How many floors are in the Empire State Building?
Quick answer
The Empire State Building has 102 floors. It rises 1,250 feet (381 m) to its roof and 1,454 feet (443 m) to the tip of its antenna.
Key facts
- Floors
- 102
- Height to roof
- 1,250 ft (381 m)
- Height with antenna
- 1,454 ft (443 m)
- Opened
- May 1, 1931
- Location
- Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City
Climb every step from the lobby to the top and you’ll count 1,860 of them. Runners in the building’s annual race only go as far as the 86th floor, and even that is 1,576 steps.
How many stories is the Empire State Building?
The official count is 102 stories. Visitors can reach two of the highest ones:
- The 86th floor has the famous open-air observation deck that wraps around the building.
- The 102nd floor is a smaller, glass-enclosed observatory near the top.
Why do some sources say 103 floors?
Above the 102nd floor there’s a narrow ledge and access level that some counts include as a 103rd floor. It isn’t open to the public and isn’t a full floor, so the building’s own figures stick with 102. If you see 103 in a trivia answer, that ledge is why.
How tall is the Empire State Building?
The answer depends on where you stop measuring:
| Measured to | Height |
|---|---|
| Roof (top floor) | 1,250 ft (381 m) |
| Tip of the antenna | 1,454 ft (443 m) |
With its antenna, the building is a little over a quarter of a mile high. There are 5,280 feet in a mile, so 1,454 feet is about 0.28 miles.
Built in just over a year
Construction began on March 17, 1930, and the building opened on May 1, 1931, about 410 days later. At the peak, crews added more than four floors a week, with steel frames bolted together as fast as trucks could deliver them.
It was the world’s tallest building for nearly 40 years, until the North Tower of the original World Trade Center passed it in 1970. Today it’s no longer even the tallest in New York, but it remains one of the most recognizable skyscrapers on Earth.
Sources
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