Pipeline Incidents by State
PHMSA pipeline incident data broken down by U.S. state, from 8,834 recorded incidents.
Pipeline incident frequency by state is largely determined by the volume of pipeline infrastructure present. States with major oil and gas production — Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Wyoming — have extensive pipeline networks that naturally generate more incident reports. Large petrochemical transmission corridors and distribution systems in the Gulf Coast region account for a significant share of all reported pipeline incidents nationally. Incident counts alone do not reflect safety performance without considering the total miles of pipeline in each state.
Pipeline Incidents by State
States ranked by total PHMSA-reported pipeline incidents.
| # | State | Incidents | Browse |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California (CA) | 175 | Browse |
| 2 | Texas (TX) | 129 | Browse |
| 3 | New York (NY) | 125 | Browse |
| 4 | Michigan (MI) | 102 | Browse |
| 5 | Ohio (OH) | 72 | Browse |
| 6 | Pennsylvania (PA) | 55 | Browse |
| 7 | Georgia (GA) | 53 | Browse |
| 8 | Illinois (IL) | 49 | Browse |
| 9 | Missouri (MO) | 40 | Browse |
| 10 | Minnesota (MN) | 37 | Browse |
| 11 | Maryland (MD) | 36 | Browse |
| 12 | New Jersey (NJ) | 34 | Browse |
| 13 | Indiana (IN) | 33 | Browse |
| 14 | Massachusetts (MA) | 33 | Browse |
| 15 | Washington (WA) | 32 | Browse |
| 16 | Florida (FL) | 32 | Browse |
| 17 | Virginia (VA) | 31 | Browse |
| 18 | Colorado (CO) | 28 | Browse |
| 19 | North Carolina (NC) | 27 | Browse |
| 20 | Tennessee (TN) | 24 | Browse |
| 21 | Nebraska (NE) | 24 | Browse |
| 22 | Nevada (NV) | 22 | Browse |
| 23 | Alabama (AL) | 22 | Browse |
| 24 | Kansas (KS) | 21 | Browse |
| 25 | Arizona (AZ) | 21 | Browse |
| 26 | Oklahoma (OK) | 20 | Browse |
| 27 | Louisiana (LA) | 17 | Browse |
| 28 | New Mexico (NM) | 15 | Browse |
| 29 | Kentucky (KY) | 14 | Browse |
| 30 | Arkansas (AR) | 14 | Browse |
| 31 | South Carolina (SC) | 13 | Browse |
| 32 | Idaho (ID) | 12 | Browse |
| 33 | Iowa (IA) | 12 | Browse |
| 34 | Utah (UT) | 12 | Browse |
| 35 | West Virginia (WV) | 12 | Browse |
| 36 | Montana (MT) | 11 | Browse |
| 37 | Mississippi (MS) | 9 | Browse |
| 38 | Alaska (AK) | 8 | Browse |
| 39 | South Dakota (SD) | 7 | Browse |
| 40 | Wisconsin (WI) | 7 | Browse |
| 41 | Oregon (OR) | 6 | Browse |
| 42 | Rhode Island (RI) | 6 | Browse |
| 43 | Washington D.C. (DC) | 5 | Browse |
| 44 | Hawaii (HI) | 4 | Browse |
| 45 | Connecticut (CT) | 4 | Browse |
| 46 | Wyoming (WY) | 4 | Browse |
| 47 | North Dakota (ND) | 3 | Browse |
| 48 | Delaware (DE) | 3 | Browse |
| 49 | New Hampshire (NH) | 2 | Browse |
| 50 | Vermont (VT) | 1 | Browse |
Incident location reflects the state where the pipeline incident occurred as reported to PHMSA.
Why Pipeline Incidents Concentrate in Certain States
Oil and Gas Production Hubs
Texas dominates pipeline incident statistics because it is home to the largest concentration of oil and gas pipeline infrastructure in the United States — including gathering lines, transmission pipelines, and distribution systems serving major metropolitan areas. The Permian Basin, Eagle Ford Shale, and Gulf Coast petrochemical corridor collectively contain hundreds of thousands of miles of pipeline. Oklahoma, Louisiana, and West Virginia similarly reflect the concentration of energy production and transportation infrastructure in those states.
Types of Pipeline Incidents
PHMSA reports pipeline incidents across gas transmission, gas distribution, hazardous liquid, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) systems. The most common causes include material or weld failure, corrosion, excavation damage by third parties, and equipment malfunction. Natural gas distribution incidents — which typically involve smaller diameter pipes serving homes and businesses — are geographically more dispersed and tend to concentrate in densely populated states like New York, California, and Pennsylvania where the distribution network is extensive and aging.
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