Energy in the United States is obtained from a variety of sources, although the majority came from fossil fuels in 2025: 37% of the nation's energy originated from petroleum, 36% from natural gas, and 9% from coal. Electricity from nuclear power supplied 9% and renewable energy supplied 9%, which includes biomass, wind, hydro, solar and geothermal. Energy consumption in 2025 was mostly for industry (35%) and transportation (37%), with use in homes (15%) and commercial buildings (13%) making up the remainder. The United States' portion of the electrical grid in North America had a nameplate capacity of 1,281 GW and produced 4,429 TWh in 2025, using 32% of primary energy to do so.
Natural gas overtook coal as the dominant source for electric generation in 2016. Coal was overtaken by nuclear for the first time in 2020 and by renewables in 2023.
Energy figures are measured in BTU, with 1 BTU equal to 1.055 kJ and 1 quadrillion BTU (1 quad) equal to 1.055 EJ. Because BTU is a unit of heat, sources that generate electricity directly are multiplied by a conversion factor to equate them with sources that use a heat engine.
The United States was the second-largest energy producer and consumer in 2024 after China. The United States had a per capita energy consumption of , ranking it tenth in the world behind Canada, Iceland, and several Arab nations.
History
From its founding until the late 19th century, population and energy use in the United States both increased by about 3% per year, resulting in a relatively constant per capita energy use of 100 million BTU. Wood made up the majority of this until near the end of the 1800s, meaning the average American burned eight tons of wood each year.
The Industrial Revolution in the United States saw an increased use of coal. By the late 1800s, it had surpassed wood as the major source of energy, as it was cheaper for those living in cities. Lighting, heating and transportation could all be fueled by coal. Between 1925 and 1975, coal use was more stagnant, although it dominated the growing electricity sector. Petroleum and natural gas took its place, as car ownership doubled in the two decades after the war, and as the number of pipelines rose dramatically.
During the first half of the 20th century, per capita energy use doubled to 200 million BTU, and reached 300 million BTU by the late 60s. After a peak of 360 million BTU in 1979, per capita consumption generally declined, and dipped below 300 million BTU in 2020. In comparison, the world average increased from per person between 1980 and 2020.
Domestic oil production peaked in 1970 and did not recover for 40 years. However, oil imports allowed consumption to double. Oil represented the vast majority of net imports during this time. Increased reliance on imported oil coincided with the 1973 oil crisis.
Total imports peaked in 2005, when they represented 30% of total consumption. A consistent decline occurred over the next 15 years, as oil production doubled and domestic use receded. This allowed the United States to be a net exporter of energy for the first time in 70 years. As of 2021, the US net exports 3.9% of energy production.
Around 2010, many other trends began to reverse. By 2020, improvements in fracking had allowed natural gas production to increase by more than half, while coal decreased by half.
Renewables in the 20th century consisted mainly of hydro and wood. Hydro power had been relatively constant since 1970, while wood saw a bump in 1980. Between 2000 and 2020, wind, solar and biofuels increased by a factor of ten. By 2020, wind had surpassed hydro, and biofuels had surpassed wood.
Summary
+US energy consumptionby source (2021) Source % of source Nuclear 8% 120% Electricity Renewable12% 6.9% Residential2.6% Commercial19.6% Industrial12.3% Transport58.6% Electricity 32% 15.4% Residential33.4% Industrial3.9% Transport36.5% Electricity Coal11% 0.1% Commercial9.8% Industrial90.0% Electricity Petroleum36% 2.6% Residential2.4% Commercial25.0% Industrial69.3% Transport0.6% Electricity+US electricityby source and sector (2021) Source Electricity Sector 22.2% Nuclear19.5% Renewable31.7% Natural gas26.0% Coal0.6% PetroleumSales35%
Losses65% 38.9% Residential34.9% Commercial26.0% Industrial0.02% Transport+US energy consumptionby sector (2021) Sector % of sector Residential21% 4.0% Renewable4.5% Petroleum68.0% Electricity Commercial18% 1.8% Renewable19.7% Natural gas0.1% Coal4.8% Petroleum73.6% Electricity Industrial33% 7.3% Renewable32.6% Natural gas3.2% Coal27.2% Petroleum29.7% Electricity Transport 28%Electricity only includes mass transit. 5.5% Renewable4.5% Natural gas89.8% Petroleum0.2% Electricity
Primary energy production
The United States is the world's second-largest producer of energy. It produces 16% of the world's energy, about three-fourths as much as China. Since 2019, the country has been a net exporter of energy. In 2023, 102.8 quads were produced and net exports were 7.6% of production.
Fossil fuels
Fossil fuels have long produced most energy in the US, accounting for 84% of total production and 60% of electric generation as of 2023. Although costs for some fossil fuels are declining, renewables are becoming cheaper faster. Despite this, use of fossil fuels has remained near 80% for the past 30 years.
The vast majority of carbon emissions in the US came from fossil fuels. The largest sources for carbon pollution from energy were petroleum (46%), natural gas (35%) and coal (19%), and of petroleum, motor gasoline (21%) and diesel (12%) were the largest contributors. As gas has been replacing coal, emissions from the two combined have declined from a peak in 2008, down 25% as of 2021. During the same time frame, petroleum declined by only 17%. Fossil fuels in the United States produced 8% more carbon dioxide in 2022 compared to 2020.
