Coal production on the decline: What this means for the industry

by tanya_martins | April 25, 2025 3:18 pm

U.S. production of all types of coal has declined over the past two decades. *Photo courtesy U.S. Energy Information Administration, Annual Coal Report*

U.S. production of all types of coal has declined over the past two decades. In 2023, the United States produced 578 million short tons (MMst) of coal or less than half of the amount produced in 2008.

When ranked by carbon content, anthracite is the highest-ranking coal, followed by bituminous, sub-bituminous, and lignite coal.

Coal producers mine and sell the four ranks of coal mined in the U.S. primarily as thermal coal, which power plant operators burn to produce steam for electricity generation. Bituminous coal also has metallurgical characteristics, making it a critical raw material for blast furnace steelmaking.

Coal producers sell lignite almost exclusively to power-generating plants near mines. This proximity is a key economic factor given the low heat content of lignite coal.

Rising mining costs, increasingly stringent environmental regulations, and competition from other sources of electric power generation have contributed to declines in domestic coal production.

The Annual Coal Report[2] further details U.S. coal production, mining productivity, reserves, prices, and other series.

Endnotes:

[Image]: https://www.constructionspecifier.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/TM_USCoalProduction-1-scaled.jpg
Annual Coal Report: https://www.eia.gov/coal/annual/

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