Coal production in the United States amounted to **** exajoules in 2023, a decrease of nearly two percent in comparison to the previous year. Between 1998 and 2023, production of coal in the North American country decreased by around ** exajoules, reaching a production peak in 1998.

In 1999, North America's coal production volume came to 25.28 exajoules. By 2024, it decreased to 11.88 exajoules. North America's role in global coal energy Coal production has decreased in North America in recent years. In 2000, the continent as a whole produced 24.65 exajoules of coal and had reduced production some 53 percent by 2024. However, globally, there has been a significant increase in coal production, from 96.5 exajoules in 2000 to 182.23 exajoules in 2024. This global increase is largely due to the coal production and energy consumption in China. The country accounts for almost half of both the world’s production and consumption of this fossil fuel. China’s coal production has more than doubled, from 29.6 exajoules in 2000 to 94.48 exajoules in 2024. North American coal consumption and environmental backlash The consumption of coal in the United States decreased to 7.89 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) in 2024. The United States consumed almost 18 quadrillion Btu of coal in 2014 and 2.47 quadrillion Btu from conventional hydroelectric energy. Coal companies face competition from the growing renewable energy industries and increasing demands for cleaner energy from consumers. In Canada, the province of Ontario had shut down all of its coal-generated plants as of April 2014, the first jurisdiction in North America to do so.

Peabody Energy Corp was the leading coal producer in the United States in 2023, with an 18 percent share of the total coal production in the U.S. that year. Arch Resources ranked second that year, with a production share of 13 percent of the total coal U.S. production. Leading U.S. coal miners’ production volumes The coal industry in the United States remains dominated by a handful of major players, with Peabody Energy Corp leading the pack. The company’s leading position in the U.S. coal industry is due to its coal production volume of 104.3 million short tons in 2023, the largest of any producer in the country. Arch Resources followed in second place with 75.3 million short tons of coal produced that year. The total U.S. coal production volume in 2023 amounted to 11.84 exajoules, or nearly 578,000 short tons, indicating that the top two U.S. coal producers accounted for a significant proportion of the country's overall coal output. This concentration of production among the top companies highlights the consolidated nature of the U.S. coal sector. U.S. coal companies’ revenue comparison Peabody Energy Corporation saw its revenue reach 4.95 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. In second place, as with production volume, Arch Resources’ revenue amounted to nearly 3.15 billion U.S. dollars that year, marking a decrease of almost 600 million U.S. dollars from 2022. Meanwhile, another major player in the industry, Consol Energy reported an annual revenue of around 2.57 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.

Wyoming was the leading U.S. state by coal production in 2023, with an annual production of ***** million short tons. West Virginia and Pennsylvania followed, with a coal production of **** and **** million short tons.

In 2023, approximately 237 million short tons of coal was produced in Wyoming, which was by far the leading coal-producing state in the United States. West Virginia was the second-largest coal producing U.S. state that year, with production amounting to 84.6 million short tons.

There were roughly 25.5 million short tons of coal produced underground from coal beds with thicknesses of 79 to under 85 inches in the United States in 2023. At that same time, there were some 288 million short tons of coal produced on surface mines from coal beads with thicknesses over 120 inches during the same period.

In 2023, coal production in Central and South America reached **** exajoules, a decrease of around six percent in comparison to the previous year. Nevertheless, production of coal in the region has been on a mostly downward trend since the year 2016.

In 2023 there were nine occupational fatalities in the United States coal mining industry, among a total of 68,631 U.S. coal miners. Within the last two centuries, the largest number of occupational fatalities in the United States coal mining industry was registered in 1910 when 2,821 coal miners died. Since then, this figure has reduced significantly. Which was the deadliest coal mining disaster of U.S. history? Coal extraction has been active in the U.S. since the 18th century. As an exploitation activity, it has been related to several occupational disasters. The most fatal coal mining accident recorded in U.S. history happened in 1907 in West Virginia: the Monongah mine disaster. It resulted in the death of 362 workers, after an explosion happened in mines six and eight. Where is coal produced the most in the U.S.? Environmental concerns and shifting demand have progressively declined coal production in the U.S. in recent years. This is also reflected in the decreasing number of active coal mines in the country over the last two decades. Nevertheless, the production of coal in U.S. states is still significant. For instance, Wyoming was by far the leading coal-producing state in the country in 2023, followed by other key states West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Peabody Energy Corp was the leading coal producer in the United States in 2023, with an annual production volume of 104.3 million short tons. Arch Resources Inc and Navajo Nation ranked second and third, with a production of 75.3 and 45.7 million short tons, respectively.

In 2019 there were 81,491 thousand people employed in the U.S. coal mining industry, of which only nine percent were women. By 2023, U.S. coal employment shrank by approximately 13,000 jobs, to 68,623. The share of women employees in U.S. coal mining amounted to seven percent in 2023.

Production of anthracite (or hard coal) in the United States has significantly declined in the past few decades. While nearly 45 million short tons of anthracite were mined in 1950, by the 2000's this figure had dropped to 4.5 million short tons, before declining further to a around two million short tons annually from 2001 onwards.

