where does the us get most of its oll
The United States gets most of its oil from itself and from Canada, with Mexico and a few other countries as smaller but important suppliers.
Quick Scoop: Short Answer
- Most of the oil used in the U.S. now comes from domestic production (U.S. fields, especially Texas, New Mexico, and North Dakota).
- Of the oil that the U.S. imports , the biggest share comes from Canada , followed by Mexico , Saudi Arabia , Iraq , and a few others.
Where does the US get most of its oil?
- The U.S. is one of the world’s largest crude oil producers, and around half or more of the crude that U.S. refineries run comes from inside the United States itself.
- The rest is imported, and Canada is by far the largest foreign source , providing over half of U.S. crude oil imports in recent years.
Think of it like this: most oil is “home‑grown,” and when the U.S. does buy from abroad, it mostly buys from its neighbors in North America , especially Canada and Mexico.
Main foreign suppliers (imports)
Here’s a simple view of where most imported oil comes from:
| Source | Role for U.S. oil |
|---|---|
| United States (domestic) | Largest overall source; majority of crude run in U.S. refineries is produced inside the country. | [1][3][8]
| Canada | Biggest foreign supplier; over half of U.S. crude oil imports in recent years. | [5][7][8][9]
| Mexico | Second‑tier but important neighbor; consistently one of the top import sources. | [3][9][5]
| Saudi Arabia & other Persian Gulf states | Provide a smaller share than Canada, but still notable, especially certain crude types U.S. refineries like. | [8][5]
| Others (e.g., Brazil, Colombia, Iraq) | Smaller but useful sources that help diversify supply. | [7][9][5]
Why not “mostly the Middle East”?
- Older discussions often implied the U.S. relied mainly on the Middle East, but today most imported oil comes from Canada and Mexico , not the Persian Gulf.
- The U.S. also exports some of its own oil and imports specific types that fit what its refineries are designed to run, which is why trade flows can look complex.
In forum discussions and trending posts, a common “today I learned” theme is that a big majority of U.S. oil supply comes from within the Americas , not just the Middle East.
Time context (as of mid‑2020s)
- Recent official data through 2022–2023 still show Canada as the dominant import source and domestic output as the backbone of U.S. supply.
- Month to month, the exact percentages move a bit with prices, politics, and demand, but the basic pattern—U.S. + Canada first, then others —has held up in the latest stats.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.