According to our recently released Natural Gas Annual, natural gas consumption in all sectors in the United States was effectively flat between 2020 and 2021, down by only 0.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d). U.S. natural gas consumption reached a record 85.3 Bcf/d in 2019 and has declined annually since then. Reduced economic activity during the COVID-19 pandemic reduced natural gas consumption in key demand sectors. The decline in natural gas used in the electric power sector, the largest U.S. natural gas-consuming sector, drove the total decline, falling by 3% in 2021 and reversing four years of annual growth in the sector.