New Study: 10.3 million U.S. jobs supported by natural gas & oil in 2015

Industry sees increase of 500,000 supported jobs since 2011

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Aug 01, 2017, 13:06 ET

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- API today released a new study showing that the natural gas and oil industry supported 10.3 million U.S. jobs and added $1.3 trillion to the nation's economy in 2015. The study found that jobs supported by the industry increased by 500,000 since 2011 and showed that all 50 states, whether producing or non-producing, continued to benefit from the industry.

"This study validates the role of the natural gas and oil industry in growing the U.S. economy and supporting more than 10 million workers from coast-to-coast," said API President and CEO Jack Gerard. "Natural gas and oil touches virtually every facet of our life – from heating our homes and fueling transportation to life-saving medical devices and cosmetics at the drug store. This study is further proof of the positive impact that U.S. resources have on workers and communities across the nation."

"Policies that promote the responsible development of our nation's vast energy resources aren't solely economic, but also further U.S. security and environmental stewardship. Increased use of clean-burning natural gas for power generation and technology innovations have reduced U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to near 30-year lows today," Gerard added.

The study, conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and commissioned by API, showed that the natural gas and oil industry supported 10.3 million U.S. jobs in 2015. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average wage paid by the natural gas and oil industry, excluding retail station jobs, in 2016 was $101,181 which is nearly 90 percent more than the national average.

The natural gas and oil industry has widespread impacts in each of the 50 states. See table below.

State	Jobs supported	Value added to state's economy	State	Jobs supported	Value added to state's economy
Alabama	86,400	$8.8b	Montana	39,500	$4.8b
Alaska	45,300	$15.7b	Nebraska	81,200	$9.2b
Arizona	95,300	$8b	Nevada	44,900	$4b
Arkansas	76,000	$8.1b	New Hampshire	24,100	$2.2b
California	730,600	$119.6b	New Jersey	142,200	$20.9b
Colorado	232,900	$31.3b	New Mexico	90,100	$12.8b
Connecticut	54,500	$7.2b	New York	258,500	$35.7b
Delaware	15,700	$2.3b	North Carolina	141,500	$13.4b
D.C.	11,800	$2.1b	North Dakota	78,700	$11.7b
Florida	266,800	$22b	Ohio	262,800	$37.9b
Georgia	142,700	$13.6b	Oklahoma	379,100	$51.7b
Hawaii	19,100	$2.3b	Oregon	57,500	$5.3b
Idaho	26,300	$1.8b	Pennsylvania	322,600	$44.4b
Illinois	234,600	$33.3b	Rhode Island	15,200	$1.8b
Indiana	120,400	$14.8b	South Carolina	67,600	$5.2b
Iowa	83,200	$6.9b	South Dakota	22,500	$1.6b
Kansas	128,700	$12.1b	Tennessee	106,600	$10.5b
Kentucky	80,200	$7.8b	Texas	1,985,200	$326.3b
Louisiana	291,200	$50.7b	Utah	66,800	$7.4b
Maine	29,200	$2.2b	Vermont	13,900	$991.7m
Maryland	72,500	$7.8b	Virginia	125,500	$11.9b
Massachusetts	102,600	$12.5b	Washington	98,500	$12.8b
Michigan	159,100	$14.5b	West Virginia	70,900	$8b
Minnesota	117,400	$14.2b	Wisconsin	98,200	$8.3b
Mississippi	81,600	$7.8b	Wyoming	57,500	$8.9b
Missouri	117,500	$10.4b

*The industry's capital investment impact of 2.3 million jobs supported, $134 billion of labor income, and $220 billion of the industry's impact on GDP is not quantified at the state level due to the non-availability of capital expenditure data at the state level.

To view the full study, please visit the API website.

To view a one-pager on the study, please see the attached document or visit the API website.

To learn me about jobs in the industry, including opportunities for veterans, please visit the API website.

API is the only national trade association representing all facets of the oil and natural gas industry, which supports 10.3 million U.S. jobs and nearly 8 percent of the U.S. economy. API's more than 625 members include large integrated companies, as well as exploration and production, refining, marketing, pipeline, and marine businesses, and service and supply firms. They provide most of the nation's energy and are backed by a growing grassroots movement of more than 40 million Americans.

SOURCE American Petroleum Institute