The Top Natural Gas-Producing States In America
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), America withdrew a record 47.73 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas in 2025, up by seven trillion cubic feet from only five years earlier. Texas consistently leads the nation by a wide margin, with its 13.60 Tcf of gross withdrawals in 2025 accounting for nearly 30 percent of the US total. Pennsylvania ranked second in 2025 at 7.68 Tcf, followed by New Mexico and Louisiana.
Together, those four states accounted for more than 60 percent of all US gross natural gas withdrawals in 2025. In fact, the top 15 states listed below annually account for roughly 97 percent of the national total.
15. California
California recorded 113.2 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of gross natural gas withdrawals in 2025, equal to 0.2 percent of the US total.
Although California is better known for its oil production, natural gas has long been produced alongside petroleum in several parts of the state. Production has declined considerably over the past several decades, with the state's 2025 gross withdrawals less than one-third of its 2000 level.
California also has offshore production, although that component is relatively small compared with its onshore output.
14. Kansas
Kansas accounted for 0.3 percent of US production with 122.3 Bcf of gross natural gas withdrawals in 2025. Much of the state's gas comes from western and southwestern Kansas, particularly the enormous Hugoton Gas Area, which extends across parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, and the Texas Panhandle.
The Hugoton field was one of the most important natural gas discoveries in the United States during the early development of the nation's gas industry in the 1920s and 30s. Although Kansas remains an important natural gas producer, its output is far below historical peaks.
13. Arkansas
Arkansas withdrew 323.3 Bcf of natural gas in 2025, giving it 0.7 percent of the national total. Production is concentrated primarily in the north-central part of the state, where the Fayetteville Shale became an important natural gas-producing formation starting around 2004, following the expansion of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing.
The Fayetteville extends across much of northern Arkansas and into southern Missouri. Arkansas production has declined substantially from its peak during the shale-gas boom of the early 2010s, however. The state's 2025 gross withdrawals were about two-thirds of the amount recorded in 2020.
12. Utah
Springdale, Utah, gateway to the Zion National Park. Image credit: f11photo / Shutterstock.com
Like Arkansas, Utah produced about 0.7 percent of the US natural gas total in 2025, withdrawing approximately 338.7 Bcf. Most of the state's production comes from the Uinta Basin in northeastern Utah, one of the major oil and natural gas producing areas of the Rocky Mountain region.
Additional production has historically come from fields in the eastern and southeastern portions of the state. Utah's gas output has been on an upswing in recent years, reaching its highest level in the EIA's 2025 data since 2016.
The Uinta Basin's combination of oil and natural gas resources makes northeastern Utah an important part of the broader Intermountain West energy-producing region.
11. Wyoming
Wyoming recorded 1.20 Tcf of gross natural gas withdrawals in 2025, equivalent to 2.5 percent of US production. The state's natural gas industry is concentrated in several major basins, particularly the Green River Basin, which contains the prolific Pinedale and Jonah fields.
Production also comes from the Wind River, Powder River, and other basins. Wyoming's gas output has declined from earlier highs, falling from about 2.5 Tcf in 2009 to about 1.2 Tcf in 2025. The state remains an important Rocky Mountain producer, however, with its large gas fields connected to interstate pipelines serving markets across the Mountain West and beyond.
10. North Dakota
North Dakota continued a rapid climb up the leaderboard in 2025, withdrawing 1.27 Tcf of natural gas—2.7 percent of the national total. The state's gas production is closely tied to the Bakken Formation and the larger Williston Basin, where natural gas is produced alongside crude oil.
Whereas producers used to flare, or burn away, much of the gas they released while capturing the oil, advances in the ability to capture, process, and transport natural gas have made it a major focus for exploration and extraction.
Gross withdrawals have increased rapidly every year since around 2010, with the 2025 amount achieving nearly 23 times as much as the year 2000.
9. Colorado
Colorado produced 1.87 Tcf of natural gas in 2025, or 3.9 percent of US gross withdrawals.
Two areas account for much of the state's production: the Denver-Julesburg Basin in northeastern Colorado and the Piceance Basin in the western part of the state. The Denver-Julesburg region has become especially important as horizontal drilling has unlocked oil and gas from tight formations.
Colorado's production has been relatively stable over the past 15 years, after about 25 years of rapid growth previously.
8. Ohio
Ohio recorded 2.10 Tcf of gross natural gas withdrawals in 2025, equal to 4.4 percent of the US total. The state's modern gas boom is centered on the Utica and Marcellus shale formations beneath eastern and southeastern Ohio.
Since debuting in Ohio in the early 2010s, the extraction techniques of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have completely transformed natural gas production in the region. Ohio's production has remained above 2 Tcf annually since 2018, although it has declined moderately from its 2019 peak.
