Electricity sales revenue in the U.S. 1970-2024

In 2024, retail sales of electricity in the United States generated a revenue of 514.8 billion U.S. dollars. In comparison to the beginning of the century, the sector's revenue has more than doubled. 

Electricity demand in the U.S.

Annual retail electricity sales in the U.S. have increased by almost 90 percent in the past forty years, reaching around 3.9 petawatt-hours in 2023. The industrial sector's electricity demand decreased that same year, the first time it had done so since 2020.

How is electricity generated in the U.S.?

Fossil fuels are vital resources in the United States' electricity mix. For many decades, coal was the largest source of electricity in the North American country, accounting for more than two petawatt-hours generated in 2005. Since then, however, the contribution of coal has continually decreased, losing its leading position to natural gas. In the last decade, the participation of renewable sources has also increased, surpassing that of coal for the first time in 2020. In addition, renewable sources accounted for over 90 percent of electricity capacity additions in the U.S. in 2024.