September 9, 2026 - Wyoming remained the dominant coal-producing state in the United States in 2024, while West Virginia and Pennsylvania continued to anchor production in Appalachia, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

U.S. mines produced approximately 512 million short tons of coal across 21 coal-producing states during the year. Wyoming, West Virginia and Pennsylvania together accounted for about 61% of state-level U.S. coal production.

Wyoming ranked first with 190.7 million short tons, representing roughly 37% of the total. West Virginia followed with 79.5 million short tons, while Pennsylvania ranked third with 40.6 million.

Illinois was the nation's fourth-largest coal-producing state at 34.2 million short tons, followed by Montana at 27 million, North Dakota at 25.4 million, Kentucky at 24.3 million and Indiana at 20.1 million.

Alabama produced 14.4 million short tons, followed by Colorado at 12.4 million, Texas at 12.3 million and Virginia at 9.7 million.

Despite retaining its position as the nation's leading coal producer by a wide margin, Wyoming experienced a significant decline in 2024. Production fell 19.6% from 237.3 million short tons in 2023, a reduction of nearly 47 million short tons.

Even with the decline, Wyoming produced more coal than West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Illinois combined.

Wyoming's coal industry differs substantially from that of Appalachia. Much of the state's production comes from large-scale surface mines in the Powder River Basin. Wyoming had only 15 producing mines in 2024, compared with 164 in West Virginia, despite producing more than twice as much coal.

Production also declined in the two largest Appalachian coal-producing states. West Virginia's output decreased 5.9% from 2023, while Pennsylvania recorded a 4.8% decline.

Overall U.S. coal production fell by approximately 65 million short tons in 2024, an 11.3% decrease from the previous year. When refuse recovery is included, production declined from approximately 578 million short tons in 2023 to 513 million short tons in 2024.

The number of producing coal mines also decreased, falling from 560 in 2023 to 524 in 2024.

Several major coal-producing states posted double-digit production declines during the year, including Wyoming, Indiana, Kentucky and Texas.

Not every coal-producing state moved lower. Alabama recorded a 19.4% increase in production, while Utah output rose 7.2% and North Dakota production increased 5.5%.

Although U.S. coal production has declined as the domestic power sector has shifted toward natural gas and renewable generation, coal continues to play a major role in global energy markets. Coal remains the world's largest single source of electricity generation, supplying roughly one-third of global power.