Frequently Asked Questions
How much oil consumed in the United States comes from foreign sources?
In 2013, about 33% of the petroleum consumed by the United States was imported from foreign countries.1 This was the lowest level since 1985.
Petroleum includes crude oil and petroleum products. Petroleum products include gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil, jet fuel, chemical feedstocks, asphalt, biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel), and other products. In 2013, about 50% of the crude oil processed in U.S. refineries was imported.
Learn more:
- How dependent are we on foreign oil?
- How much petroleum does the United States import and from where?
- Measuring U.S. Dependence on Foreign Oil: The What, Where, and When Factors
- Abundant U.S. supply, low demand could cut dependence on liquid fuel imports
- Total U.S. crude oil imports continue to decline in 2012 but regional differences persist
- U.S. Oil Import Dependence: Declining no matter how you measure it
- Changing patterns in U.S. crude imports
- 2011 Year in Review (of Petroleum Markets)
- Refining Crude Oil: Inputs & Outputs
- Petroleum Overview graphs and data from the Monthly Energy Review
- Detailed historical data on imports and exports
1Based on net petroleum imports; preliminary data.
Last updated: July 22, 2014
Other FAQs about Crude Oil
- Do we have enough oil worldwide to meet our future needs?
- Does EIA have county-level energy production data?
- Does EIA have data on U.S. oil refineries and their locations?
- Does EIA have data on shale (or “tight oil”) production?
- Does EIA have data on the movement of crude oil and ethanol by rail and truck?
- Does EIA have data on the type or quality of crude oil?
- Does EIA have maps or information on the location of natural gas and oil pipelines?
- Does EIA have projections for energy production, consumption, and prices for individual states?
- How many gallons of diesel fuel and gasoline are made from one barrel of oil?
- How much coal, natural gas, or petroleum is used to generate a kilowatthour of electricity?
- How much does it cost to produce crude oil and natural gas?
- When was the last refinery built in the United States?
- Where is the boundary for state and federal offshore oil and gas production?
- Why don't fuel prices change as quickly as crude oil prices?
- Why is the United States exporting gasoline when prices are so high?
- How much of the oil produced in the United States is consumed in the United States?
- How much oil consumed in the United States comes from foreign sources?
- How much oil is consumed in the United States?
- How much oil is produced in Alaska and where does it go?
- How much oil is used to make plastic?
- How much petroleum does the United States import and from where?
- What are the differences between various types of crude oil prices?
- What are the products and uses of petroleum?
- What countries are the top world oil consumers?
- What countries are the top world oil net exporters?
- What countries are the top world oil net importers?
- What countries are the top world oil producers?
- What do I pay for in a gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel?
- What is the difference between crude oil, petroleum products, and petroleum?
- What is the outlook for home heating fuel prices this winter?
- What types and amounts of energy are produced in each state?