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U.S. field production of petroleum was over 12.5 million barrels per day (mmbd) for the first time in 2015, and declined to 12.3 mmbd in 2016. Before this, U.S. production reached a high of 11.3 mmbd in 1970. There had been a general trend of declining petroleum production from 1985 to 2008, but from 2008 to 2015 production increased each year, amounting to an overall 88% increase in that seven-year time frame. As noted in Fact #964, transportation fuels (gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel) make up three-quarters of the refined petroleum production in the United States.
U.S. Petroleum Production, 1949-2016
Note: Field production of petroleum includes crude oil production on leases, and natural gas liquids (liquefied petroleum gases, pentanes plus, and a small amount of finished petroleum products) production at natural gas processing plants.
Supporting Information
| Year | Total Petroleum Field Production (Million Barrels per Day) |
|---|---|
| 1949 | 5.48 |
| 1950 | 5.91 |
| 1951 | 6.72 |
| 1952 | 6.87 |
| 1953 | 7.11 |
| 1954 | 7.03 |
| 1955 | 7.58 |
| 1956 | 7.95 |
| 1957 | 7.98 |
| 1958 | 7.52 |
| 1959 | 7.93 |
| 1960 | 7.96 |
| 1961 | 8.17 |
| 1962 | 8.35 |
| 1963 | 8.64 |
| 1964 | 8.77 |
| 1965 | 9.01 |
| 1966 | 9.58 |
| 1967 | 10.22 |
| 1968 | 10.60 |
| 1969 | 10.83 |
| 1970 | 11.30 |
| 1971 | 11.16 |
| 1972 | 11.18 |
| 1973 | 10.95 |
| 1974 | 10.46 |
| 1975 | 10.01 |
| 1976 | 9.74 |
| 1977 | 9.86 |
| 1978 | 10.27 |
| 1979 | 10.14 |
| 1980 | 10.17 |
| 1981 | 10.18 |
| 1982 | 10.20 |
| 1983 | 10.25 |
| 1984 | 10.51 |
| 1985 | 10.58 |
| 1986 | 10.23 |
| 1987 | 9.94 |
| 1988 | 9.76 |
| 1989 | 9.16 |
| 1990 | 8.91 |
| 1991 | 9.08 |
| 1992 | 8.87 |
| 1993 | 8.58 |
| 1994 | 8.39 |
| 1995 | 8.32 |
| 1996 | 8.29 |
| 1997 | 8.27 |
| 1998 | 8.01 |
| 1999 | 7.73 |
| 2000 | 7.73 |
| 2001 | 7.67 |
| 2002 | 7.62 |
| 2003 | 7.37 |
| 2004 | 7.25 |
| 2005 | 6.90 |
| 2006 | 6.82 |
| 2007 | 6.86 |
| 2008 | 6.78 |
| 2009 | 7.26 |
| 2010 | 7.55 |
| 2011 | 7.86 |
| 2012 | 8.89 |
| 2013 | 10.07 |
| 2014 | 11.78 |
| 2015 | 12.76 |
| 2016 | 12.35 |
Source: Energy Information Administration, January 2017 Monthly Energy Review, Table 3.1. | |