S&P Global Study: U.S. LNG on Pace for Second-Largest Net Export Industry Rank Within Five Years
U.S. liquefied natural gas exports are on pace to become the country's second-largest net export industry within five years, according to a new S&P Global energy study released July 16, 2026. The report ties that projection to 555,000 jobs supported annually and $1.4 trillion in GDP contribution through 2040. Domestic natural gas prices, S&P Global projects, will remain among the lowest in the world across that same horizon.
Key takeaways
- A new S&P Global study released July 16, 2026 projects U.S. liquefied natural gas exports will become the country's second-largest net export industry within five years.
- The report ties the projection to 555,000 jobs supported annually and $1.4 trillion in GDP contribution through 2040.
- S&P Global projects U.S. domestic natural gas prices will remain among the lowest in the world through 2040.
- The low domestic price projection is the structural premise that makes the LNG export model viable by funding export infrastructure and related jobs.
- The study does not attach project-level approvals or individual terminal timelines to its five-year projection.
U.S. liquefied natural gas exports are on pace to become the country's second-largest net export industry within five years, according to a new S&P Global energy study released July 16, 2026. The report ties that projection to 555,000 jobs supported annually and $1.4 trillion in GDP contribution through 2040. Domestic natural gas prices, S&P Global projects, will remain among the lowest in the world across that same horizon.
The numbers
The $1.4 trillion GDP figure covers the period through 2040, a roughly 14-year span from the study's release. The 555,000-job count is presented as an annual figure, meaning LNG export growth sustains more than half a million jobs per year at pace rather than adding that number as a one-time total.
S&P Global produced the study, released from Washington. The industry ranking places U.S. LNG among the most significant categories in the country's net export mix within the five-year window.
What the setup suggests
The domestic price projection is the structural premise behind every other number in the study. S&P Global's finding that U.S. natural gas prices will hold near the world's lowest levels is what makes the LNG export model viable: the spread between domestic production costs and international destination prices funds the export infrastructure and the employment tied to it.
That price floor assumption carries real weight for anyone evaluating U.S. LNG investment exposure. If domestic supply growth keeps prices suppressed, the business case for new export capacity holds. The study does not, as presented, attach project-level approvals or individual terminal timelines to the five-year projection.
What to watch
The full S&P Global report and any legislative or regulatory reaction to the job and GDP figures are the next confirmable events. The five-year window defines the outer boundary for when U.S. LNG would clear the second-largest net export industry threshold. Whether S&P Global's baseline scenario builds in new export terminal approvals beyond already-permitted capacity would materially change how to read the 555,000-job figure.
Related reading
Filed by the macro desk of MarketPR on July 16, 2026. Source: prnewswire.com. Indicative figures are not investment advice.