouri
> Tallest building: One Kansas City Place
> City: Kansas City
> Building height: 623 ft.
> Year built: 1988
> Metro area GDP: $121.6 billion
[recirclink id=311254]
27. Montana
> Tallest building: First Interstate Center
> City: Billings
> Building height: 272 ft.
> Year built: 1985
> Metro area GDP: $9.5 billion
28. Nebraska
> Tallest building: The Tower at First National Center
> City: Omaha
> Building height: 634 ft.
> Year built: 2002
> Metro area GDP: $57.9 billion
29. Nevada
> Tallest building: The Palazzo
> City: Las Vegas
> Building height: 642 ft.
> Year built: 2007
> Metro area GDP: $94.5 billion
[nativounit]
30. New Hampshire
> Tallest building: City Hall Plaza
> City: Manchester
> Building height: 275 ft.
> Year built: 1992
> Metro area GDP: $24.9 billion
31. New Jersey
> Tallest building: 30 Hudson Street
> City: Jersey City
> Building height: 781 ft.
> Year built: 2004
> Metro area GDP: $1.56 trillion
32. New Mexico
> Tallest building: Albuquerque Plaza
> City: Albuquerque
> Building height: 351 ft.
> Year built: 1990
> Metro area GDP: $42.0 billion
33. New York
> Tallest building: 1 World Trade Center
> City: New York
> Building height: 1776 ft.
> Year built: 2014
> Metro area GDP: $1.56 trillion
[nativounit]
34. North Carolina
> Tallest building: Bank of America Corporate Center
> City: Charlotte
> Building height: 871 ft.
> Year built: 1992
> Metro area GDP: $143.6 billion
35. North Dakota
> Tallest building: State Capitol
> City: Bismarck
> Building height: 242 ft.
> Year built: 1934
> Metro area GDP: $7.3 billion
36. Ohio
> Tallest building: Key Tower
> City: Cleveland
> Building height: 947 ft.
> Year built: 1991
> Metro area GDP: $124.6 billion
[recirclink id=310145]
37. Oklahoma
> Tallest building: Devon Energy Center
> City: Oklahoma City
> Building height: 844 ft.
> Year built: 2012
> Metro area GDP: $72.6 billion
38. Oregon
> Tallest building: Wells Fargo Center
> City: Portland
> Building height: 546 ft.
> Year built: 1973
> Metro area GDP: $159.3 billion
39. Pennsylvania
> Tallest building: Comcast Center
> City: Philadelphia
> Building height: 974 ft.
> Year built: 2008
> Metro area GDP: $391.1 billion
[nativounit]
40. Rhode Island
> Tallest building: Bank of America Building
> City: Providence
> Building height: 428 ft.
> Year built: 1927
> Metro area GDP: $75.9 billion
41. South Carolina
> Tallest building: Capitol Center
> City: Columbia
> Building height: 349 ft.
> Year built: 1987
> Metro area GDP: $36.4 billion
42. South Dakota
> Tallest building: The CenturyLink Tower
> City: Sioux Falls
> Building height: 174 ft.
> Year built: 1962
> Metro area GDP: $6.1 billion
43. Tennessee
> Tallest building: AT&T Building
> City: Nashville
> Building height: 617 ft.
> Year built: 1994
> Metro area GDP: $106.7 billion
[nativounit]
44. Texas
> Tallest building: JPMorganChase Tower
> City: Houston
> Building height: 1002 ft.
> Year built: 1982
> Metro area GDP: $525.4 billion
45. Utah
> Tallest building: Wells Fargo Center
> City: Salt Lake City
> Building height: 422 ft.
> Year built: 1998
> Metro area GDP: $75.7 billion
46. Vermont
> Tallest building: Masonic Temple Building
> City: Burlington
> Building height: 134 ft.
> Year built: 1898
> Metro area GDP: $12.7 billion
[nativounit]
47. Virginia
> Tallest building: The Westin Virginia Beach Town Center & Residences
> City: Virginia Beach
> Building height: 508 ft.
> Year built: 2007
> Metro area GDP: $90.8 billion
48. Washington
> Tallest building: Columbia Center
> City: Seattle
> Building height: 933 ft.
> Year built: 1985
> Metro area GDP: $300.8 billion
49. West Virginia
> Tallest building: Kanawha Valley Building
> City: Charleston
> Building height: 265 ft.
> Year built: 1929
> Metro area GDP: $14.6 billion
[recirclink id=310239]
50. Wisconsin
> Tallest building: U.S. Bank Center
> City: Milwaukee
> Building height: 601 ft.
> Year built: 1973
> Metro area GDP: $97.3 billion
51. Wyoming
> Tallest building: Wyoming Financial Center
> City: Cheyenne
> Building height: 148 ft.
> Year built: 1990
> Metro area GDP: $5.5 billion
Top Gaining Stocks
Top Losing Stocks