At a time when urban centers were growing increasingly crowded, the introduction of the safety elevator in 1853 ushered in the modern era of skyscrapers. These massive feats of engineering are now common in major U.S. cities like New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles, rising hundreds of feet into the air 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 only a handful of cities in the country are commonly associated with skyscrapers, there are now hundreds of skyscrapers in the United States spread across dozens of different states. Most states have at least one building taller than 500 feet.
New York, Illinois, California, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Texas are the only states with finished buildings over 1,000 feet tall. Pennsylvania just recently joined the list, as Philadelphia’s Comcast Technology Center was completed in 2018, standing 1,121 feet high. The trend of skyscrapers, however, has not caught on everywhere. Vermont, Wyoming, and South Dakota do not 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 completed also came from the CTBUH. Data for buildings under 500 feet tall came from various media sources.
Click here to see the tallest building in each state.
1. Alabama: RSA Battle House Tower
> City: Mobile
> Height: 745 feet
> Floors: 35
> Year built: 2007
See all stories featuring: Alabama
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2. Alaska: Conoco-Phillips Building
> City: Anchorage
> Height: 296 feet
> Floors: 22
> Year built: 1983
See all stories featuring: Alaska
3. Arizona: Chase Tower
> City: Phoenix
> Height: 483 feet
> Floors: 40
> Year built: 1972
See all stories featuring: Arizona
4. Arkansas: Simmons Tower
> City: Little Rock
> Height: 546 feet
> Floors: 40
> Year built: 1986
See all stories featuring: Arkansas
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5. California: Wilshire Grand Center
> City: Los Angeles
> Height: 1,100 feet
> Floors: 73
> Year built: 2017
See all stories featuring: California
6. Colorado: Republic Plaza
> City: Denver
> Height: 714 feet
> Floors: 56
> Year built: 1984
See all stories featuring: Colorado
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7. Connecticut: City Place I
> City: Hartford
> Height: 535 feet
> Floors: 38
> Year built: 1980
See all stories featuring: Connecticut
8. Delaware: River Tower at Christina Landing
> City: Wilmington
> Height: 340 feet
> Floors: 27
> Year built: 2007
See all stories featuring: Delaware
9. Florida: Panorama Tower
> City: Miami
> Height: 867 feet
> Stories: 81
> Year built: 2018
See all stories featuring: Florida
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10. Georgia: Bank of America Plaza
> City: Atlanta
> Height: 1,023 feet
> Floors: 55
> Year built: 1992
See all stories featuring: Georgia
11. Hawaii: First Hawaiian Center
> City: Honolulu
> Height: 429 feet
> Floors: 30
> Year built: 1996
See all stories featuring: Hawaii
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12. Idaho: 8th and Main Tower
> City: Boise
> Height: 315 feet
> Floors: 18
> Year built: 2014
See all stories featuring: Idaho
13. Illinois: Willis Tower
> City: Chicago
> Height: 1,451 feet
> Floors: 108
> Year built: 1974
See all stories featuring: Illinois
14. Indiana: Salesforce Tower
> City: Indianapolis
> Height: 701 feet
> Floors: 49
> Year built: 1990
See all stories featuring: Indiana
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15. Iowa: 801 Grand
> City: Des Moines
> Height: 630 feet
> Floors: 44
> Year built: 1991
See all stories featuring: Iowa
16. Kansas: Epic Center
> City: Wichita
> Height: 320 feet
> Floors: 22
> Year built: 1989
See all stories featuring: Kansas
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17. Kentucky: 400 West Market
> City: Louisville
> Height: 549 feet
> Floors: 35
> Year built: 1992
See all stories featuring: Kentucky
18. Louisiana: One Shell Square
> City: New Orleans
> Height: 697 feet
> Floors: 51
> Year built: 1972
See all stories featuring: Louisiana
19. Maine: Agora Grand Event Center
> City: Lewiston
> Height: 220 feet
> Floors: 14
> Year built: 1890
See all stories featuring: Maine
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20. Maryland: Transamerica Tower
> City: Baltimore
> Height: 529 feet
> Floors: 40
> Year built: 1973
See all stories featuring: Maryland
21. Massachusetts: 200 Clarendon
> City: Boston
> Height: 790 feet
> Floors: 62
> Year built: 1976
See all stories featuring: Massachusetts
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22. Michigan: Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center
> City: Detroit
> Height: 727 feet
> Floors: 70
> Year built: 1977
