Fact Sheets

AMERICA’S POWER
Coal Provides Jobs and Affordable Electricity

In the U.S.: Coal provides 43 percent of U.S. electric power generation, providing power for more than 60 million homes and 3.4 million businesses. The U.S. uses 979.6 million short tons of coal to generate 1,850.8 billion kilowatt hours of electricity.

Direct and indirect employment generated by U.S. coal mining accounts for 555,270 jobs, for a combined payroll of $36.3 billion.

	U.S.
Coal Production (Million Short Tons)	1,084.4
Estimated Recoverable Coal Reserves (Billion Short Tons)	260.6
Total Coal Consumption for Power Generation (Million Short Tons)	979.6
Total Net Electricity from Coal (Billion kWh)	1,850.8
Direct Coal Mining Employment	135,533
Freight Rail Coal-Related Employment	33,978
Electricity Cost per kWh	9.88¢

Coal: Plants and Capacity, 2007