There were 130 operable oil refineries in the US on January 1, 2026, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Together they could process about 18.2 million barrels of crude oil per day. Below are the key US refinery statistics for 2026, from capacity and closures to utilization and jobs.
Key takeaways
- The US had 130 operable refineries on January 1, 2026, down from 132 a year earlier, 135 in 2020 and 205 in 1990 (EIA).
- Operable crude distillation capacity was about 18.2 million barrels per calendar day, down about 1% from a year earlier (EIA).
- The Gulf Coast held 58 refineries and about 54% of US capacity (EIA, Table 1).
- US refineries ran at 92.0% of capacity on average in 2025, up from 90.5% in 2024 (EIA).
- About 108,700 people worked in US petroleum and coal products manufacturing in August 2026 (BLS).
How many oil refineries are in the US?
EIA counted 130 operable petroleum refineries on January 1, 2026, with 128 operating and 2 idle. Six of the 130 have no crude distillation unit and process other feedstocks, which is why our US oil refineries map shows 123 crude refineries after Valero’s Benicia closure.
| Year (January 1) | Operable US refineries |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 205 |
| 2000 | 158 |
| 2010 | 148 |
| 2020 | 135 |
| 2025 | 132 |
| 2026 | 130 |
How much oil can US refineries process?
Operable US crude distillation capacity was about 18.2 million barrels per calendar day on January 1, 2026, down more than 250,000 barrels per day from a year earlier. Capacity peaked at about 19 million barrels per day in 2020, then fell as several refineries closed or converted to renewable fuels.
Although there are far fewer refineries than in 1990, the survivors are much bigger. The average US refinery now processes more than 130,000 barrels per day.
Which states have the most refineries?
| State | Operable refineries | Crude capacity (barrels per calendar day) |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 34 | 6,134,650 |
| Louisiana | 15 | 3,005,373 |
| California | 12 | 1,499,171 |
| Illinois | 4 | 1,053,023 |
| Washington | 5 | 648,200 |
| Ohio | 4 | 606,600 |
| Oklahoma | 5 | 543,800 |
For live state totals, see the state table on our refinery map, or our pages on Texas, Louisiana and Houston refineries.
Refinery closures
Six refineries with 801,146 barrels per day of capacity closed in 2020, including Philadelphia Energy Solutions (335,000) and Shell Convent, Louisiana (211,146). More recently, LyondellBasell closed its Houston refinery in March 2025 (263,776), Phillips 66 closed its Los Angeles refinery in October 2025 (138,700), and Valero’s Benicia refinery (145,000) stopped running by early 2026 (EIA).
The newest US refinery is Texas International Terminals’ 45,000 barrel-per-day plant in Galveston, which started in February 2022. Read more about new oil refineries in the US.
Refinery utilization
With less capacity, the remaining refineries are running harder. Utilization averaged 90.4% in 2023, 90.5% in 2024 and 92.0% in 2025. Planned maintenance, known as turnarounds, usually pulls utilization down in late winter and in the fall.
Refinery jobs and pay
US petroleum and coal products manufacturing employed about 108,700 people in August 2026. The largest occupation in the industry is refinery operators (18,720 jobs), with a median wage of $103,160 in that industry. See the full list of oil refinery jobs with BLS pay for each.
Hiring for a refinery? Apollo Technical recruits process, chemical, mechanical, electrical and controls engineers for refiners and petrochemical plants. See our Houston engineering recruiters or chemical engineering recruiters.
