The above infographic maps US non-fuel mineral production by state in 2021 using data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
As the US economy restarted in 2021, American mines generated over$90 billionin non-fuel mineral production, a 12% increase from 2020.
Before diving into the breakdown by state, here’s a look at production value by mineral type:
Each of the categories accounted for roughlyone-thirdof the total production value, withmetalsmaking up the largest share. Within metals, copper and gold collectively accounted for66%of the total, followed by iron ore (13%) and zinc (7%).
The production ofsand, gravel, and crushed stone—important inputs for construction—also made up a significant chunk of the value, along with other industrial minerals. Furthermore, crushed stone was the leading non-fuel mineral in 2021, with$19.3 billionin production value.
Arizona, Nevada, Texas, California, and Minnesota—the top five states—accounted for nearly40%of non-fuel mineral production value.
Arizona and Nevada, the top two states, are the country’s biggest producers ofcopperand gold, respectively. Arizona also produced over $1 billion worth of construction sand and gravel in 2021, in addition to being the country’s leading producer of gemstones.
In third place was Texas, where mines produced nearly$6 billionworth of non-fuel minerals, of which38%came from crushed stone. California, meanwhile, led in the production of construction sand and gravel, and was the country’s sole source ofrare earth elements.
Minnesota also made the top five as the nation’s largest producer of iron ore. In fact, mines in Minnesota and Michigan shipped98%of domestic usable iron ore products in 2021.
Although the U.S. is a major producer of non-fuel minerals, it still relies on imports for the supply of several minerals.
In 2021, the U.S. imported $5.3 billion worth of raw materials, in addition to$90 billionin net imports of processed mineral materials. Of the50 mineralsdeemed critical to national security, the country was100%net import reliant for 26, including graphite, manganese, and several rare earth metals.
To meet the rising demand for these minerals, U.S. President Bidenannouncedmajor investments in domestic critical mineral production, including a$35 milliongrant to MP Materials for the processing of rare earths.
It remains to be seen whether these investments will pay off in building more resilient, end-to-end domestic critical mineral supply chains.
(This article first appeared in theVisual Capitalist Elements)
