SelectUSA Energy Industry
Industry Overview
The United States is a global leader in both energy production and consumption, supported by a diverse portfolio of energy sources. In 2024, oil, natural gas, and coal accounted for 84 percent of total primary energy production and 82 percent of total primary energy consumption. Since becoming a net energy exporter in 2019, the United States has continued to expand its global energy role. In 2024, the United States exported 30 percent of the energy it produced. Meanwhile, the growth of artificial intelligence, technological innovation, and rising energy demand are rapidly transforming the U.S. energy industry.
For information on foreign direct investment related to the energy industry, please refer to SelectUSA’s Energy industry fact sheet.
The United States is the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas, a position achieved through improvements in drilling techniques such as hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. In 2024, oil and natural gas accounted for 74 percent of total primary energy consumption, highlighting the country’s continued reliance on these resources.
Driven largely by the rapid rise of crude oil, petroleum products, and natural gas exports, the United States transitioned from a net energy importer to a net exporter in 2019. Crude oil, petroleum products, and natural gas accounted for 90 percent of total primary energy exports in 2024.
According to SelectUSA’s Cluster Mapping dashboard, SelectUSA’s interactive, and data-driven tool designed for investors, companies, and economic development organizations to identify industry concentrations across the United States at the state and county level, the oil and gas production and transportation industry cluster employs more than 505,000 individuals. Louisiana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Texas have a high employment share and a high concentration of employees compared to the nation as a whole in the oil and gas production and transportation industry cluster.
The United States holds the world’s largest reserves of coal. Coal accounted for about 10 percent of total energy production in 2024. The electric power sector is the largest consumer of coal in the United States, accounting for over 90 percent of total coal consumption. In 2024, the United States exported 21 percent of its coal production.
According to SelectUSA’s Cluster Mapping dashboard, SelectUSA’s interactive, and data-driven tool designed for investors, companies, and economic development organizations to identify industry concentrations across the United States at the state and county level, the coal mining industry cluster employs more than 46,000 individuals. Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming have a high employment share and a high concentration of employees compared to the nation as a whole in the coal mining industry cluster.
The United States generates the most nuclear power in the world, accounting for almost 30 percent of worldwide nuclear electricity. As of August 2025, the United States had 94 nuclear reactors and nuclear electricity accounted for 19 percent of U.S. electricity generation. The nuclear reactor fleet operates at a comparatively high capacity factor in the United States because of increased utility efficiency in managing planned and unplanned generation outages.
The U.S. transmission and distribution market is evolving due to increasing electricity demand, grid modernization, and technological advancements. Between 2003 and 2023, annual investment by leading U.S. utilities in electricity production and delivery rose by 12 percent, driven primarily by spending on grid infrastructure. Investment in grid infrastructure aims to replace aging generation and delivery infrastructure and add new technology such as smart meters, sensors, and automated controls to the system. In 2023, investment in the transmission sector and distribution sector was over $27 billion and over $50 billion, respectively.
According to SelectUSA’s Cluster Mapping dashboard, SelectUSA’s interactive, and data-driven tool designed for investors, companies, and economic development organizations to identify industry concentrations across the United States at the state and county level, the electric power generation and transmission industry cluster employs more than 155,000 individuals. Alabama, Arizona, Hawaii, Illinois, and Texas have a high employment share and a high concentration of employees compared to the nation as a whole in the electric power generation and transmission industry cluster.
Explore the impact of foreign direct investment on U.S. jobs, exports, and innovation in the energy industry.
The Investor Guide is a high-level view of everything from taxes to immigration and workforce to business structures.
SelectUSA has created several dashboards to help analyze key FDI data from a variety of sources.
