How America’s Energy Sources Changed Over 250 Years
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Key Takeaways
America has had three dominant energy eras: wood in the 1700s, coal by the late 1800s, and petroleum since 1950.
Petroleum and natural gas together supplied more than 73% of U.S. primary energy consumption in 2025.
While renewables continue to grow, fossil fuels still provided over four-fifths of total U.S. energy use in 2025.
Over the last 250 years, America’s energy system has expanded nearly 400-fold.
Along the way, the country’s dominant energy source shifted from wood to coal and then to petroleum, while natural gas rose to nearly match oil in recent years.
This visualization shows U.S. primary energy consumption by source from 1775 to 2025 using data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Consumption is measured in quadrillion British thermal units (Btu), or quads, a standard unit for comparing the energy content of different fuels.
From Wood and Coal to Oil and Gas
In 1775, America consumed just 0.25 quads of energy, all of it from wood.
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.
The table below shows U.S. primary energy consumption by source at 50-year intervals, measured in quads:
Energy TypeU.S. Energy Consumption by Year (Quadrillion BTUs)
177518251875192519752025
Wood0.250.962.871.531.501.91
Coal001.4414.7112.668.71
Petroleum000.014.2832.7035.90
Natural Gas0001.1919.9534.63
Nuclear Energy00001.908.20
Renewables (excl. Wood)0000.091.056.87
Total Primary Energy Consumption0.250.964.3221.8069.7996.25
Petroleum overtook coal in 1950 as growing automobile use, aviation, and postwar economic expansion increased demand for liquid fuels.
Suburban growth and the later expansion of the interstate highway system reinforced this trend. Oil has remained America’s largest energy source ever since, although natural gas has nearly caught up in recent years.
Renewables Gain Share as Fossil Fuels Remain Dominant
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.
The table below shows the share of each energy source in U.S. primary energy consumption at 50-year intervals from 1775 to 2025.
Energy SourceU.S. Energy Consumption by Year (% Share)
177518251875192519752025
Wood100.0100.066.47.02.12.0
Coal0.00.033.367.518.19.0
Petroleum0.00.00.319.646.937.3
Natural Gas0.00.00.05.528.636.0
Nuclear Energy0.00.00.00.02.78.5
Renewables (Excl. Wood)0.00.00.00.41.57.1
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.
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.
Although renewable energy has expanded rapidly over the past two decades, the chart shows how slowly national energy systems change. Even after significant growth in wind and solar, petroleum and natural gas remain the foundation of U.S. energy consumption. This illustrates how new energy sources often complement established sources before replacing them.
All Source Data
Data for all years from 1775 to 2025 is available below:
YearWood (Quadrillion Btu)Coal (Quadrillion Btu)Petroleum (Quadrillion Btu)Natural Gas (Quadrillion Btu)Nuclear Energy (Quadrillion Btu)Renewables Excluding Wood (Quadrillion Btu)Total Primary Energy Consumption (Quadrillion Btu)
17750.249000000.249
17850.31000000.31
17950.402000000.402
18050.537000000.537
18150.714000000.714
18250.96000000.96
18351.305000001.305
18451.757000001.757
18502.1380.21900002.357
18552.3890.42100002.81
18602.6410.5180.0030003.162
18652.7670.6320.010003.409
18702.8931.0480.0110003.952
18752.8721.440.0110004.323
18802.8512.0540.0960005.001
18852.6832.840.040.082005.645
18902.5154.0620.1560.25700.0016.991
18952.3064.950.1680.14700.0037.574
