Electricity generation from coal in United States
United States: Electricity generation from coal was 737.15 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
737.15 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 13.0%
World rank
3rd
of 211 countries
All-time high
2,038 terawatt-hours
in 1999
All-time low
652.16 terawatt-hours
in 2024
Years of data
41
1985–2025
Electricity generation from coal in United States, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2025, electricity generation from coal in United States stood at 737.15 terawatt-hours.
The figure is up 13.0% on the previous year and down 45.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from coal in United States peaked at 2,038 terawatt-hours in 1999 and was at its lowest, 652.16 terawatt-hours, in 2024.
United States ranks 3rd of 211 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.
Electricity generation from coal in United States, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1,508 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1986 | 1,490 terawatt-hours | -1.2% |
| 1987 | 1,574 terawatt-hours | +5.6% |
| 1988 | 1,657 terawatt-hours | +5.3% |
| 1989 | 1,711 terawatt-hours | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 1,725 terawatt-hours | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 1,723 terawatt-hours | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 1,758 terawatt-hours | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 1,831 terawatt-hours | +4.2% |
| 1994 | 1,832 terawatt-hours | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 1,853 terawatt-hours | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 1,946 terawatt-hours | +5.0% |
| 1997 | 1,998 terawatt-hours | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 2,029 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 2,038 terawatt-hours | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 1,966 terawatt-hours | -3.5% |
| 2001 | 1,904 terawatt-hours | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 1,933 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 1,974 terawatt-hours | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 1,978 terawatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 2,013 terawatt-hours | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 1,991 terawatt-hours | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 2,016 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 1,986 terawatt-hours | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 1,756 terawatt-hours | -11.6% |
| 2010 | 1,847 terawatt-hours | +5.2% |
| 2011 | 1,733 terawatt-hours | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 1,514 terawatt-hours | -12.7% |
| 2013 | 1,581 terawatt-hours | +4.4% |
| 2014 | 1,582 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1,352 terawatt-hours | -14.5% |
| 2016 | 1,239 terawatt-hours | -8.4% |
| 2017 | 1,206 terawatt-hours | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 1,149 terawatt-hours | -4.7% |
| 2019 | 964.96 terawatt-hours | -16.1% |
| 2020 | 773.39 terawatt-hours | -19.9% |
| 2021 | 898 terawatt-hours | +16.1% |
| 2022 | 831.51 terawatt-hours | -7.4% |
| 2023 | 675.11 terawatt-hours | -18.8% |
| 2024 | 652.16 terawatt-hours | -3.4% |
| 2025 | 737.15 terawatt-hours | +13.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1,588 terawatt-hours | 1,490 terawatt-hours | 1,711 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1990s | 1,873 terawatt-hours | 1,723 terawatt-hours | 2,038 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,952 terawatt-hours | 1,756 terawatt-hours | 2,016 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,417 terawatt-hours | 964.96 terawatt-hours | 1,847 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 761.22 terawatt-hours | 652.16 terawatt-hours | 898 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More energy & mining data for United States
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 1.94 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 7.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from coal in United States?
- Electricity generation from coal in United States was 737.15 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity generation from coal recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 2,038 terawatt-hours in 1999.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from coal recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 652.16 terawatt-hours in 2024.
- How does United States rank for electricity generation from coal?
- United States ranks 3rd out of 211 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from coal rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity generation from coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.