The Annual Coal Distribution Report (ACDR) provides detailed information on U.S. domestic coal distribution by origin state, destination state, consumer category, and method of transportation. The report also provides a summary of foreign coal distribution by coal-producing state. All data for 2018 are final, and this report supersedes the four Quarterly Coal Distribution Reports previously issued for 2018.
Highlights for 2018
- Total coal distributions for 2018 were 742.7 million short tons, a decrease of 3.3% from the 2017 level.
- Distributions to domestic destinations were 627.1 million short tons, a decrease of 43.7 million short tons (6.5%) compared with 2017. Distributions to foreign destinations were 115.6 million short tons, 18.7 million short tons (19.3%) more than the 2017 level.
- Wyoming was the leading origin state of coal, accounting for about 296.9 (47.3%) million short tons of domestic shipments, and Texas was the leading destination for coal, accounting for about 66.4 million short tons of receipts.
- Railroads moved about 69.0% of the domestic coal, river barges about 12.0%, trucks about 9.6%, and tramways, conveyor belts, and slurry pipelines about 9.4%. Great lakes and tidewater pier transport modes accounted for less than 0.1% of the total shipments.
- The electric power sector received about 92.0% of the domestic distribution, industrial plants (excluding coke) received about 5.0%, coke plants received about 2.8%, and commercial and institutional plants received about 0.1%.