In 2023, Canada produced 5.1 million barrels per day (MMb/d) of crude oil in 2023, up 1.9% from the year before. That year, crude oil exports reached a record high of 4 MMb/d, a 3% increase from 2022. Crude oil exports amounted to 81% of Canada’s total oil production in 2023. These exports were valued at $124 billion, representing 16% of the country’s total export value.

The United States was the primary destination for Canadian crude oil. Almost all of Canadian crude oil exports (97%) were delivered to its southern neighbour. The remaining three percent went to the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Norway, Italy, Spain, and Hong Kong.

The share of crude oil that the United States imports from Canada has increased in line with production increases. In 2023, the United States imported 3.8 million barrels per day from Canada, representing about 60% of the total crude oil it imported that year. Between 2013 and 2023, Canada’s share of the United State’s total crude oil increased by 33% from 2.57 million barrels per day to 3.8 million barrels per day. Canada’s share of U.S. crude oil imports crossed the 50% threshold for the first time in 2019 and hovered around 60% between 2020 and 2023.

Alberta was the largest oil-producing region in Canada and contributed 87.4% of the total volume exported to the United States. They were followed by Saskatchewan with 8.9 percent, while Newfoundland and Labrador, British Columbia, and Manitoba contributed 1.9 percent, 1.3 percent, and 0.4 percent, respectively.

Where does Canadian crude oil go in the US?

Canadian crude oil exported to the United States is delivered primarily via a network of pipelines to five regions known as PADDs (Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts).

PADD 1 (East Coast) - Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia
PADD 2 (Midwest) - Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin
PADD 3 (Gulf Coast) - Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas
PADD 4 (Rocky Mountain): Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming.
PADD 5 (West Coast): Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington

In 2023, 61% of the crude oil imported by the United States from Canada, (2.45 million barrels per day) was received by the U.S. Midwest (PADD 2), followed by the U.S. Gulf Coast (PADD 3) with 18.6%, West Coast (PADD 5), U.S. Rocky Mountain (PADD 4) and PADD 1 (U.S. East Coast) received approximately 7.2%, 6.8%, and 2.6% respectively.

Since 2013, there has been a notable shift in the share of the total volume of crude oil exported to different regions of the United States. The volume of crude oil exported to the U.S. has increased in four out of five regions. PADD 3 has seen the greatest increase with exports to this region jumping 505% between 2013 and 2023. Exports to PADD 5 have grown by 47% during this period. PADD 2, historically the largest market for Canadian crude oil, grew by 38%, while PADD 4 saw a 14% increase. Meanwhile, crude oil exports to the PADD 1, the U.S. East Coast, had fallen by 48%.

The Enbridge Mainline system, the largest pipeline system in North America, is the primary system for transporting crude oil from western Canada to the U.S. Midwest, and to the Gulf Coast via a network of connecting pipelines. The Keystone Pipeline also delivers crude oil from Canada to the U.S. Midwest, and into the Gulf Coast by connecting to the Marketlink Pipeline. Below is a map of North America’s crude oil pipeline network.

Sources

The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) works to keep energy moving safely across the country. It reviews energy development projects and shares energy information, all while enforcing some of the strictest safety and environmental standards in the world.
Agency URL
https://www.cer-rec.gc.ca/en/index.html
Details
Market Snapshot: Almost all Canadian crude oil exports went to the United States in 2023, Provincial and Territorial Energy Profiles – Canada & Crude Oil Export Summary
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) collects, analyzes, and disseminates independent and impartial energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding of energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment.
Agency URL
eia.gov
Details
U.S. Imports by Country of Origin, U.S. Energy Atlas - Crude Oil Pipeline Shapefiles