Explainer
Why are gas prices high?
Crude oil, refining, taxes, and the forces behind the price at the pump.
Explore the explanationUnderstand energy.
Follow the facts.
Clear answers, useful charts, and the sources behind every number.
The data behind energy questions
Oil & energy security
How much oil is in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve?
285.4 million barrels · EIA, week ending September 4, 2026
Year-end observations + latest week
Electricity costs
Where are electricity rates rising?
Energy in numbers
Data updatesFind the data for where you live
Local costs. Global comparisons.
Explore the energy system
U.S. energy facts
More questions worth exploring
What do the Hormuz numbers really measure?
Oil flows, shipping activity, and the limits of the available data.
Why is my electric bill so high?
Separate your electricity rate, the energy you use, and your total bill.
Why has ozone stopped improving?
What the emissions and air-quality records can—and cannot—explain.
Every figure dated. Every source linked.
Explore the original sources, see how each figure is calculated, and follow revisions as new data arrive.
Site updated September 15, 2026 · Each figure carries its own data period.
Photography credits
- New York skyline with light trails: Davide Cantelli via Unsplash and Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
- Transmission towers: Foto3821, CC0.
- Valero Meraux refinery in Louisiana: Jacinta Quesada, FEMA, public domain. Photographed in 2008.
- Vogtle nuclear station in Georgia: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, public domain. Historical photograph of the original two-unit plant.
- Seattle skyline: katdavis733, CC0.
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Photographs are resized, converted to WebP, and cropped for display. Photographs illustrate topics; they do not establish current operating status or measured air quality.