Petroleum is the primary source of energy in the United States, with a consumption of 35.35 quadrillion British thermal units in 2024. Closely following, the U.S. had 34.2 quadrillion British thermal units of energy derived from natural gas. Energy consumption by sector in the United States Petroleum is predominantly utilized as a fuel in the transportation sector, which is also the second-largest consumer of energy in the U.S. with almost 30 percent of the country’s total energy consumption in 2024. This figure is topped only by the energy-guzzling industrial sector, a major consumer of fossil fuels such as petroleum and natural gas. Renewable energy in the United States Despite the prevalence of fossil fuels in the U.S. energy mix, the use of renewable energy consumption has grown immensely in the last decades to approximately 6.7 exajoules in 2024. Most of the renewable energy produced in the U.S. is derived from biomass, hydro, and wind sources. In 2024, renewable electricity accounted for approximately 24 percent of the nation’s total electricity generation.

Petroleum is the most used fuel source in the United States, with a consumption level of 35.35 quadrillion British thermal units in 2024. Natural gas is the second-most common fuel source, with consumption levels rising closer to that of petroleum over recent years. Petroleum use post-financial crisis Petroleum in the United States is primarily used for fueling the transportation sector, generating heat and electricity, as well as in the production of plastics. U.S. consumption of petroleum was at its highest before the 2008 global financial crisis, when the price of crude oil rose dramatically. Petroleum consumption began to increase again in 2013, before dropping significantly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rise of natural gas While petroleum consumption has been lower in the last decade than in the early 2000s, the use of natural gas has risen significantly. Natural gas consumption in the United States has seen record highs in recent years, in part due to lower costs and its growing popularity. The U.S. currently produces more natural gas than any country in the world, followed by Russia.

State-level data on all energy sources. Data on production, consumption, reserves, stocks, prices, imports, and exports. Data are collated from state-specific data reported elsewhere on the EIA website and are the most recent values available. Data on U.S. territories also available.

The City and County Energy Profiles lookup table provides modeled electricity and natural gas consumption and expenditures, on-road vehicle fuel consumption, vehicle miles traveled, and associated emissions for each U.S. city and county. Please note this data is modeled and more precise data may be available from regional, state, or other sources. The modeling approach for electricity and natural gas is described in Sector-Specific Methodologies for Subnational Energy Modeling: https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy19osti/72748.pdf. This data is part of a suite of state and local energy profile data available at the "State and Local Energy Profile Data Suite" link below and complements the wealth of data, maps, and charts on the State and Local Planning for Energy (SLOPE) platform, available at the "Explore State and Local Energy Data on SLOPE" link below. Examples of how to use the data to inform energy planning can be found at the "Example Uses" link below.

In the United States, electricity derived from coal has decreased over the past two decades, with the annual output declining by almost 65 percent between 2010 and 2024. In contrast, there has been a rise in natural gas and renewable sources within the energy mix. How is electricity generated in the U.S.? Most electricity in the U.S. is generated from steam turbines, which can be powered by fossil and nuclear fuels, biomass, geothermal, and solar thermal energy. Other systems such as gas turbines, hydro turbines, wind turbines, and solar photovoltaics are also major generation technologies. Electric utilities in the U.S. generated more than 2,241 terawatt hours in 2024, accounting for just over half of the power output in the country that year. Growing renewable capacity Renewable sources have become more prominent in the U.S. over the past years, particularly wind, hydro, and solar energy. The former has overtaken conventional hydropower, becoming the leading renewable energy source in the U.S. since 2019. Wind and solar power have also accounted for the largest share of electricity capacity additions in the country in recent years.

United States US: Electricity Production From Coal Sources: % of Total data was reported at 34.233 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 39.651 % for 2014. United States US: Electricity Production From Coal Sources: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 51.846 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2015, with 56 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 57.679 % in 1988 and a record low of 34.233 % in 2015. United States US: Electricity Production From Coal Sources: % of Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Energy Production and Consumption. Sources of electricity refer to the inputs used to generate electricity. Coal refers to all coal and brown coal, both primary (including hard coal and lignite-brown coal) and derived fuels (including patent fuel, coke oven coke, gas coke, coke oven gas, and blast furnace gas). Peat is also included in this category.; ; IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA 2014 (http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp), subject to https://www.iea.org/t&c/termsandconditions/; Weighted average; Electricity production shares may not sum to 100 percent because other sources of generated electricity (such as geothermal, solar, and wind) are not shown. Restricted use: Please contact the International Energy Agency for third-party use of these data.

