In focus USA country profile

Shell has been present in the USA for more than 100 years. We are one of the largest leaseholders in the Gulf of Mexico, where we have one of the lowest greenhouse gas intensities in the world for oil and gas production. 

We operate multiple refining, blending and chemical manufacturing facilities in several states and have extensive trading activities in oil, natural gas, products such as lubricants, feedstocks and electricity. 

Our network of more than 12,000 Shell-branded fuel stations serves around eight million customers daily. We have more than 2,000 Jiffy Lube car maintenance centres in the USA.  

In renewables, our activities range from biofuels (including biogas) and hydrogen to battery storage, large-scale offshore wind development projects and onshore solar and wind power generation.

We employ some 16,000 [A] people in the USA and invest millions of dollars annually in research and development.

[A] The number of employees reflects people in the USA who are employees of Shell, its wholly owned subsidiaries and its operated joint ventures. The number of Shell employees directly employed by the USA Shell-integrated entities is between 12,000 and 13,000.

Minimum corporate tax regimes

Corporate income tax in the USA is imposed at the federal level and by most states and some local governments. State and local taxes and rules vary by jurisdiction, though many are based on federal concepts and definitions.

The statutory federal corporate tax rate has been 21% since 2018, following the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, compared with 35% previously. This tax reform seeks to encourage US companies to repatriate foreign profits and move their headquarters back to the USA.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 introduced a corporate minimum tax of 15% for taxpayers that report more than $1 billion in adjusted earnings averaged over three years. As of 2024, the OECD's Pillar Two framework also applies to Shell companies operating in the USA. 

Tax incentives for the energy transition

The Inflation Reduction Act created or expanded incentives for the energy transition primarily through tax credits for investment in lower-carbon energy, including electric vehicles, wind, solar, energy storage, carbon capture and hydrogen.

The value of these credits significantly increases when a company meets certain requirements, such as paying a competitive wage, employing apprentices, investing in certain designated communities, or sourcing materials in the USA. Some of these tax credits are eligible to be transferred, making them valuable to energy investors regardless of their federal tax profile in a given year.

In 2022, Shell invested in activities in the USA that benefited from these incentives, including the Brazos Wind Farm in Texas and solar projects in several parts of the country.