Report outlines propane’s US reach, economic impact

A study the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) commissioned and ICF International prepared shows the propane industry contributed $38.7 billion to U.S. gross domestic product and employed 49,721 domestic workers in 2012, the most recent year data was available.

The report, “Impact of the U.S. Consumer Propane Industry on U.S. and State Economies in 2012,” aggregates gross domestic product values, as well as the contribution of the odorized propane industry to employment and wages on a national and state-by-state level. Previous iterations of the report were released in 2004 and 2011, according to PERC. Data from the latest report shows the U.S. is now the leading producer of propane worldwide and contributes 20 percent of global propane supply.

According to the report, more than 50 percent of propane sales are attributed to residential uses, such as space heating, cooking and clothes drying. Americans use 8.9 billion gallons of propane each year, and more than 5.5 million American households depend on propane for their primary space heating fuel.

Propane use saw its greatest gains in new applications, according to PERC. The report indicates that propane is increasingly used to power agricultural and commercial equipment for irrigation, landscaping and transportation. In 2012, the propane industry directly served more than 800,000 commercial customers, nearly 200,000 industrial customers and more than 300,000 agricultural customers.