The United States is home to some of the modern world's most impressive architectural feats. It’s also where arguably the world’s very first skyscraper went up – although it didn't happen in New York as you might expect. Chicago’s Home Insurance Building, which was completed in 1885, changed the way cities were designed, and it didn’t take long for the supertall buildings boom to get started. We’ve compiled a list of America’s tallest buildings, ranking them in order with the highest in the number one spot. 

Click through this gallery to discover the tallest buildings in America…

Originally known as the Library Tower, this 73-storey skyscraper was built as part of a one billion dollar redevelopment following two fires at the 1926 Central Library across the road. The tower, which was completed in 1989, features a rooftop helipad and was designed to resist an earthquake of up to 8.3 on the Richter scale, since it’s located in an active seismic region. After 9/11, it emerged that one of the masterminds of the attacks had originally devised a plan to attack the tower.

The tallest building in any state capital, this skyscraper is much more modern than its Art Deco-esque style would suggest. Its post-modern design is reminiscent of the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building, both of which were completed in the 1930s, but it was actually opened in 1992. It took just 14 months to build, which is extremely quick for a building of such size. Take a closer look at its spire: it’s partially covered in 23-carat gold leaf, often illuminated by powerful upward-facing lights.

This skyscraper gets its name from the outdoor gardens on each floor that loop around the facade like a continuous green trail. Inside there’s a clubhouse and a top-notch restaurant as well as the usual array of offices. It's part of the Hudson Yards development and securing the site wasn’t easy – a four-floor property originally sat here, and two tenants were paid $25 million (£20m) to relocate. In all, developers spent some $438 million (£352m) to acquire the land, and it was eventually topped out in 2021.

The New York Times has had numerous homes since it was founded in 1851, but none as impressive as its current headquarters, which loom 1,046 feet (319m) above the city, near Times Square. It cost over a billion dollars to build the 52-storey tower, which was completed in 2007. The New York Times only owns floors two to 27, with other companies operating on the higher floors. The design of the building, the work of Italian architect Renzo Piano, symbolises the transparency of the media by using floor-to-ceiling glass walls throughout.

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Say hello to what is still the world’s tallest brick building (albeit with a steel framework). Commissioned by car tycoon Walter Chrysler and built between 1928 and 1930, the Chrysler Building was also briefly the tallest building in the world, holding the record until the Empire State Building opened in 1931. It has a striking Art Deco design with a terraced crown and stainless steel spire. The interior is just as impressive – the lobby is clad in African red granite, while ornate fixtures and glass chandeliers are scattered throughout.

When the Museum of Modern Art needed space to expand in 2007, this tower proved to be just the thing. It was only completed in 2020, but now there’s a MoMA gallery space at the base of the skyscraper (the main museum is adjacent). Above are 74 more floors (77 in total) of apartments and amenities, including a 65-foot (20m) swimming pool, a golf simulator, a squash court and a steam room. Residents also get free admission to MoMA, as well as perks like housekeeping and pet walking services.

Old and new collide in this skyscraper – the tallest building in NYC outside Manhattan. At the bottom sits the Dime Savings Bank Building, a grand Neoclassical building dating back to 1906. The modern tower’s unusual hexagonal shape is inspired by the patterns, colonnades and form of the original bank, with its marble columns and stained-glass dome. The tower received mixed reviews when it opened – some praised its "neo Art Deco" style, while others likened it to the "menacing" Tower of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings.

This obelisk-shaped tower, San Francisco’s tallest building, may be home to some 10,000 Salesforce employees, but it’s not all about business. It’s also got an art scene – the crown of the tower features a six-storey electronic light installation by artist Jim Campbell called Day for Night. Visible from 20 miles (32km) away, the displays are inspired by the daily lives of San Franciscans and are updated regularly. The building uses sunlight-deflecting technology to avoid cooking in the hot California sun.

3 World Trade Center was built near the site of the original 3 World Trade Center, which was destroyed during the 9/11 attacks in 2001. The new skyscraper was intended to be 1,240 feet (378m) tall, but its height was scaled back and construction paused when no anchor tenant came forward. Building eventually resumed and in 2016 a two-tonne bucket of concrete was signed by workers and executives in a topping out ceremony. The building officially opened in June 2018.

This skyscraper – the tallest building west of Chicago – almost looked rather different. Original plans proposed two towers rather than one, but architects changed tack in 2012 and this single, 73-storey tower opened in 2017. The standout feature is its sail-shaped crown, which lights up at night, and makes it the city's first downtown high-rise to be built without a flat roof since Los Angeles City Hall in 1928. The shape of its curve was inspired by Half Dome, the famous granite formation in Yosemite National Park.

The tallest building in Philly, the Comcast Technology Center towers 1,121 feet (342m) above the city, housing workspaces, a Four Seasons Hotel and a restaurant on its top floors. Famed British architect Norman Foster personally accepted the job, saying that no one had ever tried to build a tech tower in the heart of a city, and he wanted to take on the challenge. Completed in 2018, there are no conventional offices in the building. Instead, it’s all about open areas with noise dampening technology, conference rooms and standing desks.

This supertall skyscraper in Chicago was originally known as The John Hancock Center until it was officially renamed 875 North Michigan Avenue back in 2018. Topped by two antennas, it’s located in the upscale Magnificent Mile district, and houses offices, restaurants and condominiums. It’s also home to one of the world's highest indoor swimming pools – some 44 storeys up in the building’s sky lobby. On the 94th floor an observation deck offers panoramic city views, reached by hurtling skywards in a lift with a top speed of more than 20 miles per hour (32km/h).