United States US: Electricity Production From Oil Sources: % of Total data was reported at 0.904 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.923 % for 2014. United States US: Electricity Production From Oil Sources: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 4.834 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2015, with 56 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 17.167 % in 1977 and a record low of 0.774 % in 2012. United States US: Electricity Production From Oil Sources: % of Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Energy Production and Consumption. Sources of electricity refer to the inputs used to generate electricity. Oil refers to crude oil and petroleum products.; ; IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA 2014 (http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp), subject to https://www.iea.org/t&c/termsandconditions/; Weighted average; Electricity production shares may not sum to 100 percent because other sources of generated electricity (such as geothermal, solar, and wind) are not shown. Restricted use: Please contact the International Energy Agency for third-party use of these data.

Monthly data since January 1973 and annual data since 1949 on U.S. primary and total energy consumption by end-use sector (residential, commercial, industrial, transportation) and electric power sector.

Throughout the past decade, the United States has been notably decreasing its use of coal, and increasing the use of natural gas and renewable energy sources for electricity generation. In 2024, natural gas was by far the largest source of electricity in the North American country, with a generation share of 43 percent. Renewable energy's share amounted to 24 percent that year.

United States US: Electricity Production From Natural Gas Sources: % of Total data was reported at 31.942 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 26.888 % for 2014. United States US: Electricity Production From Natural Gas Sources: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 17.344 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2015, with 56 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 31.942 % in 2015 and a record low of 9.464 % in 1988. United States US: Electricity Production From Natural Gas Sources: % of Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Energy Production and Consumption. Sources of electricity refer to the inputs used to generate electricity. Gas refers to natural gas but excludes natural gas liquids.; ; IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA 2014 (http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp), subject to https://www.iea.org/t&c/termsandconditions/; Weighted average; Electricity production shares may not sum to 100 percent because other sources of generated electricity (such as geothermal, solar, and wind) are not shown. Restricted use: Please contact the International Energy Agency for third-party use of these data.

Industrial activities are the greatest energy end-user sector in the United States, reaching a consumption of some 31 quadrillion British thermal units in 2024, followed by the transportation sector. The U.S. is the second-largest energy consumer in the world, after China. Energy source in the United States Consumption of fossil fuels still accounts for the majority of U.S. primary energy consumption. The transportation and industrial sectors are the sectors with the largest fossil fuel consumption in the country, the former relying on oil-based motor fuels. Electricity generation in the United States Although around 60 percent of the electricity generated in the U.S. is derived from natural gas and coal, the use of renewable sources is becoming more common in electricity production, with the largest increase in wind and solar power. These two clean energy resources are projected to generate as much power as natural gas by 2030.

View monthly updates and historical trends for US Primary Energy Consumption. from United States. Source: Energy Information Administration. Track economi…

The transportation sector is the largest consumer of primary fossil fuel energy in the United States. Largely due to reliance on petroleum-based motor fuels, the transportation sector consumed over 26.2 quadrillion British thermal units of fossil fuel energy in 2024. By comparison, fossil fuel consumption within the electric power sector has experienced an overall declining tendency in recent years, following a decline in U.S. electricity generation from coal. Consumption of fossil fuels in the U.S. Historically, the transportation sector and electric power sector consumed more than half of the fossil fuel-produced energy in the country. Being some of the cheapest energy sources on the market, the U.S. came to rely heavily on natural gas and coal in order to power its ever-growing economy, while gasoline and diesel remain the most common motor fuels. Petroleum is the greatest source of primary energy consumption in the U.S. Energy transition Despite the role fossil fuels continue to play in every day life for the U.S. resident, many within the country have urged the U.S. government to adopt more stringent targets to reducing the country's carbon footprint in order to mitigate climate change. An outlook from April 2025 suggest that renewable energy consumption in the U.S. is on track to increase to 19.43 quadrillion British thermal units by 2050. However, this amount is still far lower than the energy needed to offset fossil fuel use.

In the United States, consumption of energy derived from fossil fuels came to approximately 77.4 quadrillion British thermal units in 2024. This represented a slight increase in comparison to the previous year. The peak in fossil fuel consumption was recorded in 2018, at 81.28 quadrillion British thermal units. Fossil fuel energies and their use today Fossil fuels are hydrocarbon-containing natural resources formed from the remains of dead plants or animals that have been subject to immense pressure from a buildup of layers over millions of years. There are three major forms of fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas, which are sources of primary energy. The energy demand in the U.S. is largely covered by fossil fuels. In 2024, net electricity generation amounted to 4,304 terawatt hours. Natural gas is the most common fuel type used for electricity generation. Combined with the coal share, fossil fuels account for 76 percent of all power production in the country.Apart from natural gas and coal consumed within the power sector, oil is one of the main energy sources in the U.S. The liquid is predominantly used in the transportation sector as it is refined into petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. Oil and natural gas also serve as feed stocks in the petrochemical industry and are the building blocks for a variety of products such as plastics. Despite its prominent use since the Industrial Revolution, fossil fuels are finite resources and burning these fuels has severely impacted Earth's climate. Under the threat of climate change, the pollution caused by fossil fuels has put the whole industry under scrutiny. Burning any fossil fuel produces carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas which contributes to global warming.

