Ranked: The Top 10 Largest Gas Utilities in the U.S.
In 2022, natural gas accounted for one-third of U.S. total primary energy consumption, equivalent to roughly 32.3 trillion cubic feet. Natural gas is often touted as a transition fuel on the road to net zero by 2050. But as the U.S. transitions from natural gas to carbon-free energy, which gas utilities are the largest?
In collaboration with the National Public Utilities Council, we present the 2024 edition of our Annual Utility Decarbonization Index. The index uses the latest data to track the comparative decarbonization progress of the 47 largest investor-owned utilities in the United States.
And for the first time this year, the report includes a ranking of the largest gas utilities in the U.S. by sales volume and how much emissions they produce.
Atmos Energy Leads the Nation
The following list of the U.S. gas utilities with the highest reported sales volumes according to the most recent data available includes their parent companies, many of which were also ranked on this year’s decarbonization index.
| Rank | Company Name | Parent Company | 2022 Residential and Commercial Sales Volumes in Thousands of Cubic Feet (Mcf) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atmos Energy Corporation | N/A | 287,096,250 |
| 2 | Southern California Gas Company | Sempra | 279,397,029 |
| 3 | Nicor Gas | Southern Company | 256,763,921 |
| 4 | Consumers Energy Company | N/A | 220,000,720 |
| 5 | Pacific Gas | PG&E Corporation | 204,591,551 |
| 6 | Public Service Electric & Gas | Public Service Enterprise Group Inc | 184,964,938 |
| 7 | DTE Gas Company | DTE Energy Co | 140,736,403 |
| 8 | Public Service Company of Colorado | Xcel Energy | 135,886,467 |
| 9 | Centerpoint Energy | N/A | 135,295,797 |
| 10 | Southwest Gas Corporation | N/A | 118,264,804 |
The leading gas utility in the U.S. is Atmos Energy. Based out of Dallas, Texas, the company was founded in 1908 and today it provides natural gas to nine different states. Despite having the most reported sales, the company does not lead gas utilities in emissions.
The runner-up for the largest gas utility is the Southern California Gas Company. Founded in 1867, it is the primary provider of natural gas to Los Angeles and southern California.
Natural gas remains an integral part of the U.S. economy. Until a complete transition to carbon-free energy sources is achieved, reducing these emissions will be essential for U.S. climate goals.
Reductions can be supported through carbon capture and storage technologies, reducing methane leaks, and blending natural gas with renewable gases like hydrogen or biogas.
Download the 2024 Annual Utility Decarbonization Report
There’s much more than gas utility rankings in the Decarbonization Report, including:
- Inflation Reduction Act impacts
- Costs of renewables
- Year-to-year progression from the previous index
- Fuel mix rankings for the largest public utilities
- Clean energy investment comparisons of investor-owned utilities
Download the 2024 NPUC Annual Utility Decarbonization Report to find out everything you need to know about the clean energy transition in the U.S. power sector.
