Key Takeaways<\/p>\n
America has had three dominant energy eras: wood in the 1700s, coal by the late 1800s, and petroleum since 1950.
\nPetroleum and natural gas together supplied more than 73% of U.S. primary energy consumption in 2025.
\nWhile renewables continue to grow, fossil fuels still provided over four-fifths of total U.S. energy use in 2025.<\/p>\n
Over the last 250 years, America\u2019s energy system has expanded nearly 400-fold.<\/p>\n
Along the way, the country\u2019s dominant energy source shifted from wood to coal and then to petroleum, while natural gas rose to nearly match oil in recent years.<\/p>\n
This visualization shows U.S. primary energy consumption by source from 1775 to 2025 using data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration<\/a>. Consumption is measured in quadrillion British thermal units (Btu), or quads, a standard unit for comparing the energy content of different fuels.<\/p>\n From Wood and Coal to Oil and Gas<\/p>\n In 1775, America consumed just 0.25 quads of energy, all of it from wood.<\/p>\n As the country industrialized, coal use accelerated. By 1925, coal consumption had reached 14.7 quads, almost 10 times the amount supplied by wood that year.<\/p>\n The table below shows U.S. primary energy consumption by source at 50-year intervals, measured in quads:<\/p>\n \tEnergy TypeU.S. Energy Consumption by Year (Quadrillion BTUs)<\/p>\n \t177518251875192519752025<\/p>\n \tWood0.250.962.871.531.501.91<\/p>\n \tCoal001.4414.7112.668.71<\/p>\n \tPetroleum000.014.2832.7035.90<\/p>\n \tNatural Gas0001.1919.9534.63<\/p>\n \tNuclear Energy00001.908.20<\/p>\n \tRenewables (excl. Wood)0000.091.056.87<\/p>\n \tTotal Primary Energy Consumption0.250.964.3221.8069.7996.25<\/p>\n Petroleum overtook coal in 1950 as growing automobile use, aviation, and postwar economic expansion increased demand for liquid fuels. <\/p>\n Suburban growth and the later expansion of the interstate highway system reinforced this trend. Oil has remained America\u2019s largest energy source<\/a> ever since, although natural gas has nearly caught up in recent years.<\/p>\n Renewables Gain Share as Fossil Fuels Remain Dominant<\/p>\n In 2025, petroleum remained the largest source at 35.90 quads, closely followed by natural gas at a record 34.63 quads. Coal supplied another 8.71 quads. Together, the three fossil fuels accounted for 82.3% of U.S. primary energy consumption.<\/p>\n The table below shows the share of each energy source in U.S. primary energy consumption at 50-year intervals from 1775 to 2025.<\/p>\n \tEnergy SourceU.S. Energy Consumption by Year (% Share)<\/p>\n \t177518251875192519752025<\/p>\n \tWood100.0100.066.47.02.12.0<\/p>\n \tCoal0.00.033.367.518.19.0<\/p>\n \tPetroleum0.00.00.319.646.937.3<\/p>\n \tNatural Gas0.00.00.05.528.636.0<\/p>\n \tNuclear Energy0.00.00.00.02.78.5<\/p>\n \tRenewables (Excl. Wood)0.00.00.00.41.57.1<\/p>\n Renewables excluding wood climbed to a record 6.87 quads in 2025, more than double their 2007 level of 2.51 quads. Their share of total consumption rose from 1.5% in 1975 to 7.1% in 2025.<\/p>\n Including wood, renewables supplied 8.79 quads, or 9.1% of the national total. That was slightly more than the amount supplied by either coal or nuclear energy individually.<\/p>\n
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