The US Crude Oil Production Chart above shows how dramatically domestic oil production changed between 2015 and 2025. Over this 11-year period, U.S. field production of crude oil increased from approximately 9.4 million barrels per day in 2015 to nearly 13.7 million barrels per day in 2025.
The decade was not a period of uninterrupted growth. U.S. crude oil production declined in 2016, surged between 2017 and 2019, fell again during the disruption of 2020 and 2021, and then entered another period of strong production growth beginning in 2022.
Taken as a whole, the chart illustrates the remarkable expansion of the U.S. oil industry and the impact that advances in drilling and production technology have had on domestic energy production.
According to the production data represented in this chart, U.S. field production of crude oil averaged the following amounts, measured in thousands of barrels per day:
Year U.S. Crude Oil Production
2015 9,434 thousand barrels/day
2016 8,859 thousand barrels/day
2017 9,373 thousand barrels/day
2018 10,969 thousand barrels/day
2019 12,332 thousand barrels/day
2020 11,355 thousand barrels/day
2021 11,314 thousand barrels/day
2022 12,024 thousand barrels/day
2023 12,970 thousand barrels/day
2024 13,267 thousand barrels/day
2025 13,660 thousand barrels/day
From 2015 through 2025, average U.S. crude oil production increased by approximately 4.2 million barrels per day, or about 45%.
That long-term increase is especially notable because the industry experienced two significant downturns during the period.
The US Crude Oil Production Chart begins in 2015 with average production of 9.434 million barrels per day. Production declined to 8.859 million barrels per day in 2016 as the U.S. oil industry responded to the sharp decline in crude oil prices that began in the previous year.
By 2017, however, production had started climbing again, averaging 9.373 million barrels per day.
Growth accelerated considerably during the next two years. U.S. crude oil production increased to approximately 10.969 million barrels per day in 2018 before reaching 12.332 million barrels per day in 2019.
The rapid expansion demonstrated how quickly U.S. producers could respond as market conditions improved.
One of the most important factors behind the long-term production increase shown in the chart was the continued development of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing.
These technologies made it economically possible to produce large quantities of crude oil from tight formations that had previously been difficult to develop. Improvements in drilling speed, longer horizontal laterals, multi-well pad drilling, hydraulic fracturing techniques, geological analysis, and data-driven production strategies helped operators become increasingly efficient.
The Permian Basin of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico has been particularly important to this expansion. Continued development of formations within the Permian helped transform the region into one of the world’s most significant oil-producing areas.
Technology also allowed many producers to increase output without relying solely on higher drilling activity. Over time, operators learned how to drill wells faster, optimize well placement, improve completion designs, and generate greater production from individual wells.
The upward trajectory changed dramatically in 2020.
U.S. crude oil production declined from an average of 12.332 million barrels per day in 2019 to 11.355 million barrels per day in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic caused an extraordinary reduction in transportation and petroleum demand, contributing to a severe disruption throughout global energy markets.
Production remained relatively flat in 2021 at approximately 11.314 million barrels per day.
These two years stand out clearly on the US Crude Oil Production Chart, but the decline ultimately proved temporary.
A new growth cycle began in 2022, when U.S. crude oil production increased to an average of 12.024 million barrels per day.
The expansion continued in subsequent years:
– 2023: 12.970 million barrels per day
– 2024: 13.267 million barrels per day
– 2025: 13.660 million barrels per day
By 2025, U.S. crude oil production was approximately 10.8% higher than the previous 2019 high represented in the chart.
Perhaps more importantly, the 2025 average was more than 54% above the 2016 low of 8.859 million barrels per day.
This recovery illustrates how significantly the U.S. oil industry changed over the decade.
Looking beyond the individual annual numbers, the US Crude Oil Production Chart demonstrates the long-term growth of domestic crude oil production despite periods of considerable market volatility.
U.S. producers have had to navigate fluctuating crude oil prices, changes in global supply and demand, the unprecedented disruption of the pandemic, inflationary pressures, changing drilling costs, and shifts in capital availability.
At the same time, improvements in drilling and completion technology have continued to increase the productivity of many U.S. oil operations.
The result is an industry capable of producing substantially more crude oil than it did only a decade earlier. Average production rose from 9.434 million barrels per day in 2015 to 13.660 million barrels per day in 2025.
For investors evaluating opportunities in domestic energy, these production trends provide valuable historical context. While past production does not guarantee future performance, the growth illustrated by this chart demonstrates the scale of the U.S. oil industry and how advances in technology have helped reshape American crude oil production.
Return to the blog Top Oil Producing Countries in the World 2025
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