Natural gas and renewable energy consumption reached record levels in the U.S. in 2024, while overall energy use increased modestly, according to the latest U.S. energy flow chart released by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).
Americans consumed 94.6 quadrillion British thermal units, or quads, of energy in 2024, approximately 1% more than in 2023. Natural gas consumption increased approximately 1.8% to a record 34.3 quads, while renewable energy consumption increased 5% to a record 8.7 quads. Nuclear energy remained essentially unchanged at 8.2 quads. Coal consumption declined approximately 3.7% to 7.9 quads, the lowest level in the U.S. Energy Information Administration's historical series.
"The 2024 flow chart shows an energy system that continues to evolve, even as overall U.S. energy use changes only modestly," said Hannah Goldstein, co-principal investigator of the LLNL flow chart initiative. "Natural gas and renewable energy both reached record levels, while coal continued to decline. The chart gives us a way to see those changes and understand how the different parts of the energy system fit together."
LLNL produces the annual energy flow charts to illustrate where energy comes from, how it moves through the nation's energy system and how it is ultimately used. The single-page diagrams, also known as Sankey diagrams, bring together large amounts of data in a visual format that allows users to see relationships among energy sources, electricity generation and end-use sectors. LLNL has produced U.S. national energy flow charts since the mid-1970s.
Natural gas remained one of the largest sources of energy in the U.S. in 2024, accounting for approximately 36% of total U.S. energy consumption. Its use reached an all-time high, driven in part by increased use of natural gas for electricity generation.
Petroleum remained the largest source of energy consumption at approximately 34.3 quads, or about 38% of the national total.
Renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and biomass combined) was the third-largest source at 8.7 quads. Growth was led by biofuels, wind and solar energy. Solar remained one of the fastest-growing individual energy sources, while wind energy also increased. Biomass consumption rose modestly. Hydroelectric and geothermal energy declined from 2023 levels.
Coal consumption fell approximately 3.7% in 2024 to 7.9 quads, its lowest level in the federal historical series dating to 1949.
State trends tell their own stories
In addition to the national energy flow chart, LLNL produces individual energy flow charts for all 50 states, providing a closer look at how energy resources, electricity generation and end-use patterns vary across the country. The full state collection has now been updated with 2024 data, allowing users to compare the structure of each state's energy system and how it changed from 2023 to 2024.
Those state-level charts show that national trends can play out very differently from one part of the country to another. For example,
- Texas experienced the largest increase in total energy consumption from 2023 to 2024, driven primarily by a 5.5% increase in industrial energy use. The state recorded the largest increases in several major energy sources, including solar, natural gas and petroleum.
- Georgia recorded the largest increase in nuclear energy consumption, driven by the expansion of Plant Vogtle, where Unit 3 entered commercial service in mid-2023 and Unit 4 began commercial operation in April 2024.
- California recorded the largest decline in natural gas consumption among states, falling by approximately 144 trillion British thermal units (Btu) from 2023 to 2024. The state showed the largest increase in renewable energy and biomass energy consumption. The shift reflects several changes in California's energy mix, including growing solar and wind generation and increased use of battery storage.
- Wyoming experienced the largest gross decline in coal consumption, down 69 trillion Btu (19%), predominantly driven by the conversion of two large coal power plants to natural gas in 2024.
- South Dakota, which had nearly no solar energy generation in 2023, increased its solar energy generation by approximately 6 times due to the addition of two large utility-scale solar farms, Fall River and Wild Springs, that became operational in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
"One of the most interesting things about the 2024 data is how different the trends can look from one state to another," said Ziad Ammar, LLNL flow chart initiative engineer. "Texas, California, Georgia, Wyoming and South Dakota each show very different changes in their energy profiles, reflecting differences in resources, electricity generation, industrial activity and patterns of energy use."
The state flow charts provide a detailed view of these changes for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Making complex data easier to understand
The 2024 chart is the latest addition to LLNL's long-running series of U.S. energy flow charts.
"The value of the energy flow charts is that they bring a complex, interconnected energy system into a single, consistent framework," said Kimberley Mayfield, co-principal investigator of the LLNL flow chart initiative. "By integrating data across energy sources, electricity generation and end uses, the charts give researchers, policymakers and the public a rigorous, accessible way to see where the biggest changes are occurring and track how the U.S. energy system is evolving over time."
The 2024 U.S. national and state charts were produced using data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) State Energy Data System (SEDS). EIA released its complete 1960-2024 SEDS dataset on June 26, 2026, providing the comprehensive federal data needed to produce the new state-level charts.
To view the 2024 U.S. Energy Flow Chart and explore the complete state-by-state collection, visit https://flowcharts.llnl.gov/.
To learn more about the flowcharts, listen to the Big Ideas Lab podcast, available on Apple and Spotify.
