Sources of coal production in the United States
The coalbed thickness of just over half of coal produced in the U.S. was over 120 inches (300cm), and much of this can be reached with surface mining. This explains why coal has been a reliable energy source, even before the development of advanced mining techniques. The most famous (and numerous) coal mines are in West Virginia, but Wyoming is by far the leading U.S. state in coal production. Until 2017, Pennsylvania was the state with the highest number of coal mines. Since 2018, however, West Virginia has had the most active coal mines, with 135 as of 2021. Overall, the number of active coal mines is has been declining since 2000.The U.S. coal industry has been decreasing in profitability gradually over the years. The leading company, Peabody Energy, had a slight increase in revenue in 2017 and 2018, as did Arch Coal. Both companies had record low revenue in 2020, but as of 2021 were back on track.
Profile of a U.S. coal miner
Coal mining employees in the U.S. are overwhelmingly men without a university degree. In spite of the lack of post-secondary education, they earn an average salary of 93,759 U.S. dollars per year. However, following production trends, there are fewer coal-mining jobs, particularly in the Appalachian region. As of 2021, the total number of U.S. coal mining jobs amounted to 39,429. That was a significant decrease compared to a decade earlier, when there were 91,482 U.S. coal miners. The highest number of U.S. coal mining jobs as of 2021 were in West Virginia, with 11,511. As a result of fewer surface mines, tens of thousands of acres are reclaimed from coal mining each year.
