Sources of Industrial Energy Data for the United States¶

This page provides a brief overview of sources of U.S. industrial energy data, including breif descriptions of their publication timelines and resolution. Industrial energy datasets developed by NREL are discussed on a separate page. By and large, most industrial energy data is available for “industry” (an aggregation of North American Industrial Classification System [NAICS] codes for Agriculture [NAICS 11], Mining [NAICS 21], Construction [NAICS 23], and Manufacturing [NAICS 31-33]) or for manufacturing industries. Unlike manufacturing, the non-manufacturing sectors do not have their own EIA end-use survey and energy data collection by other federal agencies is limited. The current state of industrial energy data collection and dissemination can be explained by various historical developments. This historical context is summarized in this project here and described in more detail in an NREL technical report.

Summary of Industrial Energy Data Sources¶
Source	Data Prodct	Publication Timeline	Geographic Resolution	Industry Resolution	Fuel Type Disaggregation	End-Use Disaggregation	Notes
EIA	Monthly/Annual Energy Review	Monthly/annually	National	None	Yes	No	Comprised of supplier responses from various EIA fuel surveys
EIA	State Energy Data System (SEDS)	Annual	None	Yes	No	Comprised of supplier responses to EIA fuel surveys.
EIA	Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey (MECS)	Quadrennial	Census region	Up to 6-digit NAICS	Yes	Yes	Survey conducted by the Census Bureau for EIA.
EIA	Annual Energy Outlook (AEO)	Annual	Census division	Yes	Yes	Yes	AEO provides annual projections out to 2050. Additional results detail can be requested from EIA staff.
EIA	Form EIA-923	Monthly and Annual	Facility	Up to 6-digit NAICS	Electricity only	No	Provides information for industrial generators (including cogeneration) above 1 MW capacity.
Census Bureau	Economic Census	Quinquennial	Census Places	Up to 6-digit NAICS	Electricity and ‘fuels’	No	Data are withheld at increasingly geographic and industrial resolution. Use of ‘fuels’ reported in dollars.
Census Bureau	Annual Integrated Economic Survey (AIES)	Annual	State	Up to 6-digit NAICS	Electricity and ‘fuels’	No	AIES has subsumed the Annual Survey of Manufacturers has been. Use of ‘fuels’ reported in dollars.
DOE	Combined Heat and Power and Microgrid Database	Rolling updates	Unit	Up to 6-digit NAICS	Yes	No
DOE	Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) Database	Rolling updates	Facility	Up to 6-digit NAICS	Yes	No	Represents participants in IAC program assessments, which are small and medium sized manufacturers.

Energy Information Administration (EIA)¶

The EIA is the primary institution responsible for collecting national industrial energy data. Its data products include the supplier-based surveys of fuel use, as well as the user-based Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Breau. EIA industrial energy data sources include:

Monthly/Annual Energy Review: National estimates of industry energy use compiled from fuel supplier survey forms.
State Energy Data System (SEDS): State estimates of industry energy use compiles from fuel supplier survey forms.
Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey (MECS): Quadrennial survey of manufacturing energy use.
Form EIA-923: Reports information related to industrial facilities that generate their own electricity.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)¶

Although EIA is responsible for collecting much of the nation’s industrial energy data, the DOE does fund complementary data collection efforts. These include:

Combined Heat and Power and Microgrid Database: Database of CHP and microgrid installations.
Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) Database: Database of recorded energy use, production output, production hours, and other information for facilities that have participated in IAC assessments.

U.S. Census Bureau¶

Most data collected by the Census Bureau relate to the economic characteristics of industry. The Economic Census does report electricity use in kWh, in addition to fuel purchases (in $). The Economic Census also provides individual tables for materials and fuels consumed by industries.

Economic Census: Survey conducted every five years on economic characteristics of industrial establishments. * Example 2017 tables (link to zip folder) for materials consumed by mining and manufacturing.
Annual Integrated Economic Survey (AIES): Annual survey that includes economic characteristics of manufacturing establishments.
Quarterly Survey of Plant Capacity Utilization (QPC): Quarterly survey that provides statistics on the rates of industrial capacity utilization and average weekly operating hours.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)¶

Several EPA datasets provide detailed information about facilities and their individual units. Although these datasets are not explicitly collected to estimated energy use, the emissions they report provide a path for alternative estimates of energy use, as documented in various NREL datasets.

Other Federal agencies¶

Several other federal agencies collect industrial energy information, including the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)¶

The USGS may collect additional industrial energy data, but only the Cement Minerals Yearbook is known to include estimates of energy consumption.

Minerals Yearbook: Cement: Includes estimates of fuels used by cement district.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)¶

The USDA collects a limited amount of energy consumption data for farming operations. Known sources are:

USDA Economic Research Service Farm Income and Wealth Statistics: Electricity and petroleum fuel and oil expenses (in $) by state.
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service: Expenses from Ag Census (conducted every 5 years) and various surveys.

The USDA also maintains the Federal Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Commons, a data repository to support LCA.

Justice-Focused¶

An increasing number of data products and associated mapping tools have been developed that bring together the locations industrial facilities with the socioeconomic conditions of their surrounding communities. These include, but are not limted to:

Corporate Toxics Information Project: Datasets linking facility ownership to emissions of air emissions and toxics. Developed by the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST): Dataset combining indicators of climate change, energy, health, housing, legacy pollution, transportation, water and wastewater, and workforce development burdens. Developed by the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
Energy Communitites IWG Site Review Tool:. Dataset developed to link information on industrial facility locations, brownfields, infrastructure, and community attributes. Developed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory and DOE.
Employment Vulnerability to the Energy Transition (E-VET) Tool: Analysis and dataset identifying communities that may be vulnerable in an energy transition based on their reliance on carbon-intensive industries. Based on 2024 work from Kailin Graham and Christopher Knittel.

Other Publicly-Avaialable Data¶

U.S. industrial boiler inventory: Based on 2022 work from Schoeneberger et al..
Global Steel Plant Tracker (GSPT): Data compiled by Global Energy Monitor on global steel facilities.
Global Blast Furnace Tracker (GBFT): Data compiled by Global Energy Monitor on global blast furnaces.
Global Cement and Concrete Tracker: Scheduled release in July 2025 by Global Energy Monitor.

Private (Proprietary) Sources¶

A mix of industry trade groups and other private sources collect data and may offer access for a fee. Notable examples include the Portland Cement Association and the American Iron and Steel Institute.