The 8 states that produce the most crude oil in America

When it comes to powering the United States, fossil fuels still dominate. In 2023, they made up 60% of all electricity generation nationwide.

Oil production in the U.S. has a long and complicated history, from the early Pennsylvania oil wells of the 19th century to the Texas boomtowns that reshaped the 20th. Today, the industry looks quite different. Modern drilling techniques and shale exploration have transformed where and how oil is produced, vaulting certain states to the top of the rankings and making America one of the world’s leading oil producers as global emissions — and temperatures — rise.

While renewables surpassed fossil fuels in the U.S. electricity mix in March 2025, a think tank found, energy-intensive AI facilities are driving demand for new coal and gas plants.

The states that generate the most crude oil provide millions of barrels per day and supply refineries that run everything from cars to data centers.

Using data from the U.S Energy Information Administration, we’ve compiled a list of the states that produced the most crude oil in 2024. Continue reading to see which made the list.

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While it might surprise you, California produced more than 104.1 million barrels of crude oil last year, ranking eighth on the list. “California has significant crude oil reserves, and the state's petroleum refineries have nearly one-tenth of the nation's total crude oil refining capacity,” the EIA said. While the state’s annual crude oil production has dropped from its 1985 peak of 394 million barrels annually, it still remains a large producer. “Reservoirs along California's Pacific Coast, including in the Los Angeles basin, and those in the state's Central Valley contain major crude oil reserves, and the state holds about 3% of the nation's total proved crude oil reserves,” the EIA said.

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Wyoming produced more than 106.9 million barrels of crude oil last year, coming in seventh place. Its federal lands have the most oil and natural gas producing leases than any other state, and, in 2024, it reached its highest level of crude oil production in 35 years.

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While Oklahoma was once the largest crude oil-producing state in the nation, it now comes in sixth place, producing more than 144.7 million barrels of crude oil last year. “Oklahoma is in the heart of the U.S Mid-Continent oil region, a vast natural gas- and crude oil-producing area that also encompasses Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico,” the EIA said. It creates three times more energy than it consumes.

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Alaska produced more than 154 million barrels of crude oil last year, coming in fifth place. It has the nation's four largest crude oil reserves and, for many years, was the top producing state. “Alaska's oil output peaked at 2 million barrels per day in 1988 and has declined steadily since then as the state's oil fields matured,” the EIA said.

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Colorado produced more than 172.3 million barrels of crude oil last year, by way of fracking. “In 2024, Colorado produced more than five times as much crude oil than a decade earlier, primarily from the increased use of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies,” the EIA said. “The state's crude oil production in 2024 was the highest in five years.”

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North Dakota produced more than 433.9 million barrels of crude oil last year. “Oil exploration in North Dakota began in the early 20th century, but the state's first oil discovery did not occur until 1951,” the EIA said. “Production was modest until new drilling technologies—horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing—were applied more than a decade ago to exploration of the Bakken Shale formation in western North Dakota in the Williston Basin.”

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New Mexico produced more than 744.6 million barrels of crude oil last year, thanks to the oil-rich Permian Basin. “New Mexico's crude oil production has increased significantly since 2010 and nearly doubled since 2020,” the EIA said, with the help of new fracking technology. “In 2024, New Mexico's annual crude oil production reached an all-time high of just over 2 million barrels per day, nearly six times greater than it was a decade earlier.”

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Texas produced more than 2.07 billion barrels of crude oil last year, taking the top spot. Its the nation’s largest net energy supplier, comprising about a quarter of US’s domestic energy production. “Texas has led all states in crude oil production in every year but one (1988) since at least 1960,” the EIA said. “The state also accounts for more than two-fifths of the nation's crude oil proved reserves and has more than one-fourth of the nation's 100 largest oil fields as measured by reserves.”