19002.0156.8410.2290.25200.019.347
19051.84310.0010.610.37200.01712.843
19101.76512.7141.0070.5400.02916.055
19151.68813.2941.4180.67300.04517.12
19201.6115.5042.6760.81300.06420.67
19251.53314.7064.281.19100.08721.801
19301.45513.6395.8971.93200.12223.05
19351.39710.6345.6751.91900.14619.776
19401.35812.5357.762.66500.17124.496
19451.26115.97210.113.87100.28931.512
19501.56212.34713.2985.96800.34433.527
19511.53512.55314.4087.04900.35635.886
19521.47411.30614.9347.5500.37435.635
19531.41911.37315.5327.90700.37436.602
19541.3949.71515.8138.3300.38135.635
19551.42411.16717.2258.99800.39739.215
19561.41611.3517.9059.61400.42740.714
19571.33410.82117.89810.19100.45540.693
19581.3239.53318.49110.6630.0020.4940.507
19591.3539.51819.2811.7170.0020.48242.356
19601.329.83819.87412.3850.0060.5143.942
19611.2959.62320.16912.9260.020.53144.564
19621.39.90620.99813.7310.0260.58746.545
19631.32310.41321.64514.4030.0380.57748.393
19641.33710.96422.24215.2880.040.61650.483
19651.33511.58123.18415.7690.0430.67352.565
19661.36912.14324.33516.9950.0640.67655.562
19671.3411.91425.27417.9450.0880.76957.313
19681.41912.33126.96619.210.1420.77260.82
19691.4412.38228.32120.6780.1540.86763.809
19701.42912.26529.49921.7950.2390.8666.036
19711.4311.59830.53922.4690.4130.92467.352
19721.50112.07732.91922.6980.5840.94870.728
19731.52712.97134.80622.5120.910.94973.717
19741.53812.66333.42121.7321.2721.04871.773
19751.49712.66332.69919.9481.91.04769.788
19761.71113.58435.14220.3452.1110.99373.917
19771.83713.92237.08319.9312.7020.77776.324
19782.03613.76637.919203.0240.97977.916
19792.1515.0437.07520.6662.7760.98178.82
19802.47415.42334.15920.2352.7390.97276.038
19812.49615.90831.88419.7473.0081.0274.159
19822.5115.32230.17918.3563.1311.23670.812
19832.68415.89429.99717.2213.2031.38570.489
19842.68617.07130.99218.3943.5531.41874.237
19852.68717.47830.86617.7034.0761.33174.268
19862.56217.2632.1516.5914.381.40874.458
19872.46318.00832.81717.644.7541.31177.161
19882.57718.84634.17318.4485.5871.24681.025
19892.6819.0734.16419.6025.6021.52782.711
19902.21619.17333.519.6036.1041.64782.256
19912.21418.99232.78920.0336.4221.68782.214
19922.31319.12233.46820.7146.4791.61883.836
19932.2619.83533.58821.2296.411.74785.191
19942.32419.90934.45321.7286.6941.73387.053
19952.3720.08934.34122.6717.0751.92788.668
19962.43721.00235.58923.0857.0872.04491.404
19972.37121.44536.06523.2236.5972.09291.956
19982.18421.65636.7222.837.0681.98992.602
19992.21421.62337.73222.9097.611.98794.232
20002.26222.5838.15223.8247.8621.83496.694
20012.00621.91438.08422.7738.0291.50694.416
20021.99521.90438.11723.518.1451.77195.575
20032.00222.32138.70722.8317.961.91495.806
20042.12122.46640.13922.9238.2231.98498.033
20052.13722.79740.21722.5658.1612.09698.101
20062.09922.44739.73122.2398.2152.38197.235
20072.08922.74939.36823.6638.4592.50698.965
20082.05922.38736.76923.8438.4263.00996.647
20091.93519.69134.77923.4168.3553.35891.626
20102.21720.83435.32124.5758.4343.67995.142
20112.21319.65834.63924.9558.2694.09593.966
20122.15117.37833.83326.0898.0623.99991.677
20132.33818.03934.39826.8058.2444.24994.253
20142.39817.99834.65827.3838.3384.39895.332
20152.30515.54935.36828.1918.3374.51894.478
20162.21714.22635.71228.48.4274.89394.083
20172.17613.83736.04328.0498.4195.19993.886
20182.25313.25236.89231.1638.4385.27397.396
20192.22911.31636.86632.2648.4525.35796.595
20201.969.18132.33131.6698.2515.3388.871
20211.99210.54935.24331.7118.1315.65393.364
20222.1359.88835.31933.3798.0616.07894.945
20231.9698.17135.44833.6768.0996.32493.719
20241.927.91235.5934.1798.1656.77994.556
20251.9128.7135.89934.6328.1956.87396.247
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