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Per capita carbon dioxide emissions from energy consumption fell in every state from 2005 to 2023, primarily due to less coal being burned, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in a Monday report.
In total, CO2 emissions fell by 20% in those years. The U.S. population increased by 14% during that period, so per capita, emissions fell by 30%, according to EIA.
“Increased electricity generation from natural gas, which releases about half as many CO2 emissions per unit of energy when combusted as coal, and from non-CO2-emitting wind and solar generation offset the decrease in coal generation,” EIA said.
Emissions decreased in every state, falling the most in Maryland and the District of Columbia, which saw per capita drops of 49% and 48%, respectively. Emissions fell the least in Idaho, where they dropped by 3%, and Mississippi, where they dropped by 1%.
Per capita CO2 emissions from primary energy consumption decreasing state by state from 2005 to 2023
“In 2023, Maryland had the lowest per capita CO2 emissions of any state, at 7.8 metric tons of CO2 (mtCO2), which is the second lowest in recorded data beginning in 1960,” EIA said. “The District of Columbia has lower per capita CO2 emissions than any state and tied its record low of 3.6 mtCO2 in 2023.”
EIA forecasts a 1% increase in total U.S. emissions from energy consumption this year, “in part because of more recent increased fossil fuel consumption for crude oil production and electricity generation growth.”
In 2023, the transportation sector was responsible for the largest share of emissions from energy consumption across 28 states, EIA said. In 2005, the electric power sector had “accounted for the largest share of emissions in 31 states, while the transportation sector made up the largest share of emissions in 17 states,” the agency said.
CO2 emissions by source in the United States
“Nationwide, the electric power sector accounted for the largest share of CO2 emissions in the United States until 2016, when the transportation sector surpassed it,” EIA said. “CO2 emissions in the electric power sector have declined faster than in the transportation sector since 2007 because the electricity generation fuel mix has shifted away from coal and toward natural gas, wind, and solar.”
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