Number of construction cranes in US cities dips 19%

Dive Temporary:

• Like many financial indicators, the variety of energetic cranes in North America for the primary quarter of 2025 suggests market hesitation to maneuver ahead with main development tasks as a consequence of financial uncertainty, based on a biannual Rider Levett Bucknall report.
• The variety of cranes in key U.S. cities dropped 18.8%, or by 30 cranes. That occurred regardless of declining rates of interest and slowing development value will increase because the earlier report in Q3 of 2024.
• Seven of the 14 North American cities surveyed skilled a crane lower of larger than 20%, the report discovered, however some markets remained robust. For instance, New York Metropolis and Honolulu confirmed new exercise in residential and mixed-use developments. 

Dive Perception:

Of the 12 U.S. cities within the April 2 report, solely New York Metropolis counted extra cranes in Q1 2025 when in comparison with Q3 2024. The Huge Apple added 4 cranes to start out the brand new yr, with 5 of the 9 whole towering above town on mixed-use developments. Moreover, town has two large-scale residential buildings beneath development, RLB’s report discovered, indicating a major milestone not seen since February 2023.

“This development surge displays the continued progress and revitalization of New York Metropolis’s city panorama,” the report learn. 

The variety of cranes in Honolulu dropped from 14 to 12, however mixed-use and residential tasks nonetheless carried out effectively out there.

RLB famous the online lower in crane rely, however indicated that the market outlook is constructive, with an anticipated enhance in exercise over the following six months to a yr.

The U.S. metropolis with the largest change was Seattle, because the variety of cranes dropped from 28 to 17.