In 2023, 14,014 people were working in West Virginia's coal industry in total. Of that number, 10,823 of the employees worked in underground coal mines. Coal-mining in West Virginia and the Appalachian region Coal-mining in West Virginia accounted for over 14,000 jobs in 2023, with 10,823 jobs located in underground mines and 3,191 jobs dedicated to surface mines. In 2023, four of the 10 leading U.S. underground coal mines based on production were located in West Virginia. However, over the past decade, coal mining employment in the U.S. has declined considerably. In the Appalachian region, of which West Virginia is a part, there were nearly 28,000 coal mining jobs in 2023, down from over 56,000 in 2010. West Virigina's standing as a U.S. coal producer West Virginia's coal deposits have been known since the early 1700s, while large-scale coal mining began there in the mid-1800s. Today, coal is mined in 21 of the state's 55 counties. Although West Virginia is not the largest coal producing state in the U.S., it came in second place as of 2023, only surpassed by Wyoming. That year, Wyoming produced 237 million short tons of coal, while West Virginia produced some 84.6 million short tons. Despite being one of the largest producers, coal consumption is greater in many other U.S. states than in West Virginia.

The price for one metric ton of Australian thermal coal amounted to an average of ****** U.S. dollars in 2024. This was a notable decrease compared to 2022, when the price amounted to over *** U.S. dollars. Thermal coal, also known as steam coal, is used to generate electricity and its properties include a high moisture and low energy content. It is differentiated from coking coal, or metallurgical coal, which is largely used for steel production. Thermal coal/steam coal prices tend to be lower than coking coal prices, as coking coal requires fewer impurities. Coal consumption: the leading consuming countries Between 2000 and 2023, global coal consumption increased by some ***** exajoules, amounting to roughly *** exajoules as of 2023. Today, China and India are the two leading coal consumers worldwide, at ***** and ***** exajoules, respectively. The two most populous countries on the planet thus accounted for over ********** of total coal consumption in 2023. The U.S. is a leading coal consumer despite the declining U.S. coal mining industry The United States was ranked ***** among the leading coal consuming nations in 2023, however, it has decreased its coal consumption for electricity generation considerably since 2007. This is largely the result of electric utilities switching to cheaper means of energy production such as natural gas and renewables, as well as growing concerns over greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. coal mining industry has also been on the decline in recent years.

Coal consumption within the electric power sector in the United States fell to 373.8 million short tons in 2024. In the past decade, there has been a marked decline in the use of coal for electricity generation. Coal consumption peaked between 2005 and 2008, when over one billion short tons were used every year. However, with the promotion of natural gas as a bridge-fuel toward a greener power sector, coal as the dirtiest of fossil fuels has fallen out of favor and natural gas has succeeded coal in becoming the main fuel type used for electricity generation in the U.S. Coal use by sector Coal is used primarily by the power sector. An Edison plant built for New York City in 1882 was the first coal-fired electricity plant in the U.S. By the 1950s, coal was considered the leading source of fuel for electricity generation. Declines in coal usage occurred around 2007, amidst the increased availability of renewables and natural gas. Apart from the use of thermal coal for power production, coking coal is an important raw material used for steelmaking, and the industrial sector still consumes around one quadrillion British thermal unit every year. Coal power use around the world The U.S.is the third largest consumer of coal in the world, following China and India. China’s consumption exceeds the total of many other countries combined, reaching 91.94 exajoules to U.S.' 8.2 exajoules. Fossil fuels are still a primary source of fuel around the world. U.S. fossil fuel consumption reached some 77.18 quadrillion British thermal units in 2023.

The coal mining industry employed 45,476 people in the United States in 2023, of which 62 percent worked in underground mines. During the period in consideration, coal-mining employment in the U.S. presented a declining trend, with coal employment peaking in 2011, at almost 92,000 employees.

The United States generated around 1,802 terawatt hours of electricity from natural gas in 2023, the highest production volume in the period of consideration, with figures having almost tripled since 2000. Natural gas has become the leading fuel for electricity generation in the U.S., having surpassed coal in 2015.

The global coal mining industry's market value has fluctuated greatly since 2010. The market value of coal mining during this period peaked in 2011 at ************* U.S. dollars, but declined in the following years, dropping to *********** U.S. dollars by 2020. In 2023, the market value of coal mining amounted to approximately ************* U.S. dollars.

Once a major powerhouse of the British economy, the coal mining industry was the lifeblood of several regions, providing employment to more than one million workers before the 1930s. Since that time, shifting attitudes towards coal and the emergence of alternative energy sources such as wind and solar have seen coal's role in the UK's energy mix diminish. By 1990, the coal industry was still an employer to some 50,000 people, however from 2016 onwards, this figure had fallen to less than one thousand. Coal mines in the UK As of 2023, there were seven UK coal mines left in operation. Of these, one was an opencast site and six were deep mines. The British government has made it clear that phasing out coal is necessary for the country to reach its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. The industry is thus set to further contract in the future. Coal job cuts globally The shrinking number of jobs has not been isolated to the UK, with similar coal mining employment reductions in the United States. In some U.S. states, such as Kentucky, coal mining jobs had fallen by more than three quarters in the past ten years. In Australia, where coal mining has traditionally been as strong contributor to the economy, this decreasing trend is also visible.

In 2024, coal consumption in the United States reached 411.4 million short tons, a decrease when compared to the previous year. The U.S. has been steadily reducing its reliance on coal for electricity generation, with natural gas having surpassed coal as the largest source for power production in the country.

Hard coal is the most produced non-renewable energy source. In 2023, hard coal accounted for a 32.56 percent share of worldwide non-renewable energy production. This was closely followed by crude oil, which made up a 32.56 percent share. Before 2023, crude oil was the most produced non-renewable energy source.