In 1985, United States mines in 26 states produced 895.9 million short tons of coal, an increase of less than 1% from 1984. Of this coal, the Eastern Coal Province (mostly the Appalachian region) produced 48.5%, the western United States (the Rocky Mountain, Northern Great Plains, and Pacific Coal Provinces, and the Alaskan coalfields) produced 30%, the Interior Coal Province produced 21%, and the Gulf Coal Province produced 0.5%. In rank, less than 1% was anthracite, 66% was bituminous, 26% (mostly from the western provinces) was subbituminous, and 8% (from Texas and North Dakota) was lignitic.

About 2,871 coal mines in Kentucky led the nation by producing a record-breaking 169.6 million tons of Pennsylvanian coal, followed by Wyoming with 140.7 million tons of mostly Tertiary subbituminous coal, and West Virginia, which slid to third place with 127.3 million tons of Pennsylvanian coal. Pennsylvania ranked fourth with 66 million tons of mostly bituminous coal (4% was anthracite), and Illinois was fifth with 60.6 million tons of Pennsylvanian bituminous coal.

Surface mines produced 57% of United States coal production in 1985.

New mines were developed in all the coal regions. For the first time, a large captive strip mine began lignite production in Louisiana in 1985 to provide fuel for a nearby 750-MW electricity-generating plant.