Misc
Mapped: U.S. Mineral Production, by State
Mapped: U.S. Non-fuel Mineral Production, by State
Just how many minerals does the U.S. consume? In 2020, non-fuel mineral consumption worked out to around 19,000 pounds or 8.6 tonnes per person.
This includes metals like copper, iron ore, and zinc, along with construction sand, stone, cement, and other industrial minerals. With such high demand, changes in the production of these commodities often reflect how the overall economy is performing.
The above infographic maps U.S. non-fuel mineral production by state in 2021 using data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The Most Valuable Minerals
As the U.S. economy restarted in 2021, American mines generated over $90 billion in non-fuel mineral production, a 12% increase from 2020.
Before diving into the breakdown by state, here’s a look at production value by mineral type:
| Category | Production value | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Metals | $33.8B | 37.4% |
| Construction aggregates | $29.2B | 32.3% |
| Industrial minerals (excl. construction) | $27.4B | 30.3% |
| Total | $90.4B | 100% |
Each of the categories accounted for roughly one-third of the total production value, with metals making up the largest share. Within metals, copper and gold collectively accounted for 66% of the total, followed by iron ore (13%) and zinc (7%).
The production of sand, gravel, and crushed stone—important inputs for construction—also made up a significant chunk of the value, along with other industrial minerals. Furthermore, crushed stone was the leading non-fuel mineral in 2021, with $19.3 billion in production value.
Which States Lead in Mineral Production?
Arizona, Nevada, Texas, California, and Minnesota—the top five states—accounted for nearly 40% of non-fuel mineral production value.
| State | Value of Non-fuel Mineral Production | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $10B | 11.0% |
| Nevada | $9.4B | 10.3% |
| Texas | $5.8B | 6.4% |
| California | $5.3B | 5.8% |
| Minnesota | $4.0B | 4.4% |
| Alaska | $3.9B | 4.3% |
| Utah | $3.8B | 4.1% |
| Missouri | $3.3B | 3.7% |
| Michigan | $3.0B | 3.3% |
| Wyoming | $2.8B | 3.0% |
| Florida | $2.4B | 2.7% |
| Georgia | $2.0B | 2.3% |
| Montana | $2.0B | 2.2% |
| Pennsylvania | $2.0B | 2.2% |
| Alabama | $1.9B | 2.1% |
| Colorado | $1.6B | 1.8% |
| New York | $1.6B | 1.7% |
| Tennessee | $1.6B | 1.7% |
| Virginia | $1.6B | 1.7% |
| North Caroline | $1.5B | 1.6% |
| Ohio | $1.4B | 1.5% |
| New Mexico | $1.3B | 1.4% |
| Kansas | $1.2B | 1.3% |
| Indiana | $1.2B | 1.3% |
| Arkansas | $1.0B | 1.1% |
| Wisconsin | $1.0B | 1.1% |
| Illinois | $1.0B | 1.1% |
| Iowa | $0.96B | 1.1% |
| South Carolina | $0.95B | 1.1% |
| Oklahoma | $0.92B | 1.0% |
| Washington | $0.73B | 0.8% |
| Idaho | $0.72B | 0.8% |
| Louisiana | $0.66B | 0.7% |
| Oregon | $0.60B | 0.7% |
| Kentucky | $0.59B | 0.6% |
| South Dakota | $0.50B | 0.5% |
| Maryland | $0.46B | 0.5% |
| New Jersey | $0.40B | 0.4% |
| West Virginia | $0.36B | 0.4% |
| Nebraska | $0.22B | 0.2% |
| Massachusetts | $0.21B | 0.2% |
| Mississippi | $0.20B | 0.2% |
| Connecticut | $0.18B | 0.2% |
| Hawaii | $0.13B | 0.1% |
| Maine | $0.13B | 0.1% |
| Vermont | $0.11B | 0.1% |
| New Hampshire | $0.095B | 0.1% |
| Rhode Island | $0.066B | 0.07% |
| North Dakota | $0.065B | 0.07% |
| Delaware | $0.022B | 0.02% |
| Undistributed | 4.0B | 4.5% |
| Total | $90.4B | 100.0% |
Arizona and Nevada, the top two states, are the country’s biggest producers of copper and gold, respectively. Arizona also produced over $1 billion worth of construction sand and gravel in 2021, in addition to being the country’s leading producer of gemstones.
In third place was Texas, where mines produced nearly $6 billion worth of non-fuel minerals, of which 38% came from crushed stone. California, meanwhile, led in the production of construction sand and gravel, and was the country’s sole source of rare earth elements.
