USGS releases final 2025 List of Critical Minerals

USGS provided technical input to develop the 2025 List of Critical Minerals. As required by the Energy Act of 2020, USGS used an updated methodology to quantify the risks associated with potential supply chain disruptions and recommend mineral commodities for inclusion on the updated 2025 draft List of Critical Minerals.   

The updated methodology uses an economic model that the USGS developed to estimate the potential effects of foreign trade disruptions of mineral commodities on the U.S. economy. The analysis also provides a prioritization based on the results. The economic model has several advantages over previous assessments, including the ability to directly compare the results against other economic risks and the costs of initiatives aimed at reducing the risks. A plain language summary of the methodology follows: 

1. Eighty-four mineral commodities are grouped into supply chains 

2. To determine if the impacts of trade disruption on the U.S. economy are significant, an economics effects assessment and a scenario probabilities assessment are conducted. Over 400 industries and more than 1,200 trade disruption scenarios are analyzed as part of the assessments.    

3. Each mineral commodity is then categorized by its risk of a trade disruption. A risk probability weighting is calculated by multiplying the likelihood of a scenario occurring by the impact of the scenario. If the risk is high, elevated, or moderate, the commodity is proposed for inclusion on the List.   

4. If the risk is limited, negligible, or negative, the commodity is then assessed for a single point of failure in the supply chain. If there is a single domestic producer for that commodity, it is proposed for inclusion on the List. 

Access the full methodology and technical input for the 2025 List.

The page also provides access to the Critical Minerals Atlas, which shows where critical minerals are produced.