By far, the U.S. Gulf Coast-Oil Patch Region dominates current natural gas production, producing 53% of the 2023 national total. Overall, the region’s annualized 20-year production growth has been 4.2%. Each state, to varying degrees, has been a beneficiary of the shale revolution, with Louisiana leading the region with annual growth of 6.2% (Figure 1).
The Appalachian Region has grown the fastest, at a yearly rate of 18.5%; in the process, Pennsylvania has become the second largest natural gas producing state at 20.9 BCF/d, following Texas’ 31.6 BCF/d production (Figure 2).
While significant in total at 11.5 BCF/d in 2023 production, the Rocky Mountain-Plains Region’s production and growth profile is mixed: North Dakota has grown the fastest at an annualized rate of 16.4% during the last 20 years, while Wyoming has been declining yearly at 2.2%. At 5 BCF/d, Colorado is the dominant regional producer (Figure 3).
From the EPRINC Chart of the Week archive.