Nuclear Energy Generation by State

Dobresum/iStock/Getty images 

Last updated August, 2025

Nuclear energy remains a major power source in the U.S. Nuclear power accounts for 18.1% of the total electricity generated in the country, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Choose Energy’s nuclear generation report analyzes the latest available EIA data (May 2025) to determine which states produce the most nuclear power. The tables on this page highlight how nuclear generation has changed nationally and at the state level. You can use this information to compare nuclear energy by state.

(The following states did not generate a significant amount of nuclear energy in March, so they will not be included in the findings below: Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.)

In May, Illinois generated the most nuclear energy, according to the EIA’s most recent data. Illinois produced 8,394 thousand megawatt-hours, followed by Pennsylvania – 5,428, and South Carolina – 5,031.

Nationally, nuclear energy generation increased approximately 7.3% from April to May. The U.S. produced a total of 62, 145 thousand megawatt-hours of nuclear power in May 2025. Texas’ nuclear power generation decreased by 0.2%. Ohio experienced the highest increase in nuclear energy production at 80%, while production in Washington decreased by 101.3%, marking the most significant drop in the United States from April to May.

Following is a list of the states with significant nuclear energy generation, the amounts (in thousand megawatt-hours) produced in May 2025, and how the percentage generation changed from the previous month.

While nuclear energy rose nationally over the course of the year, several states experienced a decrease in production. Washington’s nuclear generation dropped the most, falling 100.3% since last year.

The following table shows the states that experienced the sharpest decrease in nuclear generation year over year.

Nuclear energy currently makes up 18.1% of all electricity generated in the U.S. In May, South Carolina produced the highest percentage of electricity from nuclear power. A whopping 60% of the state’s electricity came from nuclear sources.

The following table shows which states produced the highest percentage of their electricity from nuclear energy.

Are you a journalist or researcher writing about nuclear generation of electricity who needs to know more about historical rates? Send us details about what you need and we’ll get back to you with an answer and a relevant quote from one of our rate experts.