At a time when urban centers were growing increasingly crowded, the introduction of the safety elevator in 1853 ushered in the modern era of tall buildings. Skyscrapers are now commonplace in major U.S. cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, rising hundreds of feet and shaping iconic skylines.

Corporations have always competed for the honor of owning the tallest building in the city or state, and the competition continues to this day. California’s tallest building, the Wilshire Grand Center, officially opened in 2017. Standing 1,100 feet tall, it now towers over the rest of Los Angeles — and California for that matter.

Though there are now hundreds of buildings across the country that stand over 500 feet tall, each one is a marvel of modern engineering. Most states have at least one building taller than 500 feet.

Click here to see the tallest building in each state.
Click here to see our detailed findings and methodology.

1. Alabama: RSA Battle House Tower
> City: Mobile
> Height: 745 feet
> Floors: 35
> Year built: 2007

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2. Alaska: Conoco-Phillips Building
> City: Anchorage
> Height: 296 feet
> Floors: 21
> Year built: 1983

3. Arizona: Chase Tower
> City: Phoenix
> Height: 483 feet
> Floors: 40
> Year built: 1972

4. Arkansas: Simmons Tower
> City: Little Rock
> Height: 546 feet
> Floors: 40
> Year built: 1986

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5. California: Wilshire Grand Center
> City: Los Angeles
> Height: 1100 feet
> Floors: 73
> Year built: 2017

6. Colorado: Republic Plaza
> City: Denver
> Height: 714 feet
> Floors: 56
> Year built: 1984

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7. Connecticut: City Place I
> City: Hartford
> Height: 535 feet
> Floors: 38
> Year built: 1980

8. Delaware: River Tower at Christina Landing
> City: Wilmington
> Height: 340 feet
> Floors: 27
> Year built: 2007

9. Florida: Four Seasons Hotel & Tower
> City: Miami
> Height: 789 feet
> Floors: 64
> Year built: 2003

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10. Georgia: Bank of America Plaza
> City: Atlanta
> Height: 1023 feet
> Floors: 55
> Year built: 1992

11. Hawaii: First Hawaiian Center
> City: Honolulu
> Height: 429 feet
> Floors: 30
> Year built: 1996

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12. Idaho: 8th and Main Tower
> City: Boise
> Height: 315 feet
> Floors: 18
> Year built: 2014

13. Illinois: Willis Tower
> City: Chicago
> Height: 1451 feet
> Floors: 108
> Year built: 1974

14. Indiana: Salesforce Tower
> City: Indianapolis
> Height: 701 feet
> Floors: 49
> Year built: 1990

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15. Iowa: 801 Grand
> City: Des Moines
> Height: 630 feet
> Floors: 44
> Year built: 1991

16. Kansas: Epic Center
> City: Wichita
> Height: 320 feet
> Floors: 22
> Year built: 1989

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17. Kentucky: 400 West Market
> City: Louisville
> Height: 549 feet
> Floors: 35
> Year built: 1992

18. Louisiana: One Shell Square
> City: New Orleans
> Height: 697 feet
> Floors: 51
> Year built: 1972

19. Maine: Agora Grand Event Center
> City: Lewiston
> Height: 220 feet
> Floors: 14
> Year built: 1890

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20. Maryland: Transamerica Tower
> City: Baltimore
> Height: 529 feet
> Floors: 40
> Year built: 1973

21. Massachusetts: 200 Clarendon
> City: Boston
> Height: 790 feet
> Floors: 62
> Year built: 1976

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22. Michigan: Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center
> City: Detroit
> Height: 727 feet
> Floors: 70
> Year built: 1977

23. Minnesota: IDS Center
> City: Minneapolis
> Height: 792 feet
> Floors: 55
> Year built: 1973

24. Mississippi: Beau Rivage Casino Hotel
> City: Biloxi
> Height: 346 feet
> Floors: 32
> Year built: 1999

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25. Missouri: One Kansas City Place
> City: Kansas City
> Height: 623 feet
> Floors: 42
> Year built: 1988

26. Montana: First Interstate Center
> City: Billings
> Height: 272 feet
> Floors: 20
> Year built: 1985

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27. Nebraska: First National Bank Tower
> City: Omaha
> Height: 634 feet
> Floors: 45
> Year built: 2002

