What state is the largest producer of crude oil?
Crude oil production is defined as the quantities of oil extracted from the ground after removing inert matter or impurities. Crude oil is a mineral oil consisting of a mixture of hydrocarbons of natural origin, yellow to black in color, and variable density and viscosity. Once extracted, crude oil undergoes distillation to break down the liquid into various products depending on weight.
As of 2018, the United States is the world’s largest crude oil producer. The U.S. currently produces approximately 12,108,000 barrels per day. Russia and Saudi Arabia follow the United States in crude oil production, producing 10,709,000 and 9,580,000 barrels per day, respectively.
There are thousands of products derived from crude oil, all of which are very beneficial to humans and have improved their quality of life worldwide. The largest share of crude oil is used for gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and heating oil. Other products include heavier ones used to make asphalt or lubricating oils for petroleum jelly and detergents.
Thirty-two U.S. states produce oil. About 69% of total U.S. crude oil production in 2019 came from five states: Texas (41.4%), North Dakota (11.6%), New Mexico (7.4%), Oklahoma (4.7%), and Colorado (4.2%).
Texas is the largest producer of crude oil in the United States. In 2019, Texas produced 5,070,450 barrels per day. This is more than double what the entire Gulf of Mexico produced, which is 1,896,920 barrels per day.
The United States’ smallest oil producers are Arizona and Virginia, which produced about 20 barrels of oil per day in 2019. Oil production in the United States, especially in Texas, is expected to rise, causing crude oil imports to fall.