Wyoming's residential sector emitted 878,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2024, a 13% drop from the previous year's 1,012,000 metric tons, according to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's State Energy Data System. The comprehensive dataset, tracking emissions from 1960 through 2024, reveals a state that has completely eliminated coal use in residential heating while showing volatile swings in natural gas and petroleum consumption over six decades.
The data shows that natural gas accounted for 680,000 metric tons of residential CO2 emissions in 2024, down from 755,000 metric tons the year before. Petroleum emissions totaled 198,000 metric tons in 2024, composed almost entirely of distillate fuel oil at 189,000 metric tons, with hydrocarbon gas liquids—assumed to be propane only—contributing a negligible amount shown as less than 0.5 metric tons. Coal use in residential settings, which stood at 67,000 metric tons in 1960 and peaked at 124,000 metric tons in 1979, disappeared entirely after 2007, with consumption data no longer collected since 2008 and assumed to be zero. Natural gas emissions peaked in 2019 at 799,000 metric tons before declining, while petroleum emissions have fluctuated dramatically over the decades, hitting a high of 337,000 metric tons in 1983 before settling into a range mostly between 100,000 and 260,000 metric tons in recent years.
The report notes that the data represents "CO2 emissions estimates from fossil fuels primary energy consumption, excluding renewable energy." The state figures "do not account for interstate flow of electricity and represent CO2 emissions in the state where fossil fuels are burned to generate electricity, although the electricity might be sold to ultimate customers in other states and sectors," according to the EIA documentation. The report also cautions that "the continuity of these data series estimates may be affected by changing data sources and estimation methodologies."
The sharp 13% year-over-year decline from 2023 to 2024 reflects reduced consumption across both major fuel sources, with natural gas emissions dropping 10% and petroleum emissions falling 23%. The complete phase-out of coal in Wyoming's residential sector since 2008 represents a fundamental shift in home heating patterns, as the state transitioned entirely to natural gas and petroleum-based fuels. The data reveals notable volatility in petroleum use, particularly during the 1980s when emissions spiked—likely reflecting shifts in distillate fuel oil and propane consumption patterns during that era. The recent 2019 peak in natural gas emissions, followed by a decline, suggests changing efficiency standards or weather patterns may be influencing residential energy demand, though the dataset doesn't capture these underlying drivers directly.
Wyoming's residential carbon footprint in 2024 sits roughly in line with historical averages from the past two decades, though it remains below the all-time peak of 1,218,000 metric tons recorded in 1970 when coal still contributed to the state's residential energy mix. The 2024 figure of 878,000 metric tons marks a return to levels last seen in the early 2010s, suggesting that despite population and economic changes, the state's residential emissions have plateaued within a relatively narrow band as fuel efficiency improvements and fuel-switching offset growth pressures.