US petroleum refineries are operating at utilization rates near 95 percent of operable capacity, a level that leaves little slack in the system when an outage removes a unit from service. The Energy Information Administration recorded a 94.8 percent utilization rate for December 2025.

That reading sits well above the 2024 annual average of 90.6 percent. The gap of roughly four percentage points represents real throughput, and it also represents the buffer refiners no longer hold when unplanned downtime occurs.

Geographic concentration compounds the exposure. The Gulf Coast refining corridor accounts for more than 50 percent of total national refining capacity. A hurricane, freeze, or extended outage affecting that region removes a disproportionate share of national fuel production, which is the mechanism behind most sharp diesel and gasoline price moves in the US market.

The EIA released its Refinery Capacity Report reflecting January 1, 2026 conditions on June 26, 2026. That report covers distillation and production capacity, crude oil receipts, and the fuel, electricity, and steam refineries purchase to run their own operations.

Weekly data carries the shorter term signal. The agency publishes refiner inputs, operable capacity, percent utilization, and net inputs by US total and by PAD District, with the most recent release dated July 22, 2026. Traders and fuel buyers read that series for early indication of supply disruption before it reaches the pump.

Source: US Energy Information Administration - https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pnp_unc_dcu_nus_m.htm