At a glance: Texas Texas is the second most populous state in the U.S., with 30,503,301 residents spanning its 268,596 square miles, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The state ranked No. 3 in business in 2024 by CNBC. Known as the energy capital of the country, Texas leads in oil, natural gas, and wind power production, playing a vital role in the nation's economy and energy supply. Energy Texas ranks No. 1 among U.S. states for total energy production, contributing significantly to the country’s natural gas (27%) and crude oil (43%) outputs. Natural gas accounts for 58% of the state’s electricity generation; wind energy accounts for nearly 28%, the highest proportion of any state. In addition to leading in production, Texas is also the largest consumer of energy, primarily natural gas, petroleum, and electricity. It ranks No. 6 in energy consumption per capita. Texas’ residential electricity rate is $0.148/kWh, cheaper than the national average. Commercial electricity rate is also cheaper, Texas commercial users pay a rate of: $0.088/kWh, compared to the national average commercial rate of $0.1259/kWh. Industrial users pay $0.068/kWh, which is below the national average industrial electricity rate of $0.0804/kWh. Texas’ residential natural gas price is $17.60 per thousand cubic feet, above the national average of $14.75, according to the most recently available data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Environment Annual carbon emissions increased 84.2 percent since 1970, while the state’s population soared 122.7 percent during the same span. The population is projected to increase another 62.5 percent, to 47.4 million residents, by 2050. About 5 percent of Texas’s total land is under permanent protection through federal, state, local and nonprofit management, and the federal government lists 118 species in Texas as threatened or endangered.
