How has energy use changed throughout U.S. history? ›

In 2023, 94 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) was consumed in the United States, a 1% decrease from 2022, according to our Monthly Energy Review. Fossil fuels—petroleum, natural gas, and coal—accounted for nearly 83% of total U.S. energy consumption in 2023. Nonfossil fuel energy—from renewable sources and from nuclear—accounted for the other 17%. In 2023, petroleum remained the most-consumed fuel in the United States, as it has been for the past 73 years, and renewables exceeded coal for the first time in about 140 years. More ›

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review. Pre-1949 data based on Energy in the American Economy, 1850–1975: Its History and Prospects and U.S. Department of Agriculture Circular No. 641, Fuel Wood Used in the United States 1630–1930