November 17, 2017 - The Annual Coal Report (ACR) provides annual data on U.S. coal production, number of mines, productive capacity, recoverable reserves, employment, productivity, consumption, stocks, and prices. All data for 2016 and prior years are final.

Highlights for 2016

• In 2016, U.S. coal production decreased 18.8% year-over-year to 728.4 million short tons (MMst), the lowest annual production level since 1979.

• In 2016, the productive capacity of U.S. coal mines was 1,068 MMst, a decline of 8.3% from the 2015 levels.

• The average number of employees at U.S. coal mines decreased 21.5% to 51,795 employees in 2016, the lowest level on record since EIA began collecting data in 1978.

• In 2016, US coal mining productivity, as measured by average production per employee hour, increased 5.2% to 6.6 short tons per employee hour.

• U.S. coal consumption of 731.1 MMst in 2016 was 8.4% lower than the 2015 level. The electric power sector accounted for about 92.8% of the total U.S. coal consumption in 2016.

• The average sales price of bituminous coal was $48.40 per short ton in 2016, a 6.1% decrease from the 2015 level. The average sales price of subbituminous coal was $14.83 per short ton in 2016, a 1.4% increase from the 2015 level.

• Total U.S. coal stocks ended 2016 at 193.5 MMst, 19.0% lower than at the end of 2015. Electric power coal stocks were 162.5 MMst at the end of 2016, down 33.4 MMst from a year earlier.  

To read the full report, please click here (PDF).