U.S. monthly dry natural gas production set a new record in December 2023

U.S. dry natural gas production in the Lower 48 states reached an all-time monthly high of 105.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in December 2023, according to data from S&P Global Commodity Insights. In 2023, Lower 48 dry natural gas production increased 3.7% (3.6 Bcf/d) from 2022. Dry natural gas production increased 3.8 Bcf/d in the fourth quarter of 2023 (4Q23) compared with the average for the first three quarters of 2023.

The Appalachia region, the Permian region, and the Anadarko region combined accounted for 89% of the increased production in the Lower 48 states. Production in the Appalachia region, the largest natural gas-producing region in the United States, increased by an average of 1.5 Bcf/d in 4Q23 compared with September, helped by the expansion of natural gas transportation capacity from the Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Continued increases in crude oil and associated natural gas production in the Permian region—the second-largest natural gas-producing region in the United States—grew its natural gas production by 1.2 Bcf/d in 4Q23 compared with September. Production in the Anadarko region in Oklahoma rose from recent summer lows, increasing by 0.7 Bcf/d in the same months.

Despite recent increases in Lower 48 dry natural gas production and the overall record-high annual production average of 102.2 Bcf/d in 2023, production grew more slowly in 2023 than in 2022. The annual growth rate in Lower 48 dry natural gas production was 5.3% (4.9 Bcf/d) in 2022, compared with 3.7% (3.6 Bcf/d) in 2023, according to data from S&P Global Commodity Insights.