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Coal Mining in the US - Market Research Report (2014-2029)

Matty O'Malley Matty O'Malley New York, United States Last Updated: July 2024 NAICS 21211

Revenue

$27.6bn

2024

$27.6bn

Past 5-Year Growth

Profit

$X.Xbn

Employees

33,894

Businesses

687

Wages

$X.Xbn

Coal Mining in the US industry analysis

Coal miners have faced a highly volatile operating environment over the past five years. Wildly fluctuating commodity prices, declining mine output and the gradual transition toward cleaner and less-expensive energy alternatives have constrained domestic coal demand. Also, coal mining companies suffered from severe economic and supply chain disruptions that emerged following the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020. Despite lower output, surging coal prices enabled coal miners to rebound from the outbreak of COVID-19, but normalizing prices in 2023 and 2024 contributed to declines. Export markets have been a crucial source of demand for coal miners as domestic consumption has fallen. Industry-wide revenue has been falling at a CAGR of 2.0% over the past five years and is expected to total $27.6 billion in 2024, when revenue will dip by an estimated 8.3%.

Trends and Insights

  • Coal miners have endured considerable volatility. The outbreak of COVID-19 hammered coal miners, but surging prices amid supply chain woes led to temporary expansion. Still, lower domestic demand and normalizing prices have led to declines.
  • Bituminous coal has continued to dominate. The availability and versatility of bituminous coal continue to attract power and steel producers.
  • The Southeast is home to most coal mines. Large coal deposits high in sulfur for power production attract coal miners to the region.
  • Price is the primary source of competition among coal miners. Proximity to crucial logistics infrastructure to ship coal domestically and internationally is vital for coal miners to remain competitive.
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Everything you need in one report

  • Reliable market estimates from 2014-2029
  • Competitive analysis, industry segmentation, financial benchmarks
  • Powerful SWOT, Porter’s Five Forces and risk management frameworks
  • Online membership platform with PDF, Word, Excel and PPT exports

Industry Overview

Market size and recent performance (2014-2029)

Industry revenue has declined at a CAGR of 2.0 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $27.6bn in 2024.

Trends and Insights

The impact of the outbreak of COVID-19

  • The outbreak of COVID-19 hammered coal miners, with many operating at a loss in 2020. Coal production fell by nearly a quarter in 2020, leading to a massive drop in revenue.
  • Additional trends and insights available with purchase
Coal Mining in the US
Revenue (2014-2029)
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry outlook (2024-2029)

Market size is projected to decline over the next five years.

Trends and Insights

Export markets will remain crucial

  • As US coal consumption dips, miners will continue to look to emerging economies like India as a source of growth. Given that India will continue to rely on coal for the foreseeable future, this market will continue to prop up the performance of coal miners. Coal miners must focus on developing the transportation infrastructure to ship coal affordably to compete with foreign producers.

Biggest companies in the Coal Mining in the US

Company
Market Share (%)
2024
Revenue ($m)
2024
Profit ($m)
2024
Profit Margin (%)
2024
Peabody Energy Corp
1,479.3
72.4
4.9
Arch Resources, inc.
1,463.0
63.8
4.4
Alpha Metallurgical Resources, Inc.
1,440.9
-67.3
-4.7

To view the market share and analysis for all 4 top companies in this industry, view purchase options.

Products & Services Segmentation

Coal Mining in the US
Products & Services
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Bituminous coal, Subbituminous coal and Lignite. Bituminous coal is the largest segment of the Coal Mining in the US.

Trends and Insights

The purity and scarcity of anthracite coal come at a high price tag

  • This segment comprises anthracite coal with the highest carbon content and the lowest level of impurities. Anthracite coal is exclusively produced in northeastern Pennsylvania and is a tiny portion of total US coal production.
  • More insights available in the full report

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Competitors

  • Oil Drilling & Gas Extraction in the US

Complementors

  • Lubricant Oil Manufacturing in the US
  • Iron & Steel Manufacturing in the US
  • Construction Machinery Manufacturing in the US

International industries

  • Global Coal Mining

View all industries in United States

Table of Contents

About this industry

Industry definition

Companies in this industry mine various types of coal. This often occurs either underground or in surface pits. Most coal mines consist of bituminous coal or anthracite (types of black coal), but companies might also excavate lignite (brown coal). Miners also develop coal mine sites and prepare the coal for sale by washing, screening and sizing the material.

What's included in this industry?

Bituminous coal and lignite surface miningBituminous coal and lignite underground miningAnthracite mining

Companies

Peabody Energy CorpArch Resources, inc.Alpha Metallurgical Resources, Inc.

Purchase this report to view all 4 major companies in this industry.

