Toronto, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Denver top the list of U.S/Canadian cities with the greatest number of fixed construction cranes on construction sites, according to Rider Levett Bucknall's RLB Crane Index for North America for Q1 2023.
Toronto had a whopping 238 cranes in place in the first quarter. Seattle had 51 cranes to lead all U.S. cities, followed by Los Angeles (47), Denver (36), and Washington, D.C. (26).
The RLB survey reports a nominal increase of 7.04% (34 cranes) from the Q3 2022 edition of the RLB Crane Index. Of the 14 cities surveyed, eight experienced
an increase in cranes, two decreased, and four held steady.
The three top sectors across all cities are residential (51%), mixed use (22%), and commercial (12%).
"Despite continued workforce challenges and economic uncertainties are still concerns for the coming year, we are continuing to see new projects break ground within our 14-key markets. This indicates that investments are continuing to be made into our cities," said the report's authors.
"Notwithstanding concerns for the housing market, residential and mixed-use projects make up 73% of the overall count. We anticipate the number of cranes to remain high into 2023. Despite uncertain market conditions, construction projects will continue to break ground, albeit at a cost," the added.
About the RLB Crane Index
Rider Levett Bucknall’s Crane Index for North America is published biannually. It tracks the number of operating tower cranes in 14 major cities across the U.S. and Canada. The index was the first of its kind, and unlike other industry barometers that track cost and other financial data, the Crane Index tracks the number of fixed cranes on construction sites and gives a simplified measure of the current state of the construction industry’s workload in each location.
Related Stories
Market Data | May 2, 2017
Nonresidential Spending loses steam after strong start to year
Spending in the segment totaled $708.6 billion on a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis.
Market Data | May 1, 2017
Nonresidential Fixed Investment surges despite sluggish economic in first quarter
Real gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 0.7 percent on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate during the first three months of the year.
Industry Research | Apr 28, 2017
A/E Industry lacks planning, but still spending large on hiring
The average 200-person A/E Firm is spending $200,000 on hiring, and not budgeting at all.
Market Data | Apr 19, 2017
Architecture Billings Index continues to strengthen
Balanced growth results in billings gains in all regions.
Market Data | Apr 13, 2017
2016’s top 10 states for commercial development
Three new states creep into the top 10 while first and second place remain unchanged.
Market Data | Apr 6, 2017
Architecture marketing: 5 tools to measure success
We’ve identified five architecture marketing tools that will help your firm evaluate if it’s on the track to more leads, higher growth, and broader brand visibility.
Market Data | Apr 3, 2017
Public nonresidential construction spending rebounds; overall spending unchanged in February
The segment totaled $701.9 billion on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate for the month, marking the seventh consecutive month in which nonresidential spending sat above the $700 billion threshold.
Market Data | Mar 29, 2017
Contractor confidence ends 2016 down but still in positive territory
Although all three diffusion indices in the survey fell by more than five points they remain well above the threshold of 50, which signals that construction activity will continue to be one of the few significant drivers of economic growth.
Market Data | Mar 24, 2017
These are the most and least innovative states for 2017
Connecticut, Virginia, and Maryland are all in the top 10 most innovative states, but none of them were able to claim the number one spot.
Market Data | Mar 22, 2017
After a strong year, construction industry anxious about Washington’s proposed policy shifts
Impacts on labor and materials costs at issue, according to latest JLL report.