Introduction

Electricity powers the engines of the US economy, fueling everything from manufacturing plants to the digital infrastructure behind our connected world. Over the past twenty years, the landscape of electricity consumption by industry has undergone significant transformations, reflecting technological advancements, evolving business models, and shifting economic priorities.

Understanding how different sectors consume electricity not only offers a window into industrial trends but also provides critical insights for policymakers, utility providers, and businesses aiming to optimize efficiency and sustainability. As the US transitions toward a more digital and electrified future, monitoring these consumption patterns becomes ever more important.

This blog post presents a comprehensive analysis of US electricity consumption by industry sector from 2005 to 2025. Using a dynamic, animated race bar chart, we visualize and contextualize the evolving demand across six major sectors: Computer/Electric, Chemical, Other, Transportation, Food/Beverage, and Data Centers.

Let’s explore how these sectors have changed over time and what these shifts tell us about the broader industrial and technological landscape.

Understanding the Data

The visualization is based on historical and projected monthly electricity consumption data (in billion kWh) for six major US industry sectors:

• Computer/Electric: Encompasses electronics manufacturing and related high-tech industries.
• Chemical: Includes the production of chemicals, plastics, and related products.
• Other: Represents all remaining industrial categories not specified elsewhere.
• Transportation: Covers railroads, electric vehicles, and other transport-related electricity use.
• Food/Beverage: Captures processing and production in the food and beverage industries.
• Data Centers: Represents electricity used by large-scale computing facilities (notably absent in early years, but rising rapidly).

The data begins in 2005 and extends through mid-2025, capturing a pivotal period marked by the rise of digital infrastructure, shifts in manufacturing, and growing electrification of transportation. The inclusion of Data Centers as a distinct category starting around 2020 highlights the sector’s recent and dramatic emergence as an energy consumer.

Figure 1: Animated visualization showing the evolution of monthly electricity consumption (in billion kWh) by major US industry sectors from 2005 to 2025. The race bar chart illustrates how Computer/Electric, Chemical, Other, Transportation, Food/Beverage, and Data Centers have changed their relative positions over time, with notable surges in Computer/Electric and Data Center usage in the last five years.

Key Insights & Analysis

A close analysis of the chart reveals several compelling trends:

1. Explosive Growth in Computer/Electric Sector: The Computer/Electric sector starts at just over 3 billion kWh in 2005 and skyrockets to over 120 billion kWh by 2024. This reflects the massive expansion in electronics manufacturing and the proliferation of high-tech industries—possibly including the rise of electric vehicle production and advanced battery manufacturing.

2. Chemical Industry’s Steady Rise: The Chemical sector demonstrates consistent growth, moving from 1.5 billion kWh in 2005 to over 41 billion kWh by 2025. This trend underscores the continued importance of chemical manufacturing in the US industrial base, likely linked to increased demand for plastics, pharmaceuticals, and materials for clean energy technologies.

3. Emergence of Data Centers: Absent in the early years, Data Centers appear as a separate category around 2020 and quickly become one of the top electricity consumers, reaching more than 40 billion kWh by mid-2025. This surge mirrors the exponential growth in cloud computing, AI workloads, and digital services across the economy.

4. ‘Other’ Sector’s Expansion: The catch-all "Other" category also sees substantial growth, indicating broad-based industrial electrification and possibly the inclusion of emerging or hybrid industries.

5. Transportation’s Gradual Uptick: While starting lower, electricity use in Transportation steadily increases, reflecting the gradual adoption of electric vehicles, electrified rail, and infrastructure upgrades.

6. Food/Beverage’s Moderate Growth: The Food and Beverage sector grows at a slower, but steady, pace—suggesting incremental efficiency improvements and moderate industry expansion.

Overall, the data underscores a dramatic shift toward digital and technology-driven electricity demand, with Data Centers and Computer/Electric sectors accounting for much of the recent acceleration. The pace of change in the last five years is particularly striking, highlighting how rapidly industrial energy landscapes can evolve in response to innovation and societal needs.

Conclusion

The past two decades have seen US industrial electricity consumption transform, with digital infrastructure and high-tech manufacturing now leading the charge. The rapid ascent of Data Centers and the Computer/Electric sector signals a new era where information processing and advanced manufacturing are primary drivers of industrial energy use.

For energy planners, policymakers, and industry leaders, these trends emphasize the need for robust, future-forward strategies to meet rising demand, ensure grid reliability, and support sustainability goals. Visualizing these shifts with tools like PlotSet brings much-needed clarity to complex data, empowering better decisions for a more electrified future.