U.S. Shale Gas and Federal Lands
Summary
U.S. Shale Gas and Onshore Federal Lands
The United States has been the largest producer of natural gas since the advent of shale gas development in the early 2000s. Shale gas production has mostly taken place on private lands, with the largest contribution coming from the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. Of the top five states for natural gas production and revenue generation from federal lands, only New Mexico is also among the top five producers of gas overall. Given that most of the rise in U.S. production has been on private lands, federal revenues from natural gas have not increased as rapidly as gas production on nonfederal lands.
Most shale formations are not on federal lands
Onshore federal lands
Current shale play
Prospective shale play
Includes onshore surface acres of federal land administered by federal land management agencies (Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, National Park Service) in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. This excludes Department of Defense, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lands and other lands administered by other federal agencies. Excludes Tribal lands.
62%
Shale gas production is 81% of overall U.S. gross production
Plays that overlap are at diļ¬erent geologic depths
2024 U.S. Total
Top 5 States % Total US
Top 5 States
Rest of U.S. onshore
Total Gross Natural Gas Production*1
43,564 bcf
69%
TX 12,918
PA 7,422
LA 3,609
NM 3,625
WV 3,418
Rest of US 12,580
Natural Gas Production on Federal Lands1
4,160 bcf
96%
bcf
NM 2,297
WY 973
CO 456
UT 145
ND 136
US 153
Production on Federal Lands as % of Total Gross Production, by State 10%3
WY 72%
NM 64%
UT 45%
CO 25%
MO 18%
US <1%
U.S. Federal Natural Gas Revenue1
$1.4 billion
96%
$ in millions
NM $876
WY $270
CO $72
UT $57
ND $48
US $49
Western states account for most natural gas production and revenues on federal lands. Data are from 2024, the latest year of available data for all categories. Data from these four graphs are for natural gas from all sources, including shale and non-shale.
bcf = billion cubic feet
*Gross production = Full well-stream volume, including all natural gas plant liquids and all nonhydrocarbon gases, but excluding lease condensate. Also includes amounts delivered as royalty payments or consumed in field operations.
Notes: 1. U.S. Energy Information Administration, Natural Gas Gross Withdrawals and Production, Natural Gas Gross Withdrawals (eia.gov). 2. Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR), Query Natural Resources Revenue Data (revenuedata.doi.gov). Excludes Tribal lands. 3. In 2024, production of natural gas on federal lands accounted for 10% of total U.S. gross natural gas production. Map geography created by CRS using data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Geological Survey, and ESRI. Information as of February 23, 2026. Prepared by Michael Ratner, Specialist in Energy Policy; Lexie Ryan, Analyst in Energy Policy; Mari Lee, Visual Information Specialist; and Molly Cox, Geospatial Information Systems Analyst.