United States conveyance filings, on the record
Who does elevator work in America
Who does elevator work in America. Tracked weekly from public permit records.
Counted so far, device by device
Every state8 states counted from public registries, 9 metros scored on live permit filings, and a new slice added every few weeks. The registries refresh weekly, so the record only gets more complete.
How many elevators are in America?
A modeled 1,026,544 to 1,318,176. Everyone repeats “one million” from a single estimate made around 2007. We are the ones actually counting.
0 hand-counted from public registries so far, device by device, and climbing every week.
Watch the live countThe industry’s pulse
Live from filingsElevator permit filings per month across the markets we track, five years running. 40,073 filings in the window, and the pace holds through 2026.
Who works the most markets
Every contractorThe national operators, ranked by how many of our markets they file in, then by total permits on record.
| Rank | Contractor | Markets | Permits | Strongest market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Otis Elevator CompanyOEM | 8 | 13,057 | New York City |
| 2 | TK ElevatorOEM | 7 | 9,906 | Seattle |
| 3 | Schindler Elevator CorporationOEM | 6 | 9,948 | Chicago |
| 4 | KONE IncOEM | 6 | 6,179 | New York City |
| 5 | Fujitec AmericaOEM | 5 | 919 | New York City |
| 6 | Mitsubishi Electric (Elevator Division)OEM | 4 | 1,182 | Los Angeles |
| 7 | Mid-American Elevator Co., Inc. | 3 | 271 | Chicago |
| 8 | ALLIANCE ELEVATOR COMPANY | 2 | 1,786 | New York City |
| 9 | PRECISION ELEVATOR CORP | 2 | 1,599 | New York City |
| 10 | Mckinley Elevator Corp | 2 | 710 | Los Angeles |
The vintage of America’s elevators
By stateActive elevators by install decade, from the state registries we count. Everything left of the red line is past modernization age: 134,479 devices, 63 percent of the counted base.
Market leaderboards
All markets| Market | Permits | Devices | Contractors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City, NY | 60,735 | 70,467 | 220 | Live |
| Chicago, IL | 22,334 | 37,747 | 147 | Live |
| San Francisco, CA | 3,622 | 4,127 | 803 | Live |
| Philadelphia, PA | 2,366 | 3,212 | 812 | Live |
| Austin, TX | 2,198 | 2,465 | 479 | Live |
| Seattle, WA | 26,241 | 27,940 | 126 | Live |
| Los Angeles, CA | 20,347 | 20,347 | 122 | Live |
| Washington, DC | 8,755 | 10,915 | 139 | Live |
| Cincinnati, OH | 2,680 | 2,680 | 82 | Live |
Off the wire
Latest filings- Sep 22, 2026PhiladelphiaJOHNSON CONTROLS US HOLDINGS INC modernization, 6 devices at 800-34 WALNUT ST
- Sep 21, 2026New York CityNOUVEAU ELEVATOR IND INC modernization, 3 devices at 601 AMSTERDAM AVENUE, Manhattan$1.0M
- Sep 21, 2026New York CityCENTURY ELEV. MAIN. CORP. modernization, 2 devices at 2 WILLIAM STREET, Manhattan$955k
- Sep 21, 2026SeattleOtis Elevator Company repair at 5001 25th AVE NE$424k
- Sep 21, 2026New York CityD&D ELEVATOR MAINT, INC modernization at 27 BARROW STREET, Manhattan$340k
- Sep 21, 2026New York CityTK Elevator new install at 200 LIBERTY STREET, Manhattan$200k
- Sep 21, 2026New York CityTK Elevator new install at 200 LIBERTY STREET, Manhattan$200k
- Sep 21, 2026New York CityNOUVEAU ELEVATOR IND INC new install at 3097 BROADWAY, Manhattan$175k
- Sep 21, 2026New York CityADMIRAL ELEVATOR CORP modernization at 69 NAGLE AVENUE, Manhattan$130k
- Sep 21, 2026SeattleElevator Support Company, LLC modernization at 1700 WESTLAKE AVE N$70k
- Sep 21, 2026SeattleElevator Support Company, LLC modernization at 1700 WESTLAKE AVE N$70k
- Sep 20, 2026New York CityLIFT ELEVATOR LLC new install at 220 KIMBERLY PLACE, Bronx$300k
- Sep 19, 2026New York CitySKYVIEW ELEVATORS new install at 42-08 35 AVENUE, Queens$600k
- Sep 18, 2026New York CityNOUVEAU ELEVATOR IND INC modernization, 3 devices at 768 5 AVENUE, Manhattan$1.2M
Filings of record
| Date | Contractor | Metro | Work | Devices | Est. cost | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 2021 | Otis Elevator Company INSTALLATION OF EIGHT(8) 3500LB CAPACITY, 38-FLOOR, 1200FPM (A-H)ELEVATOR "E" HAS A THIRD FLOOR ENTRANCE, EIGH... | Chicago | New install | 40 | $28M | 100925134 ↗ |
| Feb 7, 2007 | Mitsubishi Electric (Elevator Division) INSTALL 19 TRACTION ELEVATORS PERSUANT TO SUBMITTED PLANS | Chicago | New install | 19 | $22M | 100159362 ↗ |
| May 13, 2015 | TK Elevator INSTALLATION OF (26) TRACTION, PASSENGER ELEVATORS PURSUANT TO PLANS SUBMITTED. INSTALLATIONS TO BE MADE IN CO... | Chicago | New install | 26 | $15M | 100594928 ↗ |
| Feb 19, 2008 | Otis Elevator Company INSTALLATION OF 2 PASSENGER TRACTION SERVICE ELEVATORS AND 22 PASSENGER TRACTION ELEVATORS PERSUANT TO PLANS S... | Chicago | New install | 24 | $15M | 100224481 ↗ |
| Jun 22, 2020 | Otis Elevator Company INSTALLATION OF SIX (6) PASSENGER ESCALATORS #1-#6. PURSUANT TO THE PLANS SUBMITTED. | Chicago | New install | 6 | $15M | 100878855 ↗ |