How long Texas wells have waited since spud without reported first production, how that backlog has moved over 24 months, and where it sits by county. DUC here is a proxy: a well spudded in the last three years with no first production reported yet. It includes dry holes, injection wells and reporting lag, and does not establish completion status.
Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Last computed: 2026-10-02.
Quick answer: 4,938 Texas wells were spudded in the last three years with no first production reported, by Buckhead Energy’s count; the median one has waited 284 days since spud, and the backlog changed -33.9% from Aug 2024 to Jul 2026. This DUC proxy includes dry holes, injection wells and reporting lag, so it is not a completion queue.
Here a DUC is a proxy: a well spudded in the last three years with no first production reported yet. The records carry no completion status, so the count also includes dry holes, injection wells and wells whose production has not been reported yet.
The median well in the proxy has waited 284 days since spud; the 90th percentile is 927 days. Percentiles are published only when at least 5 wells stand behind them.
By wells in the proxy: Midland County (452), Martin County (349), Reeves County (349).
For spuds 12 to 36 months old that reached first production, the median was 181 days.
Percentiles of days since spud across wells in the DUC proxy. Percentiles resting on fewer than 5 wells show n<5.
| Wells | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,938 | 146 | 284 | 675 | 927 |
Wells in the proxy at each month end, newest first, with their median age. Months with fewer than 3 wells are withheld.
| Month | Wells | Median days since spud |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 2026 | 4,662 | 280 |
| Jun 2026 | 4,685 | 273 |
| May 2026 | 4,829 | 282 |
| Apr 2026 | 4,976 | 274 |
| Mar 2026 | 5,094 | 295 |
| Feb 2026 | 5,247 | 288 |
| Jan 2026 | 5,431 | 281 |
| Dec 2025 | 5,658 | 272 |
| Nov 2025 | 5,898 | 268 |
| Oct 2025 | 5,987 | 259 |
| Sep 2025 | 6,048 | 251 |
| Aug 2025 | 6,169 | 240 |
| Jul 2025 | 6,275 | 242 |
| Jun 2025 | 6,461 | 234 |
| May 2025 | 6,559 | 232 |
| Apr 2025 | 6,658 | 232 |
| Mar 2025 | 6,693 | 241 |
| Feb 2025 | 6,811 | 238 |
| Jan 2025 | 6,822 | 245 |
| Dec 2024 | 6,826 | 246 |
| Nov 2024 | 6,841 | 246 |
| Oct 2024 | 6,818 | 240 |
| Sep 2024 | 6,979 | 234 |
| Aug 2024 | 7,058 | 218 |
Ranked by wells in the DUC proxy. At most 25 counties are shown; counties with fewer than 3 are withheld.
| County | Wells | Median days since spud | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midland | 452 | 268 | 915 |
| Martin | 349 | 262 | 917 |
| Reeves | 349 | 244 | 944 |
| Loving | 319 | 346 | 912 |
| Upton | 282 | 208 | 728 |
| Reagan | 203 | 232 | 845 |
| Webb | 151 | 219 | 888 |
| Glasscock | 138 | 235 | 860 |
| Andrews | 137 | 285 | 836 |
| Howard | 128 | 249 | 974 |
| Culberson | 121 | 594 | 935 |
| Ector | 112 | 324 | 837 |
| Crane | 112 | 318 | 957 |
| Ward | 109 | 374 | 896 |
| Winkler | 91 | 524 | 916 |
| De Witt | 85 | 244 | 869 |
| Harrison | 75 | 253 | 723 |
| Yoakum | 74 | 209 | 999 |
| La Salle | 74 | 309 | 935 |
| Karnes | 67 | 146 | 917 |
| McMullen | 66 | 185 | 850 |
| San Augustine | 60 | 146 | 571 |
| Borden | 54 | 324 | 898 |
| Gaines | 53 | 494 | 1,008 |
| Panola | 50 | 267 | 882 |
For spuds 12–36 months old that reached first production, the days between spud and first production.
| Wells | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11,169 | 119 | 181 | 249 |
Buckhead Energy computes every figure on this page from grouped records in public oil and gas data. The page shows counts, sums, percentiles and indexes only; it does not list individual wells, leases or permits.
Counts under 3 wells and percentiles under 5 wells are withheld; totals are floors.
DUC here is a proxy: a well spudded in the last three years with no first production reported yet. It includes dry holes, injection wells and reporting lag, and does not establish completion status.
Cycle-time cohorts: permit-to-spud uses permits 6–36 months old; spud-to-first-production uses spuds 12–36 months old.
Last computed: 2026-10-02. These figures are informational only and are not a valuation of any mineral or royalty interest.
Activity in a county does not establish anything about a specific tract. Compare these figures with your own lease, division order and statements when considering your mineral rights.
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