Mapped: The States That Produce the Most U.S. Coal
Key Takeaways
- Wyoming produced 190.7 million short tons of coal in 2024, more than twice the output of any other state.
- Wyoming, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania together accounted for about 61% of state-level U.S. coal production.
- Despite ranking first, Wyoming’s coal output fell 19.6% from 2023, a decline of nearly 47 million short tons.
Coal remains the world’s largest source of electricity, generating roughly one-third of global power, despite rapid growth in solar and wind.
In 2024, American mines produced roughly 512 million short tons of coal across 21 coal-producing states.
This map shows where that production came from and which states remain at the center of America’s coal industry.
The data for this visualization comes from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Wyoming Remains the Coal-Producing Giant
Wyoming produced about 190.7 million short tons of coal in 2024, equal to roughly 37% of the state-level total.
| Rank | State | Coal Production (million short tons) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | 190.7 |
| 2 | West Virginia | 79.5 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | 40.6 |
| 4 | Illinois | 34.2 |
| 5 | Montana | 27.0 |
| 6 | North Dakota | 25.4 |
| 7 | Kentucky | 24.3 |
| 8 | Indiana | 20.1 |
| 9 | Alabama | 14.4 |
| 10 | Colorado | 12.4 |
| 11 | Texas | 12.3 |
| 12 | Virginia | 9.7 |
| 13 | Utah | 7.4 |
| 14 | New Mexico | 7.2 |
| 15 | Mississippi | 2.0 |
| 16 | Ohio | 1.8 |
| 17 | Maryland | 1.3 |
| 18 | Alaska | 1.0 |
| 19 | Louisiana | 0.3 |
| 20 | Missouri | 0.1 |
| — | Oklahoma | N/A |
Nearly all of this output comes from large surface mines, including operations in the Powder River Basin.
Wyoming also experienced one of the largest annual declines, with production falling 19.6% from 237.3 million short tons in 2023.
Even after that decline, Wyoming produced more coal than West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Illinois combined.
Appalachia Still Plays a Major Role
West Virginia ranked second nationally with 79.5 million short tons of production, while Pennsylvania ranked third at 40.6 million.
Appalachian coal mining looks very different from Wyoming’s industry. West Virginia had 164 producing mines in 2024 compared with just 15 in Wyoming, even though Wyoming produced more than twice as much coal.
The contrast reflects differences in geology and mining methods, including Wyoming’s large surface-mining operations.
Production fell in both states compared with 2023. West Virginia declined by 5.9%, while Pennsylvania fell by 4.8%.
Coal Output Is Falling Across Much of the Country
U.S. coal production fell by roughly 65 million short tons in 2024, an 11.3% decline from the previous year. Production dropped from about 578 million short tons to 513 million short tons when refuse recovery is included, while the number of producing mines fell from 560 to 524.
Several major coal-producing states posted double-digit declines, including Wyoming, Indiana, Kentucky, and Texas.
However, the trend was not universal. Alabama increased coal output by 19.4%, while Utah rose 7.2% and North Dakota increased 5.5%.
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