Reference
Natural gas Btu by state
Every unit converter, including ours, defaults to the US average of 1037 Btu per cubic foot. This is what wells actually measured, taken from the gas analyses their state regulators publish.
Generated from Atlas gas-composition data
Current measurements
One state publishes gas analyses often enough to describe gas being produced now. Colorado runs a median of 1210 Btu per cubic foot across 19,485 samples taken since 2015, about 17 percent above the national average. Converting Colorado volumes on the 1037 figure understates energy by roughly that margin.
| State | Median Btu/scf | p10 | p90 | Samples | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 1,210 | 934 | 1,347 | 19,485 | 2015 to 2024 |
The p10 and p90 columns matter as much as the median: Colorado gas runs from 934 to 1,347 Btu per cubic foot across the middle 80 percent of samples. A single state average is itself an approximation.
Historical only, not current
The remaining states have no gas analyses in our data after 2013. What exists is the USGS survey, whose samples are mostly mid-century. These figures describe the gas those wells produced decades ago and should not be used as current values. They are published because they are the best public measurement that exists for those states, and every row carries the years it came from.
| State | Median Btu/scf | p10 | p90 | Samples | Years | Median year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 1,067 | 863.1 | 1,210 | 4,602 | 1919 to 2013 | 1969 |
| Oklahoma | 1,073 | 862 | 1,213 | 2,943 | 1919 to 2009 | 1968 |
| Wyoming | 1,092 | 925 | 1,270 | 1,598 | 1920 to 2012 | 1972 |
| New Mexico | 1,089 | 712.6 | 1,262 | 1,040 | 1924 to 2007 | 1975 |
| West Virginia | 1,100 | 1,008 | 1,240 | 479 | 1919 to 2003 | 1964 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,033 | 1,005 | 1,141 | 390 | 1920 to 2003 | 1966 |
| Ohio | 1,072 | 978.3 | 1,172 | 234 | 1919 to 2000 | 1965 |
Why heating value varies
Pure methane carries roughly 1,010 Btu per cubic foot. Ethane, propane and butane carry more, so wet gas measures higher; nitrogen and carbon dioxide carry none, so diluted gas measures lower. The mix is a property of the formation, which is why a national average describes no particular well and why the gas unit converter makes heating value a field you can edit rather than a constant.
For anything that has to hold up, use the analysis for the stream being measured. These medians are context for a sanity check, not a substitute for a measurement.
Where this comes from
- Colorado
- Gas analyses published by the state regulator and carried in Atlas. 19,485 samples between 2015 and 2024.
- All other states
- The USGS gas-composition survey. Comprehensive for its time and not replaced since; the newest sample in our data is from 2013.
- Filter
- Heating values between 300 and 2500 Btu/scf. Values outside that band are unit errors or sentinels rather than natural gas.
- Machine-readable
- /data/gas-heating-values.json carries every figure here with its sample count and year range.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Btu content of natural gas?
The US average is 1037 Btu per cubic foot, published by the EIA for 2025. That is an average of gas delivered to consumers, not a property of the gas in any particular field. Colorado wells sampled since 2015 run a median of 1210 Btu per cubic foot, about 17 percent higher.
Why does natural gas heating value vary?
Methane alone carries roughly 1,010 Btu per cubic foot. Heavier hydrocarbons carry more, so wet gas rich in ethane, propane and butane measures higher, and gas diluted with nitrogen or carbon dioxide measures lower. The mix depends on the formation, so heating value is a property of the well rather than of natural gas as a category.
Does using the national average introduce error?
Yes, and it is one-directional. Converting Colorado volumes with the 1037 national average understates energy by roughly 17 percent against what those wells measured. For a custody transfer or a filing, use the gas analysis for the specific stream instead of any average.
Where these numbers come from
TetraSoft Atlas maps wells, production, gas composition and emissions across eight states. Free to explore.
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