Together with Pennsylvania and West Virginia, Ohio forms part of the Appalachian Basin, which was responsible for about 28 percent of US gross natural gas production in 2025.
7. Oklahoma
Oklahoma has one of the longest histories of oil and gas production in the United States and remains at the center of the Mid-Continent producing region. The state withdrew 2.88 Tcf of natural gas in 2025, accounting for 6.0 percent of national gross withdrawals.
Important producing areas include the Anadarko Basin, the SCOOP and STACK horizontal plays, and the Oklahoma portion of the Hugoton Gas Area in the western part of the state. Oklahoma contains parts of many large natural gas fields and has extensive pipeline infrastructure.
Its 2025 gross withdrawals were higher than in any year since 2019, reflecting a recent increase in production.
6. Alaska
Alaska had 3.55 Tcf of natural gas gross output in 2025, representing 7.4 percent of US withdrawals. Most of Alaska's production comes from the North Slope, where enormous petroleum and natural gas resources have been developed since the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.
The Cook Inlet region south of Anchorage is another important producing area, although its production is much smaller than that of the North Slope. After a huge jump in natural gas production between 1970 and 1995, Alaska's annual gross output has been remarkably steady over the past 30 years.
5. West Virginia
Location matters more than size when it comes to state natural gas production, as evidenced by West Virginia, one of the smallest states, outpacing the biggest state in the Union, Alaska. West Virginia recorded 3.60 Tcf of gross natural gas withdrawals in 2025, accounting for 7.5 percent of the US total.
The state's annual output has grown by more than 1,000 percent since 2010, when horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing opened previously difficult-to-produce resources.
Along with Pennsylvania and Ohio, West Virginia forms the core of the Appalachian gas-producing region, which has become one of the world's major concentrations of natural gas production.
4. Louisiana
Louisiana has historically been one of America's most important gas-producing areas, with extensive production from onshore fields and a long history of offshore development in the Gulf.
The state withdrew 8.0 percent of the US' natural gas, 3.82 Tcf gross, in 2025, with extraction focused on the Haynesville Shale in northwestern Louisiana. The formation extends into East Texas and has become one of the country's largest sources of natural gas.
Louisiana's location along the Gulf Coast also gives its gas industry an important advantage because major pipelines, industrial consumers, and LNG export terminals are nearby.
3. New Mexico
New Mexico's gross withdrawals have more than tripled since 2017, making it one of the nation's fastest-growing major gas producers.
The state recorded 4.15 Tcf of gross natural gas withdrawals in 2025, equivalent to 8.7 percent of US production. Most of today's output comes from the Permian Basin, particularly the Delaware Basin in southeastern New Mexico, where natural gas is produced alongside the state's enormous oil output.
New Mexico is therefore closely connected to the Permian's broader energy boom, which spans the Texas border. The state also has production from the San Juan Basin in northwestern New Mexico, although the Permian has become increasingly dominant in the last decade or so.
2. Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania produced 7.68 Tcf of gross natural gas in 2025, or 16.1 percent of the US total. The state's production is overwhelmingly associated with the Marcellus Shale, which stretches beneath much of Pennsylvania and neighboring states, along with the deeper Utica formation.
Production is concentrated particularly in the state's north-central and southwestern counties. Before 2010, Pennsylvania was historically a minor player in natural gas production, but in the past 15-plus years the entire Appalachian Basin has emerged as a true powerhouse in gas extraction.
Pennsylvania and neighboring West Virginia and Ohio together withdrew nearly 13.4 Tcf, or about 28 percent of the 2025 US total, nearly matching the amount produced by Texas.
1. Texas
Texas was by far America's largest source of natural gas in 2025, recording 13.60 Tcf of gross withdrawals, or 28.5 percent of the national total. Its production is spread across several major areas, led by the Permian Basin in West Texas, the Haynesville in East Texas, and the Eagle Ford in South Texas.
The Barnett Shale in North Texas also remains an important part of the state's long history of shale-gas development. The Permian is especially significant because much of its gas is produced alongside oil. I
n 2025, the Texas-New Mexico Permian region accounted for about 23 percent of US marketed gas production, helping drive another record year for American natural gas output.
America's Gas-Producing Powerhouses
The most recent data from 2025 shows just how concentrated American natural gas production has become. Texas alone supplied 28.5 percent of the nation's gross withdrawals, while Pennsylvania added another 16.1 percent.
The four leading states, Texas, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and Louisiana, together accounted for 61.3 percent of the national total. Appalachia, centered on Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio, forms an enormous production hub, while the Permian Basin links the output of Texas and New Mexico.
Together, these regions help explain why the United States remains one of the world's leading natural gas producers, and why extraction from shale formations continues to reshape the country's energy landscape.