Related Terms

LONGWALL MININGOPEN CUT MININGMETALLURGICAL COALCOKETHERMAL COALPIG IRON

Industry Code

NAICS 2017

NAICS 21211 - Coal Mining in the US

Performance

Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.

Analyst insights

Coal miners have endured considerable volatility. The outbreak of COVID-19 hammered coal miners, but surging prices amid supply chain woes led to temporary expansion. Still, ...

In this chapter (4)

  • Current Performance
  • Outlook
  • Volatility
  • Life Cycle

Key metrics

  • Annual Revenue, Recent Growth, Forecast, Revenue Volatility
  • Number of Employees, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Employee
  • Number of Businesses, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Business
  • Total Profit, Profit Margin, Profit per Business

Charts

  • Revenue, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Employees, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Businesses, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Profit, including historical (2014-2024)
  • Industry Volatility vs. Revenue Growth
  • Industry Life Cycle

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in supply, demand and current events that are driving current industry performance
  • Expected trends, economic factors and ongoing events that drive the industry's outlook
  • Key success factors for businesses to overcome volatility
  • How contribution to GDP, industry saturation, innovation, consolidation, and technology and systems influence the industry's life cycle phase.

Products and Markets

Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.

Analyst insight

Bituminous coal has continued to dominate. The availability and versatility of bituminous coal continue to attract power and steel producers.

In this chapter

  • Products & Services
  • Major Markets
  • International Trade

Key metrics

  • Largest market segment and value in 2024
  • Product innovation level
  • Total imports, level and trend
  • Total exports, level and trend
  • Trade Balance

Charts

  • Products & services segmentation in 2024
  • Major market segmentation in 2024
  • International trade, including imports by country and exports by country

Detailed analysis

  • Trends impacting the recent performance of the industry's various segments
  • Innovations in the industry's product or service offering, specialization or delivery method
  • Key factors that successful businesses consider in their offerings
  • Buying segments and key trends influencing demand for industry products and services
  • Recent trends in import and export volumes, country of origin or destination, and expected future trends

Geographic Breakdown

Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.

Analyst insights

The Southeast is home to most coal mines. Large coal deposits high in sulfur for power production attract coal miners to the region.

In this chapter (1)

  • Business Locations

Charts

  • Share of revenue, establishment, wages and employment in each state
  • Share of population compared to establishments in each region in 2024

Tables

  • Number and share of establishments in each state in 2024
  • Number and share of revenue each state accounts for in 2024
  • Number and share of wages each state accounts for in 2024
  • Number and share of employees in each state in 2024

Detailed analysis

  • Geographic spread of the industry across North America, and trends associated with changes in the business landscape
  • Key success factors for businesses to use location to their advantage

Competitive Forces

Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.

Analyst insights

Price is the primary source of competition among coal miners. Proximity to crucial logistics infrastructure to ship coal domestically and internationally is vital for coal mi...

In this chapter (4)

  • Concentration
  • Barriers to Entry
  • Substitutes
  • Buyer & Supplier Analysis

Key metrics

  • Industry concentration level
  • Industry competition level and trend
  • Barriers to entry level and trend
  • Substitutes level and trend
  • Buyer power level and trend
  • Supplier power level and trend

Charts

  • Market share concentration among the top 4 suppliers from 2019-2024
  • Supply chain including upstream supplying industries and downstream buying industries, flow chart

Detailed analysis

  • Factors impacting the industry’s level of concentration, such as business distribution, new entrants, or merger and acquisition activity.
  • Key success factors for businesses to manage the competitive environment of the industry.
  • Challenges that potential industry entrants face such as legal, start-up costs, differentiation, labor/capital intensity and capital expenses.
  • Key success factors for potential entrants to overcome barriers to entry.
  • Competitive threats from potential substitutes for the industry’s own products and services.
  • Key success factors for how successful businesses can compete with substitutes.
  • Advantages that buyers have to keep favorable purchasing conditions.
  • Advantages that suppliers have to maintain favorable selling conditions.
  • Key success factors for how businesses can navigate buyer and supplier power.

Companies

Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.

Analyst insights

Just four companies have amassed 5.0% of the market. Arch Resources, Consol Energy, Alpha and Peabody are publicly traded companies with large amounts of capital, enabling th...

In this chapter

  • Market Share Concentration
  • Companies
  • Company Spotlights

Charts

  • Industry market share by company in 2020 through 2024
  • Major companies in the industry, including market share, revenue, profit and profit margin in 2024
  • Overview of Peabody Energy Corp's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2018 through 2024
  • Overview of Arch Resources, inc.'s performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2018 through 2024
  • Overview of Alpha Metallurgical Resources, Inc.'s performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2018 through 2024
  • Overview of revenue, market share and profit margin trend for one additional company

Detailed analysis

  • Description and key data for Peabody Energy Corp, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
  • Description and key data for Arch Resources, inc., and factors influencing its performance in the industry
  • Description and key data for Alpha Metallurgical Resources, Inc., and factors influencing its performance in the industry
  • Description, key data and performance trends for one additional company

External Environment

Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.   