See all stories featuring: Michigan
23. Minnesota: IDS Center
> City: Minneapolis
> Height: 792 feet
> Floors: 55
> Year built: 1973
See all stories featuring: Minnesota
24. Mississippi: Beau Rivage Casino Hotel
> City: Biloxi
> Height: 346 feet
> Floors: 32
> Year built: 1999
See all stories featuring: Mississippi
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25. Missouri: One Kansas City Place
> City: Kansas City
> Height: 623 feet
> Floors: 42
> Year built: 1988
See all stories featuring: Missouri
26. Montana: First Interstate Center
> City: Billings
> Height: 272 feet
> Floors: 20
> Year built: 1985
See all stories featuring: Montana
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27. Nebraska: First National Bank Tower
> City: Omaha
> Height: 634 feet
> Floors: 45
> Year built: 2002
See all stories featuring: Nebraska
28. Nevada: The Palazzo
> City: Las Vegas
> Height: 642 feet
> Floors: 53
> Year built: 2007
See all stories featuring: Nevada
29. New Hampshire: City Hall Plaza
> City: Manchester
> Height: 275 feet
> Floors: 20
> Year built: 1992
See all stories featuring: New Hampshire
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30. New Jersey: 30 Hudson Street
> City: Jersey City
> Height: 781 feet
> Floors: 42
> Year built: 2004
See all stories featuring: New Jersey
31. New Mexico: Albuquerque Plaza
> City: Albuquerque
> Height: 351 feet
> Floors: 22
> Year built: 1990
See all stories featuring: New Mexico
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32. New York: 1 World Trade Center
> City: New York
> Height: 1,776 feet
> Floors: 94
> Year built: 2014
See all stories featuring: New York
33. North Carolina: Bank of America Corporate Center
> City: Charlotte
> Height: 871 feet
> Floors: 60
> Year built: 1992
See all stories featuring: North Carolina
34. North Dakota: North Dakota State Capitol
> City: Bismarck
> Height: 242 feet
> Floors: 19
> Year built: 1934
See all stories featuring: North Dakota
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35. Ohio: Key Tower
> City: Cleveland
> Height: 947 feet
> Floors: 57
> Year built: 1991
See all stories featuring: Ohio
36. Oklahoma: Devon Energy Center
> City: Oklahoma City
> Height: 844 feet
> Floors: 52
> Year built: 2012
See all stories featuring: Oklahoma
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37. Oregon: Wells Fargo Center
> City: Portland
> Height: 546 feet
> Floors: 40
> Year built: 1973
See all stories featuring: Oregon
38. Pennsylvania: Comcast Technology Center
> City: Philadelphia
> Height: 1,121 feet
> Stories: 59
> Year built: 2018
See all stories featuring: Pennsylvania
39. Rhode Island: Industrial National Bank Building
> City: Providence
> Height: 428 feet
> Floors: 26
> Year built: 1927
See all stories featuring: Rhode Island
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40. South Carolina: Capitol Center
> City: Columbia
> Height: 349 feet
> Floors: 25
> Year built: 1987
See all stories featuring: South Carolina
41. South Dakota: CenturyLink Tower
> City: Sioux Falls
> Height: 174 feet
> Floors: 11
> Year built: 1962
See all stories featuring: South Dakota
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42. Tennessee: AT&T Building
> City: Nashville
> Height: 617 feet
> Floors: 33
> Year built: 1994
See all stories featuring: Tennessee
43. Texas: JPMorgan Chase Tower
> City: Houston
> Height: 1,002 feet
> Floors: 75
> Year built: 1982
See all stories featuring: Texas
44. Utah: Wells Fargo Center
> City: Salt Lake City
> Height: 422 feet
> Floors: 26
> Year built: 1998
See all stories featuring: Utah
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45. Vermont: Ira Allen Chapel
> City: Burlington
> Height: 170 feet
> Stories: N/A
> Year built: 1926
See all stories featuring: Vermont
46. Virginia: The Westin Virginia Beach Town Center & Residences
> City: Virgina Beach
> Height: 508 feet
> Floors: 38
> Year built: 2007
See all stories featuring: Virginia
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47. Washington: Columbia Center
> City: Seattle
> Height: 933 feet
> Floors: 76
> Year built: 1984
See all stories featuring: Washington
48. West Virginia: West Virginia State Capitol
> City: Charleston
> Height: 292 feet
> Floors: 4
> Year built: 1932
See all stories featuring: West Virginia
49. Wisconsin: U.S. Bank Center
> City: Milwaukee
> Height: 601 feet
> Floors: 42
> Year built: 1973
See all stories featuring: Wisconsin
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50. Wyoming: Wyoming Financial Center
> City: Cheyenne
> Height: 148 feet
> Floors: 11
> Year built: 1990
See all stories featuring: Wyoming
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