In 2023, fossil fuels generated 2,509 TWh of electricity, accounting for 60 percent of all electricity generation.
Coal
Coal made up 11% of production in 2021, 90% of which went to producing electricity. Coal electrified rapidly throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s and half of annual electricity was from coal until the 2010s. Coal peaked in 2006, when it represented a third of total energy production. During the 2010s it underwent a steady decline, mostly being replaced by natural gas. In contrast, net exports have remained near 2 quads in the same time period, but this now amounts to 17% of total production.
The decline of coal has many factors, including the aforementioned rise of natural gas, the closing of old plants, and environmental regulations. Coal supply has not become an issue, as the US has the largest coal reserve in the world, 40% larger than Russia.
The first DC plant in the US was a coal plant in New York City, opened in 1882. The first AC plant was a coal plant in Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania, opened in 1902. Among the largest plants still operating is the James H. Miller Jr. Electric Generating Plant in West Jefferson, Alabama and among the oldest is the James E. Rogers Energy Complex in Mooresboro, North Carolina.
Natural gas
Dry natural gas was 36% of production in 2021, making it the largest source of energy in the US. It is also the largest electricity source, making up 38% of generation. Natural gas surpassed coal for production in 2011 and for generation in 2016. Between 2006 and 2022, the US has gone from net importing 4 quads of natural gas to exporting 4 quads.
The United States has been the world's largest producer of natural gas since 2011, when it surpassed Russia. However, the US ranks 7th in proven reserves. Differences in supply explain why gas is cheaper in the US than it is in Europe.
Among the largest natural gas power plants in the US is West County Energy Center in Palm Beach County, Florida. Philadelphia had the first natural gas distributor in the US.
Natural gas liquids are liquid hydrocarbons obtained from natural gas fields. Production has tripled from 2000 to 2022, now making up 9% of fossil fuels. The US leads the world in NGL production, ahead of Saudi Arabia.
During the 2023-24 winter heating season in the United States, natural gas inventories ended at 2,290 billion cubic feet (Bcf), 39% above the five-year average, due to mild weather resulting in reduced consumption. Withdrawals from storage were approximately 1,500 Bcf, lower than the usual 2,000 Bcf. By March 2024, the Henry Hub spot price had decreased to $1.50 per million British thermal units (MMBtu), significantly below the forecasted $3.10/MMBtu, with expectations of prices staying below $2.00/MMBtu until the second half of 2024, averaging $2.20/MMBtu for the year
Petroleum
Crude oil made up 24% of production in 2021. Oil has more than doubled from a slump in the early 2000s, even surpassing its previous peak in 1970. Imports have declined during the same time period, but the US still net imports 20% of consumption.
The US has been the largest producer of crude oil since 2018, ahead of Saudi Arabia. Texas produces far more oil than any other state.
U.S. oil and gas production was higher at the end of both the Trump and Biden administrations compared to the beginning of their terms. Oil and gas constitute the majority of energy consumption in the United States. This production not only enhances energy security but also helps maintain lower prices. However, the combustion of oil and gas significantly contributes to climate change.
Nuclear
Nuclear power was 8.3% of total production and 18.8% of electric generation in 2021. Seven states made up half the total: Illinois (12%), Pennsylvania (10%), South Carolina (7%), Alabama (6%), North Carolina (6%), Texas (5%) and Tennessee (5%).
The US generated 772 TWh of nuclear power in 2022, surpassing China (395 TWh) and France (282 TWh). However, nuclear power constitutes a much smaller percentage of total power generation (18%) when compared to France (63%).
Nuclear had significant growth from the 70s through the 90s, but has stagnated since. A cessation of new nuclear plant construction coincided with the accident at Three Mile Island. Future growth may come from smaller reactors.
Among the largest nuclear plants in the US are Grand Gulf in Claiborne County, Mississippi and Peach Bottom in York County, Pennsylvania. The oldest reactor still in commercial operation is Nine Mile Point in Scriba, New York.
Renewables
Renewable energy in the United States accounted for 12.5% of the total production in 2021, and 20.7% of electric generation. The category has seen rapid growth, doubling in total output between 2000 and 2020. They have exceeded nuclear since 2011 and surpassed coal in 2020 for the first time since wood fuel fell out of use.
Renewables are expected to continue growing. Because many of these are variable renewable energy, there are plans for considerable growth in battery storage.
Biomass
Biomass made up 5% of total production and 38% of renewables in 2022. About 49% of this was biofuels, 43% was wood, and 8% was waste and other biomass.
Ethanol made up the majority of biofuels in 2022, while biodiesel and renewable diesel made up about 16%. For ethanol, about 40% of the available energy is lost or diverted to co-products during the manufacturing process, and the equivalent of 20% is used to power and run the equipment. About 45% of domestic corn output goes toward producing ethanol. The US led the world in ethanol production in 2021, producing more than half of the total. The US is a net exporter of biofuels.
Use of biofuels increased by a factor of 10 between 2000 and 2020, eventually exceeding wood. The desire for ethanol originated from the need to replace methyl tert-butyl ether, which was contaminating groundwater. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 mandated an increased use of ethanol. Most gasoline sold in the US contains up to 10% ethanol.