Regional analysis is central to applied geographic research, contributing to better planning and policy development for a variety of societal problems facing the United States. The development of energy policy serves as an illustration of the capabilities of this type of analysis. The United States has had little success in formulating a national energy policy, partly because it has failed to consider that various energy forms have regional patterns of need, availability, acceptance, and cost effectiveness. A successful policy must reflect this regional variation. Policy formulation should involve classification, mapping, and spatial analysis of regional characteristics as they relate to population densities, transportation systems, and socioeconomic variables. Several volumes on geographic data processing systems and computer programs are available to facilitate such analysis. Geographic analysis of local factors such as urban clustering are also relevant to energy policy formulation. Implementation of planned settlements would enable energy saving measures such as transportation cost cuts and district heating systems. Because of the uses of regional analysis in applied geography, greater emphasis should be given to this approach in graduate and undergraduate programs, both in methodology and substance courses. The paper includes samples of regional analysis maps and computer programs. (LP)