About the deck
The 102nd floor observation deck of the Empire State Building is the higher of the building's two public decks, enclosed in glass at 373 metres. It is reached by a separate elevator from the 86th floor outdoor deck. The 102F deck is smaller and fully enclosed - unlike the iconic 86F outdoor terrace - but offers the higher elevation.
On clear days the views extend over 100 kilometres in all directions. The 102nd floor was originally designed as a mooring mast for dirigibles; the circular observation room sits inside what was intended to be the airship docking structure..
The honest take
The 102nd floor IS the Empire State Building's highest occupied floor, so this deck sits at the building's full honest height of 373.1m with nothing above it but 7.9m of spire and the antenna. Almost no other deck in the world can say that. The building markets it as 1,250 feet, which is the roof height, not the floor you stand on - a 8m rounding up in the owner's own favour.
See the full height breakdown: Empire State Building profile.
Height in context
Elevation data
Deck elevation: 373m (1224 ft)
Floor: 102
Access type: Indoor / enclosed
Data notes
Height and floor data sourced from Wikipedia (CC-BY-SA). Ticket prices verified from official sources on 2026-05-03. Prices change frequently - verify before booking.
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