U.S. energy facts explained  

The United States has been an annual net total energy exporter since 2019

Up to the early 1950s, the United States produced most of the energy it consumed.¹ U.S. energy consumption was higher than U.S. energy production in every year from 1958–2018. The difference between consumption and production was met by imports, particularly crude oil and petroleum products such as motor gasoline and distillate fuel oil. Total energy imports (based on heat content) peaked in 2007 and subsequently declined in nearly every year since then. Increases in U.S. crude oil and natural gas production reduced the need for crude oil and natural gas imports and contributed to increases in crude oil and natural gas exports. The United States has been a net total energy exporter—total energy exports have been higher than total energy imports—since 2019.

Total U.S. energy exports in 2023 were the highest on record

On an energy content basis, even though U.S. total energy imports increased by about 1% in 2023, U.S. total energy exports were the highest on record, at about 29.50 quadrillion British thermal units (quads), and increased by about 8% from 2022. Total energy exports exceeded total energy imports by about 7.80 quads, the largest annual margin on record.

U.S. crude oil imports and exports both increased in 2023, and the United States remained a net crude oil importer. Crude oil accounted for the largest percentage share of U.S. total energy imports—nearly 66%—and for about 29% of total energy exports. Some imported crude oil is refined into petroleum products that are exported.

In 2023, imports of petroleum products (such as gasoline and distillates) accounted for about 18% of total annual U.S. energy imports and for about 36% of total energy exports. Total petroleum product imports were slightly lower, exports were slightly higher, and net imports were the lowest on record in 2023.

U.S. natural gas exports reached a record high in 2023 and were equal to about 26% of total U.S. energy exports on an energy content basis. Increases in natural gas exports in nearly every year since 2014 contributed to the United States becoming a net exporter of natural gas in 2017 for the first time since the late 1950s and, in 2023, to the lowest level of natural gas net imports on record. Increases in liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, especially to Europe, contributed to about a 10% increase in total U.S. natural gas exports in 2023. Natural gas imports decreased by about 3% from 2022 to 2023 and equaled about 14% of total U.S. energy imports.

The United States has been a net coal exporter since at least 1949. In 2023, annual U.S. coal exports increased by about 15% and equaled about 8% of total energy exports. U.S. coal imports decreased by about 35% and accounted for less than 1% of total U.S. energy imports.

Last updated: July 15, 2024, with data from the Monthly Energy Review, April 2024; data for 2023 are preliminary.