Seattle DJC.com local business news and data - Construction - Seattle stays on top of nation's tower crane count, but sheds 6

Seattle has retained the top U.S. position in Rider Levett Bucknall's latest fixed crane count, with 45 units in operation. RLB yesterday released the results of its biannual Crane Index, which coincides with the construction consultant's third quarter cost report.

“The current economic situation has many feeling like they are playing a chess match with no endgame,” says Julian Anderson, president of RLB North America, in a news release. “Despite these challenges, the construction industry has been remarkably resilient. The pieces on the economic board may still be shifting, but we are continuing to make well-considered moves and are positioning us for a stronger, more secure financial future.” odm casting

Seattle's lead widened significantly over the next two U.S. cities on the list: Los Angeles had 30 cranes at work, down from 47 in the first quarter; and Denver had 24 cranes, down from 36 in the prior period. Seattle regained the top spot in April after trailing either Los Angeles or Washington, D.C., for the previous two years. D.C. is now down to just 18 cranes.

Image from RLB [enlarge] Seattle had 15 more tower cranes in operation than the next U.S. city, Los Angeles. Toronto is using more cranes than all of the other 13 cities combined.

Seattle lost six cranes over the six-month period, a trend followed by 10 of the 12 U.S. cities tracked by RLB. Only Boston added cranes, from nine to 20 units. Portland held steady with 14 cranes. The overall count decreased by 10%, though RLB says it expects that number to remain steady for the rest of the year.

An RLB report on the crane count says Seattle saw an increase in cranes on commercial projects that was offset by drops in mixed-use and residential projects. The largest decrease in cranes was observed in the Rainier Valley, while a slight increase was noted in the Capitol Hill/Central Area. Another tidbit: of the 45 cranes at work, 36 were installed since the last count.

RLB's report shows 27 cranes in Seattle helping construct residential buildings, followed by seven on commercial projects, four on mixed-use, two each on health care, hospitality and public/civic, and one on education.

Portland saw a lion's share of its cranes, 10, at work on mixed-use projects. Two others were building health care projects, while one was on an education project and another was used for a residential building. RLB notes that several transportation projects in Portland are using mobile cranes not included in the count.

Across North America, 229 cranes were building residential projects and 107 were constructing mixed-use projects. Another 57 cranes were on commercial projects, 15 on hospitality, 14 on health care and 10 on industrial. The rest of the categories — civil, cultural, education, federal/government, public assembly, public/civic, sports, transportation and unknown — saw fewer than 10 cranes each.

For all of North America, Toronto by far had the largest number of cranes in operation, with 240. That's up two units from the last count and more than all of the other 13 cities combined.

Seattle held a more concerning distinction: it lead all 14 North American cities in increased construction costs, with a jump of 9.19% year-over-year for July. That compares to a national average of 6.49%. Portland came in second, with an increase of 8.40%, according to the report. Toronto saw the third highest jump, at 8.39%. The lowest increase was Honolulu, at 4.77%.

Seattle was also running hot in the latest quarterly construction cost data, with a jump of 2.75% — again the most in North America. Toronto followed at 2.51% and then Portland at 2.25%. San Francisco had the lowest quarterly cost increase, at 0.65%. The national average was 1.55%.

Prior to this quarter's jump, construction costs for the Seattle market were trending downward since hitting 2.94% in October 2022. Prices were up just 1.48% for the previous quarter ending in April of this year.

RLB conducts its crane count biannually as a simplified snapshot of the current state of the construction industry's activity in 14 metro locations. The latest count was conducted in August.

Benjamin Minnick can be reached by email or by phone at (206) 622-8272.