Organising a rapid build
The owner records 410 days of construction across 1930 and 1931. This is a delivery milestone, not a measure of how quickly every individual floor was erected.
WORLD RANK 58 [1]
Empire State Building
New York City · United States · Completed 1931
381 metres tall, Empire State Building is an office skyscraper in New York City, United States. It ranks number 58 among the world's tallest completed buildings by architectural height. [2]
3811,250 m ft
ARCHITECTURAL HEIGHT / 1,250 FEET [2]
THE BUILDING, IN NUMBERS
Key facts
| Architectural height | 381 m1,250 ft |
| Height to tip | 443.2 m1,454 ft |
| Highest occupied floor | Not confirmed |
| Observation deck | Not confirmed |
| Floors above ground | 102 |
| Floors below ground | Not confirmed |
| Completed | 1931 |
ENGINEERING DOSSIER
How Empire State Building works
Project evidence, construction records and the limits of what is documented. A named consultant’s role is kept separate from the architect, contractor and local engineer of record.
Separate the tower from the antenna
The owner gives 1,250 feet to the 102nd-floor roof and 1,454 feet including the antenna. The architectural height used here is 381 metres; the tip height is approximately 443.2 metres. Keeping those endpoints separate changes comparisons with other towers.
Technical source checked : Empire State Building: owner facts ↗. This check covers the notes above, not every measurement in the directory.
| Topic | Recorded information | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Structural system | Not confirmed | The frame description needs to distinguish gravity support from wind and earthquake resistance. Read the engineering guide ↗ |
| Main structural material | Not confirmed | A material label does not establish steel grade, concrete strength, fire protection or connection details. Read the engineering guide ↗ |
| Basement levels | Not confirmed | Basement count does not establish pile depth, founding stratum, bearing pressure or the excavation sequence. Read the engineering guide ↗ |
| Elevator count | 73 [source] | Car count does not establish passenger capacity, speed, zoning, redundancy or peak traffic performance. Read the engineering guide ↗ |
| Construction start | 1930 [source] | A start year can refer to enabling works, foundations or the main construction contract. Read the engineering guide ↗ |
| Structural topping out | Not confirmed | Topping out marks a structural milestone; facade work, commissioning and occupancy can follow later. Read the engineering guide ↗ |
Reading the vertical dimensions
The directory records 381 metres of architectural height and 102 above-ground floors. The highest occupied level has not been confirmed here. Measurement source ↗
Dividing architectural height by floor count would include the crown and any unequal floor heights. It cannot be used as a typical floor-to-floor dimension, a measure of slenderness or a structural design input.
Questions for a deeper technical review
Foundation tests, core and column sizes, construction-stage stability, creep and shortening allowances, wind-tunnel results and facade movement tolerances need project-specific evidence. Their absence here does not imply that the project lacked those studies.
SIDE BY SIDE
A sense of scale.
Height bars use the same scale. They do not represent building shape. Measurement source ↗
CHECK THE DETAILS
Sources & references
Wikidata ↗www.wikidata.orgWikipedia ↗en.wikipedia.orgEmpire State Building: owner facts ↗www.esbnyc.comThe Skyscraper Museum: Empire State Building ↗www.skyscraper.org
Record updated 2026-10-03. Sources can differ on height categories, floor counts and completion milestones. Read our methodology.
Explore this building
EVIDENCE & CHANGES
Verification history
Directory record updated . Most recent recorded field check: . Updating the page does not re-verify every fact.
View 6 recorded field checks
| Checked | Field | Evidence and decision |
|---|---|---|
| height architectural m | Corrected architectural height to 1,250 ft (381 m), excluding antenna. | |
| height tip m | Owner gives 1,454 ft including antenna; converted using 0.3048 m/ft. | |
| started | Checked against the cited owner or museum project record. | |
| floors above | 102 principal floors; owner also describes a restricted 103rd level. | |
| elevators | Checked against the cited owner or museum project record. | |
| structural engineer | Checked against the cited owner or museum project record. |
Correction and publication log
- height architectural m: 453 → 381
- height tip m: 457.2 → 443.1792
- floors above: null → 102
- started: null → 1930
- structural engineer: [] → ["H. G. Balcom & Associates"]
- elevators: null → 73
Detected a directory field change during publication. Source check dates remain separate. Record update: 2026-10-03.
Wikidata ↗Wikipedia ↗Empire State Building: owner facts ↗The Skyscraper Museum: Empire State Building ↗- : added a visible evidence register and change history. The initial evidence-register release preserved the existing measurements; subsequent corrections appear above.
- : added project-specific technical notes.
Existing source decisions and caveats
- Independent verification pending
- 3 October 2026: corrected imported architectural and tip heights using owner and museum records. Other imported fields retain their existing verification status.
These notes predate this visible log. Their original change dates are not reconstructed.
Earlier record edits may not have a complete audit trail. Read the methodology and correction policy ↗
QUICK ANSWERS
Common questions
How tall is Empire State Building?
Empire State Building reaches 381 metres (1,250 feet) by architectural height, with a tip height of 443.2 metres.
When was Empire State Building completed?
It was completed in 1931.
Where is Empire State Building?
Empire State Building stands in New York City, United States.
How many floors does Empire State Building have?
It has 102 above-ground floors.