U.S. transportation sector petroleum use declined from 14 million barrels per day in 2019 to 12 mmbd in 2020 due to decreases in freight and passenger travel during the pandemic.
August 2, 2021
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U.S. transportation sector petroleum use declined from 14 million barrels per day (mmbd) in 2019 to 12 mmbd in 2020 due to decreases in freight and passenger travel during the pandemic. The last time U.S. transportation petroleum use was 12 mmbd was in 1996. Despite the decline, transportation continued to be the largest petroleum-using sector. The industrial sector has used less than 5.5 mmbd of petroleum each year since 1950, and the residential, commercial, and electric utilities sectors each used less than 1 mmbd every year since 1981.
Source: Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review, May 2021, Tables 3.7a, 3.7b, and 3.7c.