How to Read EIA's Annual Coal Distribution Report — Where U.S. Coal Goes, by State, Mode and Sector

As of 9 November 2026, 00:34 KST (retrieved by this page at that time); latest listed on the agency page at retrieval: the Annual Coal Distribution Report 2024 of the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Report page: Release Date: November 19, 2025; full report PDF updated December 10, 2025; PDF cover: November 2025. The page shows Next Release Date: November 2026, and the 2025 report was not yet listed when retrieved. Primary source: https://www.eia.gov/coal/distribution/annual/pdf/acdr_2024.pdf^[1][2]

Comparison basis: the tables are in thousand short tons, rounded independently; the report page rounds to million short tons (MMst). 2024 data are final. The 2023 values are observed values from the 2023 report's domestic and foreign distribution table, reached through the EIA archive page; recomputing the domestic change from the two tables gives about -13.4%, against the -13.5% printed on the report page.^[1][2]

In three lines

1. EIA's annual report shows where U.S.-mined coal went in 2024, by origin state, destination state, transport mode and consuming sector, plus exports.
2. Domestic distribution was 393.9 million short tons (Table OS-27), 13.5% lower than in 2023, and exports 108.3 million.
3. Power plants received 90.5% and railroads carried 71.4% of domestic shipments; Wyoming shipped 190,673 thousand short tons (Table OS-26).^[1][2]

What is excluded. "Coal imports from Form EIA-923 are excluded as are volumes of waste coal in the electric power sector and combined-heat-and-power plants." "The Annual Coal Distribution Report excludes waste coal and small volumes of synthetic coal that may have been distributed after all synthetic coal plants were closed." So the totals cover domestic coal, not all coal consumed in the U.S.^[1]

Sectors and symbols. The electric power sector covers electric utilities, independent power producers and electric utility combined heat and power plants; industrial and commercial combined heat and power plants are counted with industrial or commercial users. "Coal distributed to industrial plants includes a small amount of coal consumed by coal preparation plants." "s = Quantity is less than 500 short tons, but value is included in any associated total." A dash means no data reported. "Total may not equal sum of components because of independent rounding."^[1]

Exports. Exports by mines come from Form EIA-7A, and exports by brokers and traders are added: "Data are a combination of estimated and observed values reported by coal traders, brokers, and terminals." In 2024, mines exported 59,703.2 thousand short tons and brokers and traders 48,623.1 thousand.^[1]

Differences from other EIA reports. "The volume of coal distributed to coke plants excludes coal imports and so is smaller than the volume of receipts at coke plants reported in the Quarterly Coal Report, which includes imports." Export volumes may also differ from the Quarterly Coal Report, which uses Census Bureau trade data: "Survey results differ because of differences in survey frame populations, survey errors, assumptions, and definitions."^[1]

Two meanings of total. "Total coal distribution was an estimated 502.2 million short tons (MMst) in 2024." "Total domestic coal distribution was an estimated 393.9 MMst in 2024." "An estimated 71.4% of total coal shipments were sent by railroad, 11.0% were sent by river, and 7.8% were sent by truck." "Electric utilities and independent power producers received about 90.5% of total coal shipments." The mode and sector shares reproduce from the domestic total of 393,914 thousand short tons (for example 281,095 / 393,914 = 71.4%; this page's calculation), so the page's total coal shipments in these sentences means domestic shipments, not the 502.2 million total including exports.^[2]

Which report is superseded. The report page says: "All data for 2024 are final, and this report supersedes the four Quarterly Coal Distribution Reports previously issued for 2024." The PDF introduction says: "The 2023 Annual Coal Distribution Report supersedes the data contained in the four Quarterly Coal Distribution Reports previously issued for 2024." The PDF names the 2023 report in a sentence about 2024 data, as printed; the page and the PDF's own cover refer to 2024.^[1][2]

Totals vs parts. The four sector columns of Table OS-27 add to 393,915 against a printed U.S. total of 393,914, and exports by mines and by brokers and traders add to 108,326.3 against 108,326.4 (this page's calculations), consistent with EIA's note on independent rounding.^[1]

Wyoming's 28 states. "Wyoming was the leading coal-origin state, accounting for about 190.7 MMst of shipments delivered to 28 states." Table OS-26 lists 28 destination states, Wyoming included (this page's count). "Texas was the leading coal-destination state, receiving about 45.7 MMst of domestic coal." Of Texas's 45,697 thousand short tons, 33,379 thousand came from Wyoming (Table DS-35).^[1][2]

Origins without tables. The domestic and foreign distribution table lists Arkansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee as origins with quantities below 500 short tons (s), but the report has no origin-state tables for them; their amounts are included in the U.S. totals under EIA's s convention.^[1]

Dates kept apart. Release Date: November 19, 2025 (report page); full report PDF updated December 10, 2025 (report page); PDF cover: November 2025. The page does not describe what changed in the December update.^[1][2]

Next release. The page says: Next Release Date: November 2026. The exact day is not given, and the 2025 report was not listed when this page retrieved the page.^[2]