Electricity sales revenue in the U.S. 1970-2021

In 2021, retail sales of electricity in the United States generated a revenue of 424.3 billion U.S. dollars, a year-over-year increase of nearly eight percent. In comparison to the beginning of the century, the sector's revenue increased by roughly 82 percent.

Electricity demand in the U.S.

Annual retail electricity sales in the U.S. have increased by more than 80 percent in the past forty years, recently reaching around 3.8 petawatt-hours. In 2020, following lockdown measures imposed amidst the coronavirus pandemic, electricity sales in the country registered the lowest figure in almost a decade. That year, the industrial sector's electricity demand dropped by around four percent. In contrast, sales to residential consumers increased when compared to 2019.

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 90 percent of electricity capacity additions in the U.S. in 2021.