The Aon Center, pictured here on the left, would have been Chicago's tallest building for decades were it not for the Willis Tower, which opened in the same year, 1973. Its 83 floors are the headquarters for a number of big companies, including Aon, the Kraft Heinz food company and real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle. The building was originally clad in marble, but on Christmas Day in 1973 a giant marble slab fell from the facade onto the nearby Prudential Center. The entire building was eventually resurfaced with white granite.

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The St Regis Chicago is the tallest structure in the world designed by a woman – the American architect Jeanne Gang, who also designed the nearby Aqua skyscraper (876ft/267m). The St Regis is fairly new on the scene – it was completed in 2020, four years after construction started to the tune of almost a billion dollars. Looking up from the river and park, the tower has a fluid appearance, being made up of three interconnected towers, or 'stems', of different heights. It also contains an empty 'blow-through floor' to reduce wind-induced sway.

There’s a whopping 2.1 million square feet (195,000sqm) of office space inside this 55-storey skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan. The idea to create a large building here was conceived in the 1960s by the developer Seymour Durst, but it was his son Douglas who finally brought together plans for the skyscraper in the early 21st century. The result is a glass-and-steel supertower, with diagonal planes on its facade to reduce wind resistance. The Stephen Sondheim Theatre is located at the base, next to a lobby decorated with Jerusalem stone.

This New York landmark needs little introduction. It’s immediately recognisable thanks to its iconic spike and Art Deco facade, a style that was typical during the early 1930s when the tower was built. It was designed to be the world’s tallest building and held the title until 1970, when the first tower of the World Trade Center was topped out. The tower has featured in more than 250 films – think King Kong and Sleepless In Seattle – and annually hosts the Empire State Building Run-Up, a foot race from ground level to the 86th-floor observation deck.

The standout feature of this supertall tower in Midtown Manhattan is its triangular observation deck, known as Edge. It features an events space and a bar – and a drink could be just the ticket given that it’s located a dizzying 100 floors above the ground. As if that wasn’t enough, the outdoor platform has a see-through floor so you can peer down at the streets 1,131 feet (345m) below. To up the ante even further, visitors can pay to climb an outdoor staircase towards the top of the tower – the highest open-air building ascent in the world.

In 2001, Donald Trump announced that this tower would be the world’s tallest. After the 9/11 attacks plans were scaled back – but this colossal condo-hotel still became the second tallest building in the US when it was completed in 2009. As well as condominiums and a 339-room hotel, it houses the so-called "Bentley of hotel spas", where you can be massaged with oil infused with diamonds. The skyscraper hit headlines in 2020 when a man dangled from the 16th floor demanding an audience with the then-president, before being taken into custody.

The most recent addition to this list, 270 Park Avenue became the joint seventh tallest building in America when it topped out in late 2023. The 60-storey skyscraper, pictured here between 432 Park Avenue and One Vanderbilt, is still under construction. It’s due to be completed in 2025 and will become the headquarters for JPMorgan Chase, with office space for around 14,000 employees. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon described it as "a symbol of our long-term investment that will impact future generations of New Yorkers".

Located on Billionaires’ Row in Midtown Manhattan, this residential tower received mixed reviews when it opened in 2015. Some observers slated it with the nickname 'Awful Waffle' – a nod to its gridlike facade. It was also criticised as a symbol of rising inequality – the most expensive of its 104 units has retailed for $169 million (£136m). Its famous residents have included business moguls, art dealers and celebrities like Jennifer Lopez. And with facilities including a private restaurant, pool complex and screening room, we can see why.

You’ll have to crane your neck to glimpse the top of this 73-storey building from the ground. One of the newer kids on the block, it opened in 2020, becoming New York City’s fourth tallest building. Built in harmony with neighbouring Grand Central Terminal, One Vanderbilt is built slightly back from the street and has a wedge-shaped void at its base. As well as the fancy Le Pavillon restaurant, the building is home to offices and an observation deck with modern attractions like glass-bottomed lifts and an interactive art display.

For a simple block of flats, this is quite some building. Located along the line of plush Manhattan skyscrapers known as Billionaires’ Row, its 84 floors are decked out with luxurious apartments, which start above the 17th floor (numbered floor 20) so that the views of Central Park are unobstructed. With a height to width ratio of 24:1, it's the skinniest skyscraper in the world. It's also known as Steinway Tower after the piano company that once had its headquarters on the site.

It was in Chicago that arguably the world’s first skyscraper was built (the 10-storey Home Insurance Company, which opened in 1885). The city is also home to the Willis Tower, which was the world's tallest building when it opened in 1973 and remained so for roughly 25 years. It took three years to complete and many locals still refer to it by its original name, the Sears Tower. Got a head for heights? On the 103rd floor, the Skydeck viewing platform features all-glass boxes where you can look down on the city.

Looking for a room with a view? You’ll find it and then some at this supertall skyscraper, which looms 1,549 feet (472m) above the uber-luxe Billionaires’ Row in Midtown Manhattan. When it was completed in 2020 it became the world’s tallest residential building, with 98 above-ground storeys and three in the basement. The 179 condominiums – which have retailed for between $1.5 million and $250 million (£1.2m and £201m) – include a seven-bedroom three-storey penthouse, complete with ballroom and observatory. There were several controversies during construction, including the accidental death of a security guard.

Topping our list of America’s tallest buildings is the One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. Initially known as Freedom Tower, it’s the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex. It was completed on 10 May 2013 when its spire was installed, knocking Chicago’s Willis Tower off the top spot. It reaches a total of 1,776 feet (541m) tall – a deliberate reference to the year of America’s independence. Without the spire, it’s the same height as the Twin Towers, which stood on the site until the 9/11 attacks.

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