U.S. Crude Oil Production Is Barreling On

Dec 5th 2025:U.S. Crude Oil Production Is Barreling On Crude oil production in the United States is booming. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Field Production of Crude Oil reached 13.8 Million barrels per day (Mb/d) in September 2025, a remarkable recovery since bottoming out in 2008 below 5 Mb/d. The shale oil boom was primarily responsible for this turnaround. The decision to allow crude oil exports from the U.S. at the end of 2015 also contributed, because it made U.S. crude accessible to the international market. This export access converged U.S. oil prices with global benchmarks, narrowing Brent – WTI spreads and boosting domestic production. Over the last 10-15 years, shale production in the U.S. has increased rapidly, both in real terms, and as a percentage of total U.S. production. In October 2025, shale output reached 9.04 Mb/d, representing 65% of total U.S. production. As shale production expanded, U.S. crude oil exports followed suit. At the end of 2015, just before the overall ban was lifted, exports were below 500 Kb/d. Since 2023, exports have averaged above 4.0 Mb/d. However, the rapid growth in shale production seems to have leveled of and export growth has slowed this year as well. Which begs the question: Are we at peak U.S. production (and exports)? Please fill in below form to continue read.