28. Nevada: The Palazzo
> City: Las Vegas
> Height: 642 feet
> Floors: 53
> Year built: 2007

29. New Hamsphire: City Hall Plaza
> City: Manchester
> Height: 275 feet
> Floors: 20
> Year built: 1992

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30. New Jersey: 30 Hudson Street
> City: Jersey City
> Height: 781 feet
> Floors: 42
> Year built: 2004

31. New Mexico: Albuquerque Plaza
> City: Albuquerque
> Height: 351 feet
> Floors: 22
> Year built: 1990

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32. New York: 1 World Trade Center
> City: New York
> Height: 1776 feet
> Floors: 94
> Year built: 2014

33. North Carolina: Bank of America Corporate Center
> City: Charlotte
> Height: 871 feet
> Floors: 60
> Year built: 1992

34. North Dakota: North Dakota State Capitol
> City: Bismarck
> Height: 242 feet
> Floors: 19
> Year built: 1934

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35. Ohio: Key Tower
> City: Cleveland
> Height: 947 feet
> Floors: 57
> Year built: 1991

36. Oklahoma: Devon Energy Center
> City: Oklahoma City
> Height: 844 feet
> Floors: 52
> Year built: 2012

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37. Oregon: Wells Fargo Center
> City: Portland
> Height: 546 feet
> Floors: 40
> Year built: 1973

38. Pennsylvania: Comcast Center
> City: Philadelphia
> Height: 974 feet
> Floors: 57
> Year built: 2008

39. Rhode Island: Industrial National Bank Building
> City: Providence
> Height: 428 feet
> Floors: 26
> Year built: 1927

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40. South Carolina: Capitol Center
> City: Columbia
> Height: 349 feet
> Floors: 25
> Year built: 1987

41. South Dakota: CenturyLink Tower
> City: Siox Falls
> Height: 174 feet
> Floors: 11
> Year built: 1962

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42. Tennessee: AT&T Building
> City: Nashville
> Height: 617 feet
> Floors: 33
> Year built: 1994

43. Texas: JPMorganChase Tower
> City: Houston
> Height: 1002 feet
> Floors: 75
> Year built: 1982

44. Utah: Wells Fargo Center
> City: Salt Lake City
> Height: 422 feet
> Floors: 26
> Year built: 1998

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45. Vermont: Joseph C. McNeil Generating Station
> City: Burlington
> Height: 132 feet
> Floors: 0
> Year built: 1898

46. Virginia: The Westin Virginia Beach Town Center & Residences
> City: Virgina Beach
> Height: 508 feet
> Floors: 38
> Year built: 2007

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47. Washington: Columbia Center
> City: Seattle
> Height: 933 feet
> Floors: 76
> Year built: 1984

48. West Virginia: West Virginia State Capitol
> City: Charleston
> Height: 292 feet
> Floors: 4
> Year built: 1932

49. Wisconsin: U.S. Bank Center
> City: Milwaukee
> Height: 601 feet
> Floors: 42
> Year built: 1973

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50. Wyoming: Wyoming Financial Center
> City: Cheyenne
> Height: 148 feet
> Floors: 11
> Year built: 1990

Detailed Findings & Methodology

Completed in 1931, the Empire State Building stood as the tallest building in the U.S. for more than 40 years. At 1,250 feet tall, it was also the world’s tallest building until 1972. It was surpassed by the World Trade Center’s twin towers in New York in 1972, which were then passed by Willis Tower in Chicago, formerly known as Sears Tower, in 1974. Willis Tower held the U.S. record for decades until One World Trade Center was constructed on the World Trade Center site after the twin towers and other buildings were destroyed in the September 11th attacks.

New York, Illinois, California, Georgia, and Texas are the only states with finished buildings over 1,000 feet tall. Pennsylvania will soon join the list, as Philadelphia’s Comcast Technology center is set to be completed in 2018 and will stand 1,121 feet high.

However, the trend of skyscrapers hasn’t caught on everywhere. Vermont, Wyoming, and South Dakota don’t have a single building that stands more than 200 feet. The tallest building in most states is owned and operated by a company looking to stand out in the skyline. But in North Dakota and West Virginia, the tallest structure is the state capitol building.

To determine the tallest building in every state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Only completely finished buildings were considered. Whether or not a building is finished also came from the CTBUH. Data for buildings under 500 feet tall came from various media sources.

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