Energy plays a vital role in ensuring both the security and economic prosperity of the United States. Gaining a clear understanding of how energy production and dependency are distributed across regions helps reveal not only the strengths and opportunities within the U.S. energy sector, but also potential vulnerabilities. In this assignment, I analyze state-level energy production and consumption data—sourced directly from the course assignment itself—using interactive visualizations created with the help of Copilot to explore these patterns and their broader significance.
Specifically, this analysis addresses the following research question: How do state-level energy production patterns reflect regional strengths and vulnerabilities, and what are the implications for U.S. energy security? By examining these dynamics, the assignment aims to provide insights that can inform strategies for enhancing the nation’s energy resilience.
The map above visualizes the state-level energy dependency ratio across the United States, with lighter shades representing lower ratios (greater energy self-sufficiency or export) and darker shades indicating higher dependency on energy imports. With the help of Copilot, I was able to create this interactive map, which reveals distinct regional patterns: many states in the Midwest and the interior West display lower dependency ratios, highlighting their strengths as energy producers and exporters, likely due to abundant fossil fuel, nuclear, or renewable resources. In contrast, states along the East Coast, Southeast, and parts of the West—depicted in darker blues—have higher dependency ratios, reflecting greater reliance on imported energy to meet their consumption needs. This regional variation underscores both strengths and vulnerabilities in U.S. energy security: states with high dependency ratios are more exposed to potential supply disruptions or price volatility, while net-exporting states contribute to the overall resilience of the national energy system. By using the map to identify these patterns, policymakers can better understand where to prioritize investments in local energy production, infrastructure, or diversification strategies to enhance regional and national energy security.