What a surplus or deficit means
A production surplus builds the storage buffer. A persistent deficit through injection season is the setup for storage scarcity heading into winter.
Benchmark · monthly · Bcf/day
U.S. natural gas supply vs consumption
Is U.S. dry gas production keeping up with domestic consumption?
U.S. natural gas supply vs consumption compares monthly dry gas production to total domestic consumption. When production runs above consumption, the surplus goes into storage or LNG exports. when below, storage withdrawals must fill the gap. It is the headline supply-demand balance of the U.S. gas market.
U.S. natural gas supply vs consumption compares monthly dry gas production to total domestic consumption. When production runs above consumption, the surplus goes into storage or LNG exports. when below, storage withdrawals must fill the gap. It is the headline supply-demand balance of the U.S. gas market.
- Dry gas production
- 110.26Bcf/day
- Total consumption
- 75.84Bcf/day
- Production minus consumption
- 34.42Bcf/day
- 3-month balance change
- +34.92 Bcf/day
- from -0.50
- Balance percentile
- 100th
- of 305 readings · since 2001-01-01
U.S. natural gas supply vs consumption
Dry gas production
Total consumption
| Series | First | Latest | Min | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry gas production | 53.94 | 110.26 | 44.53 | 111.61 |
| Total consumption | 86.35 | 75.84 | 45.60 | 126.48 |
How this is calculated
balance = dryProduction - totalConsumption, in Bcf/dayMonthly U.S. dry natural gas production (N9070US1) and total consumption (N9140US1), both in Bcf per day.
As of May 2026, the latest readings are Dry gas production at 110.26 Bcf/day and Total consumption at 75.84 Bcf/day. The Dry gas production line is up 3.5% over the past year and above its long-run median of 66.77 Bcf/day.
How to read it
Limitations
Monthly data carries a roughly two-month lag. Treat the chart as context for gas balance, not investment advice.
How this benchmark is used
The storage-injection backdrop
The storage page shows the stock. this page shows the flow that determines whether storage is building or draining.
Frequently asked questions
4 answersWhat is the current U.S. natural gas supply vs consumption?
As of May 2026, the latest readings are Dry gas production at 110.26 Bcf/day and Total consumption at 75.84 Bcf/day. The Dry gas production line is up 3.5% over the past year and above its long-run median of 66.77 Bcf/day.
How often is this benchmark updated?
This benchmark is built on monthly data. The page is refreshed when the source publishes new observations; the freshness block below the chart shows the exact data-through date and when PIER20 last fetched the file.
What data sources does this chart use?
The chart is built from Dry gas production and Total consumption, sourced from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
How is this different from the storage level?
The storage page shows how much gas is underground. This page shows the production and consumption that determine whether that stock builds or drains.