U.S. Uranium Output Tripled in 2025 to Highest Since 2017, Still Only 7% of Reactor Supply

U.S. uranium concentrate production more than tripled in 2025 to about 2.1 million pounds, the highest annual total since 2017, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s 2025 Domestic Uranium Production Report. EIA said production facilities turned out 2,109,000 pounds of triuranium octoxide, or U3O8, up from 657,000 pounds in 2024.

The rebound was sharp, but it did not come close to meeting overall U.S. reactor demand. Owners and operators of U.S. civilian nuclear reactors purchased 46.9 million pounds of U3O8-equivalent in 2025, according to EIA’s Uranium Marketing Annual, and U.S.-origin uranium accounted for roughly 7% of deliveries. Canada remained the top foreign source. The weighted-average purchase price was about $58.46 per pound.

EIA said the production increase reflected a broader pickup in domestic uranium activity, including the restart of the White Mesa Mill in Utah during 2025. That mill appears to have been a major contributor to the national gain: Energy Fuels said in its 2025 annual report that it processed about 1,015,000 pounds of finished U3O8 during the year.

Mine production also increased, though that figure is not the same as finished concentrate output from mills and in-situ recovery plants. EIA reported 2025 mine production of 1,388,000 pounds U3O8, up from 677,000 pounds in 2024. U.S. mills and in-situ recovery plants shipped 1,874,000 pounds U3O8 in 2025.

“U.S. uranium production facilities produced about 2.1 million pounds of triuranium octoxide (U3O8) concentrate in 2025, a significant increase from the 657,000 pounds produced in 2024,” EIA said in the report, which was released in June 2026 and re-released on Aug. 27.

Other measures in the report also pointed to a stronger year for the sector after a long downturn in domestic output over the past decade. Employment in the U.S. uranium production industry rose to 711 full-time person-years in 2025, up 41% from 506 in 2024. Industry expenditures climbed to $234.7 million from $160 million a year earlier. EIA also reported higher exploration and development drilling activity in 2025 than in 2024.

The figures show both the scale of the rebound and its limits. U3O8, often called yellowcake, is an early-stage uranium product. Before it can be used in most commercial reactors, it must still go through conversion, enrichment and fuel fabrication. That means a jump in U.S. mining and milling does not by itself end dependence on foreign nuclear fuel services or imported uranium supply.

The policy backdrop has also shifted. The Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act was signed into law on May 13, 2024, banning certain imports of Russian natural uranium and low-enriched uranium, with limited waiver authority. The law is part of a broader U.S. push to rebuild domestic nuclear fuel supply chains, though the 2025 production report does not identify it as a sole cause of the output increase.

The result is a mixed picture: 2025 was the strongest year for U.S. uranium concentrate production since 2017, but domestic supply still represented a small slice of what American reactors bought. Most reactor fuel requirements continued to be met from abroad, led by Canada.