US refineries ran at 97.4% of operable capacity in the week ending Aug. 21, 2026, according to Energy Information Administration weekly data released Aug. 26. That reading sits near the top of the agency's historical range and marks the highest utilization rate recorded so far this year.

The August figures show a system running with almost no slack. Utilization measured 96.2% in the week ending Aug. 7 and 97.2% on Aug. 14 before the latest step higher. July carried a similar pattern, with readings of 95.8%, 96.2%, 96.1%, 97.2% and 96.5% across the five reporting weeks. June closed the second quarter at 96.6%.

The contrast with the first quarter is sharp. Utilization opened 2026 at 94.7% in the week ending Jan. 2, then slid through the winter maintenance season to 90.5% by Jan. 30 and bottomed at 88.6% in the week ending Feb. 20. Rates recovered through March and April in the 89% to 93% band, then climbed steadily from 90.1% on May 1 to 94.7% by May 29.

The gap between the February low and the August high is 8.8 percentage points. Utilization above the mid-90s leaves little operational headroom, so any unplanned outage, storm-related shutdown or equipment failure translates directly into lost product volume rather than being absorbed by idle capacity. EIA updates the series every Wednesday as part of its weekly petroleum reporting, with the next release scheduled for Sept. 2.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration - https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=WPULEUS3&f=W