U.S. Coal Production & Federal Lands

Summary

U.S. Coal Production & Federal Lands

Almost half of coal production in the United States today occurs on federal lands. The Western coal region contains some of the top coal-producing states in the country. In 2024, coal generated$446.3 million in federal revenue, and oil and gas generated over 30 times that amount. Federal revenues are partly derived from royalties, the rates of which have recently changed.

Map

Federal estate

Coal-producing areas as designated by EIA

Dotted lines roughly indicate region boundaries.

Onshore surface acres administered by the Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and National Park Service. Excludes lands administered by other federal agencies.

Hawaii does not produce coal.

2024 Total U.S. Coal Production

Production on Nonfederal Lands

Production on Federal Lands

Federal Revenue from Coal

2004-2024

Coal production on federal lands and Federal revenue from coal

Federal Revenue from Oil and Gas

Data exclude "refuse recovery" and production and revenues from Native American lands. Numbers may not sum due to rounding. While production is the most significant driver of revenues, payments on new and nonproducing leases, fees, and more also contribute to revenues. Revenues may vary across states depending on these factors, different royalty rates, and more. † Revenues may come from nonproducing leases or reflect past production.

Sources: Federal production and revenues from the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR). Total production from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Nonfederal production is the difference between ONRR and EIA production values. Map geography based on data from EIA, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and ESRI.

Information as of March 4, 2026. Prepared by Lexie Ryan, Analyst in Energy Policy; Molly Cox, Geospatial Information Systems Analyst; and Amber Wilhelm, Visual Information Specialist.