Minnesota also made the top five as the nation’s largest producer of iron ore. In fact, mines in Minnesota and Michigan shipped 98% of domestic usable iron ore products in 2021.
The Missing Critical Minerals
Although the U.S. is a major producer of non-fuel minerals, it still relies on imports for the supply of several minerals.
In 2021, the U.S. imported $5.3 billion worth of raw materials, in addition to $90 billion in net imports of processed mineral materials. Of the 50 minerals deemed critical to national security, the country was 100% net import reliant for 26, including graphite, manganese, and several rare earth metals.
To meet the rising demand for these minerals, U.S. President Biden announced major investments in domestic critical mineral production, including a $35 million grant to MP Materials for the processing of rare earths.
It remains to be seen whether these investments will pay off in building more resilient, end-to-end domestic critical mineral supply chains.
Visualizing Raw Steel Production in 2023
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Steel is essential for the economy due to its crucial role in infrastructure, construction, manufacturing, and transportation sectors.
This graphic breaks down the estimated global production of raw steel in 2023. The data was sourced from the U.S. Geological Survey as of January 2024.
China Produces More Than Half the World’s Steel
One major issue facing the steel industry is overcapacity in top producer China.
Steel production in China has surpassed demand in recent years, leading to downward pressure on the profit margins of steel mills worldwide.
Historically, China’s troubled real estate sector has accounted for over one-third of the country’s steel consumption. To address this issue, the Chinese government has mandated steel production cuts since 2021.
Far behind China, India is the second-biggest producer of steel, followed by Japan.
| Country | Region | 2023 Production (million tonnes) |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇳 China | Asia | 1,000 |
| 🇮🇳 India | Asia | 140 |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | Asia | 87 |
| 🇺🇸 U.S. | North America | 80 |
| 🇷🇺 Russia | Europe | 75 |
| 🇰🇷 S. Korea | Asia | 68 |
| 🌍 Rest of World | 420 | |
| Total | 1,870 |
Infinite Recyclability
Steel is an alloy primarily composed of iron ore containing less than 2% carbon, 1% manganese, and other trace elements. It is 1,000 times stronger than iron and can be recycled over and over without sacrificing quality.
Steel is widely used in various industries. It is a fundamental material in construction, providing support through beams, internal structures, and roofing.
Moreover, steel’s corrosion-resistant properties make it ideal for water infrastructure. Stainless steel pipes are the preferred choice for underground water systems, ensuring longevity and purity in water transportation.
Additionally, most canned foods are stored in steel containers for preservation, as steel does not rust.
Misc
Visualizing Cobalt Production by Country in 2023
The Democratic Republic of Congo accounts for 74% of the world’s cobalt output.
Visualizing Cobalt Production by Country in 2023
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Cobalt is a critical mineral used in numerous commercial, industrial, and military applications. In recent years, it has gained attention as it is also necessary for batteries used in cell phones, laptops, and electric vehicles (EVs).
This graphic illustrates estimated cobalt production by country in 2023 in metric tons. The data is from the most recent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Mineral Commodity Summaries, published in January 2024.
The DRC Produces 74% of Global Cobalt
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) accounts for 74% of the world’s cobalt output. Although the metal is found on a large scale in other parts of the world, like Australia, Europe, and Asia, the African nation holds the biggest reserve by far. Of the 11,000,000 metric tons of worldwide reserves, it is estimated that 6,000,000 metric tons are located in the DRC.
| Country | metric tons | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇩 DRC | 170,000 | 74% |
| 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 17,000 | 7% |
| 🇷🇺 Russia | 8,800 | 4% |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 4,600 | 2% |
| 🇲🇬 Madagascar | 4,000 | 2% |
| 🇵🇭 Philippines | 3,800 | 2% |
| 🌍 Other Countries | 21,100 | 9.00% |
| Total | 229,300 | 100% |
Since around 20% of the cobalt mined in the DRC originates from small-scale artisanal mines, often employing child labor, the extraction of the metal has been a point of intense debate. With a long history of conflict, political upheaval, and instability, the country is often listed among the poorest nations in the world.
Today, the EV sector constitutes 40% of the overall cobalt market.
China is the world’s leading consumer of cobalt, with nearly 87% of its consumption used by the lithium-ion battery industry.
In the U.S., 50% of cobalt consumed is used in superalloys, mainly in aircraft gas turbine engines.
Learn More About Critical Minerals From Visual Capitalist
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out The Critical Minerals to China, EU, and U.S. National Security. This visualization shows which minerals are essential to China, the United States, and the European Union.
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