United States US: Electricity Production From Oil: Gas And Coal Sources: % of Total data was reported at 67.238 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 67.462 % for 2014. United States US: Electricity Production From Oil: Gas And Coal Sources: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 72.459 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2015, with 56 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 83.232 % in 1966 and a record low of 67.238 % in 2015. United States US: Electricity Production From Oil: Gas And Coal Sources: % of Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Energy Production and Consumption. Sources of electricity refer to the inputs used to generate electricity. Oil refers to crude oil and petroleum products. Gas refers to natural gas but excludes natural gas liquids. Coal refers to all coal and brown coal, both primary (including hard coal and lignite-brown coal) and derived fuels (including patent fuel, coke oven coke, gas coke, coke oven gas, and blast furnace gas). Peat is also included in this category.; ; IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA 2014 (http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp), subject to https://www.iea.org/t&c/termsandconditions/; Weighted average; Restricted use: Please contact the International Energy Agency for third-party use of these data.

United States US: Electricity Production From Renewable Sources: Excluding Hydroelectric: % of Total data was reported at 7.176 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 6.900 % for 2014. United States US: Electricity Production From Renewable Sources: Excluding Hydroelectric: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 0.471 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2015, with 56 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.176 % in 2015 and a record low of 0.015 % in 1960. United States US: Electricity Production From Renewable Sources: Excluding Hydroelectric: % of Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Energy Production and Consumption. Electricity production from renewable sources, excluding hydroelectric, includes geothermal, solar, tides, wind, biomass, and biofuels.; ; IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA 2014 (http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp), subject to https://www.iea.org/t&c/termsandconditions/; Weighted Average; Restricted use: Please contact the International Energy Agency for third-party use of these data.

This dataset is the 2009 United States Energy Consumption by Sector and Source, part of the Annual Energy Outlook that highlights changes in the AEO Reference case projections for key energy topics. The Annual Energy Outlook presents a projection and analysis of US energy supply, demand, and prices through 2035. The projections are based on results from the Energy Information Administration's National Energy Modeling System.

United States US: Electricity Production From Renewable Sources: Excluding Hydroelectric data was reported at 317,421,000,000.000 kWh in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 298,023,000,000.000 kWh for 2014. United States US: Electricity Production From Renewable Sources: Excluding Hydroelectric data is updated yearly, averaging 12,867,000,000.000 kWh from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2015, with 56 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 317,421,000,000.000 kWh in 2015 and a record low of 122,000,000.000 kWh in 1960. United States US: Electricity Production From Renewable Sources: Excluding Hydroelectric data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Energy Production and Consumption. Electricity production from renewable sources, excluding hydroelectric, includes geothermal, solar, tides, wind, biomass, and biofuels.; ; IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA 2014 (http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp), subject to https://www.iea.org/t&c/termsandconditions/; Sum; Restricted use: Please contact the International Energy Agency for third-party use of these data.

Primary energy supply in the United States increased slightly in 2024, when compared to the previous year. Oil was the most used energy source, followed by natural gas and nuclear energy. By comparison, the least used energy source was hydroelectricity. In 2024, consumption of oil in the North American country amounted to 35.8 exajoules, while renewables consumption reached 5.8 exajoules.

United States US: Electricity Production From Hydroelectric Sources: % of Total data was reported at 5.842 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 6.054 % for 2014. United States US: Electricity Production From Hydroelectric Sources: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 9.342 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2015, with 56 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 18.881 % in 1962 and a record low of 4.904 % in 2001. United States US: Electricity Production From Hydroelectric Sources: % of Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Energy Production and Consumption. Sources of electricity refer to the inputs used to generate electricity. Hydropower refers to electricity produced by hydroelectric power plants.; ; IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA 2014 (http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp), subject to https://www.iea.org/t&c/termsandconditions/; Weighted average; Electricity production shares may not sum to 100 percent because other sources of generated electricity (such as geothermal, solar, and wind) are not shown. Restricted use: Please contact the International Energy Agency for third-party use of these data.