Largest crude oil refineries in the U.S. 2024

As of January 1, 2024, the Marathon Petroleum refinery in Galveston Bay, Texas was the largest crude oil refinery in the United States, with a refining capacity of 631,000 barrels per calendar day. The largest five oil refineries in the country are all located in the Gulf Coast (PADD 3), with four facilities in Texas and one in Louisiana. The ubiquity of refineries in Texas is unsurprising, given that the state is also the leading oil-producing U.S. state.

The U.S. refining industry

The number of operational refineries in the U.S. has notably declined since the 1980s. However, despite the 1980 oil shock resulting in closures of smaller refineries, many more began expanding, which explains the comparatively smaller loss in U.S. refining capacity since then.

Future spells trouble for refining industry

As many countries plan stringent fossil fuel exit strategies and introduce carbon taxes, refining margins and as such the profitability of individual refineries are expected to be affected. This would affect the European market in particular where climate change mitigation targets are some of the strictest in the world. In a bid to cutting costs, BP has already announced the closure of one of its largest refineries in Germany from 2025 onward. Meanwhile, many of the largest oil refineries in the world are located in Asia.