Neil deGrasse Tyson on architecture: what the evidence says · JRE #919

What the evidence says 01 / RECORD

It is well documented that many U.S. high-rises omit a floor labeled "13," instead renumbering it 14 or using an alias like 12A or "M" for mechanical, a practice tied to triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13). The widely repeated 80-90% figure traces largely to an informal Otis Elevator Company estimate rather than a rigorous nationwide survey of all buildings taller than 12 stories, and no comprehensive study confirming that specific national percentage was located. A 2005 NPR interview with Nathaniel Lachenmeyer, author of a book on the history of the number-13 superstition, corroborates that architects and developers "more often than not" still omit the 13th floor, but attributes the practice mainly to inertia and tradition rather than measured demand, noting that "no one knows how many people" would actually decline a 13th-floor unit or room. Independent city-specific analyses (e.g., of New York City buildings) find proportions in a similar range, but these are localized studies, not confirmation of an 80% figure across all U.S. buildings over 12 stories. Overall status: the underlying practice is real and widespread, but the specific 80% statistic is a loosely sourced approximation rather than a rigorously verified nationwide figure.