Bitcoin mining revenue lowest in two years, hash rate on the decline

The revenue earned by Bitcoin (BTC) miners fell to two-year lows owing to poor market performance and a heavier computational demand amid rising network difficulty. However, an ongoing downturn in the Bitcoin hash rate over the past month has allowed miners to recoup losses.

The total Bitcoin mining revenue — block rewards and transaction fees — in U.S. dollars fell down to $11.67 million, a number last seen on Nov. 2, 2020, when Bitcoin’s trading price was around $13,500.

While the current market price of around $16,500 suggests an obvious increase in mining revenue, factors including greater mining difficulty and rising energy prices contribute to lower income in dollar terms.

Adding to the above, the difficulty of mining a Bitcoin block has skyrocketed to an all-time high of almost 37 trillion — forcing Bitcoin miners to spend more energy and computational power to stay competitive.

However, over the past three months, the hash rate of the Bitcoin network witnessed a steady decline. The hash rate stands at 225.9 exahash per second (EH/s), which fell 28.6% from its all-time of 316,7 EH/s on Oct. 31, 2022.

The hash rate is a security metric that helps protect the Bitcoin network from double-spending attacks. However, considering the grand scheme of things, temporary measures taken by the community include acquiring cheaper mining hardware and resettling in jurisdictions with low energy prices.

Related: Bitcoin miners look to software to help balance the Texas grid

New York City mayor Eric Adams believes that goal to make New York a crypto hub can be combined with statewide efforts to curb environmental costs related to crypto mining.

“I’m going to work with the legislators who are in support and those who have concerns, and I believe we are going to come to a great meeting place,” said Adams while revealing that the city will work with legislators to find a balance between the crypto industry development and legislative needs.