Analyst insights

Coal miners face heavy regulations from the federal government. Several acts enacted by Congress and administered by the US Department of the Interior and the EPA impact coal...

In this chapter

  • External Drivers
  • Regulation & Policy
  • Assistance

Key metrics

  • Regulation & policy level and trend
  • Assistance level and trend

Charts

  • Regulation & Policy historical data and forecast (2014-2029) 
  • Assistance historical data and forecast (2014-2029) 

Detailed analysis

  • Demographic and macroeconomic factors influencing the industry, including Regulation & Policy and Assistance
  • Major types of regulations, regulatory bodies, industry standards or specific regulations impacting requirements for industry operators
  • Key governmental and non-governmental groups or policies that may provide some relief for industry operators.

Financial Benchmarks

View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time. 

Analyst insights

Profit has endured severe volatility. The outbreak of COVID-19 led many coal miners to operate at a loss, but profit has mounted as coal prices have surged.

In this chapter

  • Cost Structure
  • Financial Ratios
  • Key Ratios

Key metrics

  • Profit margin, and how it compares to the sector-wide margin
  • Average wages, and how it compares to the sector-wide average wage
  • Largest cost component as a percentage of revenue
  • Industry average ratios for days' receivables, industry coverage and debt-to-net-worth ratio

Charts

  • Average industry operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
  • Average sector operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
  • Investment vs. share of economy

Data tables

  • Industry Multiples (2017-2022)
  • Industry Tax Structure (2017-2022)
  • Income Statement (2017-2022)
  • Balance Sheet (2017-2022)
  • Liquidity Ratios (2017-2022)
  • Coverage Ratios (2017-2022)
  • Leverage Ratios  (2017-2022)
  • Operating Ratios (2017-2022)
  • Cash Flow & Debt Service Ratios (2014-2029)
  • Revenue per Employee (2014-2029)
  • Revenue per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • Employees per Establishment (2014-2029)
  • Employees per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • Average Wage (2014-2029)
  • Wages/Revenue (2014-2029)
  • Establishments per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • IVA/Revenue (2014-2029)
  • Imports/Demand (2014-2029)
  • Exports/Revenue (2014-2029)

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in the cost component for industry operators and their impact on industry costs and profitability 

Key Statistics

Industry Data

Data Tables

Including values and annual change:

  • Revenue (2014-2029)
  • IVA (2014-2029)
  • Establishments (2014-2029)
  • Enterprises (2014-2029)
  • Employment (2014-2029)
  • Exports (2014-2029)
  • Imports (2014-2029)
  • Wages (2014-2029)

Methodology

How are IBISWorld reports created?

IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.

Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.

IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.

What data sources do IBISWorld analysts use?

Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.

Key data sources in the US include: 

  • US Census Bureau
  • US Bureau of Labor Statistics
  • US International Trade Commission

Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.

These sources include:

  • Industry and trade associations
  • Industry federations or regulators
  • Major industry players annual or quarterly filings

Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.

How does IBISWorld forecast its data?

IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.

IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.

Learn more about our methodology and data sourcing on the Help Center.

Frequently Asked Questions

Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.

What is the market size of the Coal Mining in the US industry in United States in 2024?

The market size of the Coal Mining in the US industry in United States is $27.6bn in 2024.

How many businesses are there in the Coal Mining in the US industry in 2024?

There are 687 businesses in the Coal Mining in the US industry in United States, which has declined at a CAGR of 8.2 % between 2019 and 2024.

Has the Coal Mining in the US industry in United States grown or declined over the past 5 years?

The market size of the Coal Mining in the US industry in United States has been declining at a CAGR of 2.0 % between 2019 and 2024.

What is the forecast growth of the Coal Mining in the US industry in United States over the next 5 years?

Over the next five years, the Coal Mining in the US industry in United States is expected to decline.

What are the biggest companies in the Coal Mining in the US market in United States?

The biggest companies operating in the Coal Mining market in United States are Peabody Energy Corp, Arch Resources, inc. and Alpha Metallurgical Resources, Inc.

What does the Coal Mining in the US in United States include?

Bituminous coal and lignite surface mining and Bituminous coal and lignite underground mining are part of the Coal Mining in the US industry.

Which companies have the highest market share in the Coal Mining in the US in United States?

The company holding the most market share in United States is Peabody Energy Corp.

How competitive is the Coal Mining in the US industry in United States?

The level of competition is high and increasing in the Coal Mining in the US industry in United States.