The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported on Friday that domestic crude oil production declined for the second consecutive month in December, falling to its lowest level since June of last year. At the same time, demand reached a multi-month high.

According to the EIA report, average daily crude production in December was 13.66 million barrels, a decrease of approximately 133,000 barrels per day compared to November. This represents the largest month-over-month drop in U.S. crude output since severe weather forced major production centers to shut down in January 2025.

Analysts predict that oil production will slow due to recent declines in oil prices. Last Friday, U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were trading near $67 per barrel, compared to an average of $77.50 per barrel in 2024.

EIA data showed that total U.S. petroleum demand increased by 624,000 barrels per day in December, reaching 20.85 million barrels per day, the highest level since last August. The data indicated that gasoline demand rose by 101,000 barrels per day to 8.78 million barrels per day. Demand for distillate fuels, including diesel and heating oil, also increased by 16,000 barrels per day.

In November, total natural gas production in the lower 48 states reached a new record high of 135.9 billion cubic feet per day, surpassing the previous record of 134.2 billion cubic feet per day.

Among major natural gas-producing states, Texas saw its monthly production increase by 1% in December to a record 38.5 billion cubic feet per day. The EIA reported that Pennsylvania's output also grew by 2%, reaching 21.5 billion cubic feet per day.

In comparison, Texas's previous monthly production record, set in November, was 38.2 billion cubic feet per day. Pennsylvania's all-time high for daily production remains 21.9 billion cubic feet per day, established in December 2021.