199,282 wells across 13,020 active operators, with 493 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months.
Refreshed monthly from IDNR well-header records. Data current as of 2026-08-02.
Quick answer: The Illinois Basin formation in Illinois has 199,282 wells on record across 13,020 active operators, with 493 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months (as of 2026-08-02). Its most active operators by well count are The Ohio Oil, Marathon Oil Company, The Texas Company, Pure Oil Company and Texaco. Compiled from Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) well-header records, refreshed monthly.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Illinois Basin formation in Illinois:
| # | Operator | Wells in Illinois Basin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Ohio Oil | 10,768 |
| 2 | Marathon Oil Company | 4,511 |
| 3 | The Texas Company | 4,094 |
| 4 | Pure Oil Company | 3,187 |
| 5 | Texaco | 2,426 |
| 6 | Ohio Oil Company | 2,179 |
| 7 | The Pure Oil Company | 1,943 |
| 8 | The Carter Oil | 1,811 |
| 9 | Forest Oil | 1,671 |
| 10 | Magnolia Petroleum Company | 1,602 |
The Illinois counties with the most Illinois Basin activity:
Crawford, White, Lawrence, Wayne, Peoria
The most recent 100 drilling permits filed for Illinois Basin wells in Illinois:
| Permit Date | Well | API | County | Operator | Lateral (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | 460 Realty Swd 1 | 120652579500 |
Hamilton | Bipetro | — |
| 2026-06-29 | Lewis 3 | 120252954100 |
Clay | Dee Drilling | — |
| 2026-06-25 | Miller 1-7 | 120652579600 |
Hamilton | Bipetro | — |
| 2026-06-25 | Sewu 24 | 120552533300 |
Franklin | Gesells Pump Sales Service | — |
| 2026-06-25 | Chamness 1 | 120552533500 |
Franklin | Keyrock Energy | — |
| 2026-06-15 | Keller 3-6 | 120792578900 |
Jasper | Loeb Hermanllc | — |
| 2026-06-10 | Gray 17 | 121933450500 |
White | Keepes Petroleum | — |
| 2026-06-09 | Catt 2-A | 121013321000 |
Lawrence | Dee Drilling | — |
| 2026-06-02 | Keller 2-6 | 120792578800 |
Jasper | Loeb Hermanllc | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Loss 4 | 120812533800 |
Jefferson | Mke Producing | — |
| 2026-05-28 | Spidel 11-H | 121852853303 |
Wabash | R S Operating | — |
| 2026-05-22 | Reckling Etal Unit 1-W | 120472304601 |
Edwards | Lynch Darrell | — |
| 2026-05-18 | Hertlein 2-B | 121930759401 |
White | Acf Resources | — |
| 2026-05-18 | Hocking, Connie 1 | 121852942500 |
Wabash | Keyrock Energy | — |
| 2026-05-18 | Dial "B" 1-8 | 120652579300 |
Hamilton | Bipetro | — |
| 2026-05-18 | Rowland 1-8 | 120652579400 |
Hamilton | Bipetro | — |
| 2026-05-18 | Brooks, Dre 1 | 120252954000 |
Clay | Deep Rock Energy | — |
| 2026-05-18 | Henderson 2-B | 120652579200 |
Hamilton | Bipetro | — |
| 2026-05-14 | Bramlett 9-A | 121930446501 |
White | Campbell Energy | — |
| 2026-05-13 | Hocking, Philip 1 | 121852942300 |
Wabash | Keyrock Energy | — |
| 2026-05-11 | Dmjj 5 | 121672843200 |
Sangamon | Keyrock Energy | — |
| 2026-05-11 | Catt, J. C. 1-A | 121010328801 |
Lawrence | Dee Drilling | — |
| 2026-05-06 | Jacobs 1 | 121672843300 |
Sangamon | Keyrock Energy | — |
| 2026-05-05 | Kennard, Deloras 1 | 121852942400 |
Wabash | Keyrock Energy | — |
| 2026-05-05 | Hocking 3 | 121852942200 |
Wabash | Keyrock Energy | — |
| 2026-05-04 | Hertlein, Lyndel 1 | 121933450400 |
White | Acf Resources | — |
| 2026-05-04 | Illinois Minerals 35-1 | 120552532900 |
Franklin | Stewart Producers | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Howell 3 | 121212854702 |
Marion | Schwartz Oil Properties | — |
| 2026-04-30 | Potter E 6 | 121933450100 |
White | Campbell Energy | — |
| 2026-04-29 | Francis 25-D | 120333857400 |
Crawford | Anicline Energy LLC | — |
| 2026-04-29 | Francis 26-D | 120333857500 |
Crawford | Anicline Energy LLC | — |
| 2026-04-29 | Cantrell Glaze 5 | 121933450300 |
White | Campbell Energy | — |
| 2026-04-29 | Copperhead 2 | 121933127502 |
White | Campbell Energy | — |
| 2026-04-29 | Francis 24-D | 120333857300 |
Crawford | Anicline Energy LLC | — |
| 2026-04-29 | Cantrell Cc Hughes 10 | 121933450200 |
White | Campbell Energy | — |
| 2026-04-23 | U. S. Steel "A" 12-A | 120552532700 |
Franklin | Gesells Pump Sales Service | — |
| 2026-04-20 | