Environmental advocates often exhort Americans to conserve energy in their homes by turning off lights, using energy-efficient cooling and heating systems, and buying green power. But data from the Department of Energy shows that much larger energy savings could come from industry and transportation. These two sectors are the primary drivers of energy consumption in the United States, and can create disproportionately high rates of energy usage and, by association, pollution levels in even low-population states and regions.
[See a slide show of the 10 states with the highest energy usage.]
According to data from the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration, residential energy usage makes up just 21.7 percent of all U.S. energy consumption. Commercial usage is slightly lower, at 18.5 percent, but industry and transportation together use the lion's share of energy in the United States, accounting for 31.5 percent and 28.2 percent of all BTUs, respectively.
Residential energy usage tends to correlate to state population. The 10 states that have the highest population also have the highest residential energy use. Likewise, the 10 states that use the least residential energy are also the 10 least populous U.S. states (according to 2008 data). However, energy usage in transportation and industry can alter where a state falls in terms of per capita energy usage.
This helps to explain why states with small populations, like Wyoming and Alaska, have high per capita energy usage rates, while high-population states like New York, California, and Florida, have low per capita energy usage.
[See a slide show of the 10 states with the lowest energy consumption.]
Texas stands out as the biggest energy consumer in the country, with 11,552 trillion BTUs used in 2008, over 3,000 trillion more than California, the next-largest consumer. The Lone Star State is the largest residential energy consumer, at over 1,600 trillion BTUs per year, and also dwarfs all other states in terms of industrial energy consumption.
According to the latest figures from the Department of Energy, these are the 10 states that use the most energy per capita.
| State | BTU Usage (2008, in billions) | Population (2008 est.) | BTU Usage Per Capita (billions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Wyoming | 541,600 | 532,668 | 1.017 |
| 2. Alaska | 650,800 | 686,293 | 0.948 |
| 3. Louisiana | 3,487,500 | 4,410,796 | 0.791 |
| 4. North Dakota | 440,900 | 641,481 | 0.687 |
| 5. Texas | 11,552,200 | 24,326,974 | 0.475 |
| 6. Iowa | 1,414,400 | 3,002,555 | 0.471 |
| 7. Kentucky | 1,982,800 | 4,269,245 | 0.464 |
| 8. West Virginia | 830,800 | 1,814,468 | 0.458 |
| 9. Montana | 434,300 | 967,440 | 0.449 |
| 10. Indiana | 2,857,400 | 6,376,792 | 0.448 |
By the same data, these are the 10 states that use the least energy per capita.
| State | BTU Usage (2008, in billions) | Population (2008 est.) | BTU Usage Per Capita (billions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. New York | 3,988,100 | 19,490,297 | 0.205 |
| 2. Rhode Island | 220,100 | 1,050,788 | 0.209 |
| 3. Hawaii | 283,800 | 1,288,198 | 0.22 |
| 4. Massachusetts | 1,475,000 | 6,497,967 | 0.227 |
| 5. California | 8,381,500 | 36,756,666 | 0.228 |
| 6. Connecticut | 809,900 | 3,501,252 | 0.231 |
| 7. New Hampshire | 311,300 | 1,315,809 | 0.237 |
| 8. Arizona | 1,552,800 | 6,500,180 | 0.239 |
| 9. Florida | 4,447,400 | 18,328,340 | 0.243 |
| 10. Vermont | 154,400 | 621,270 | 0.249 |
Sources: U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey
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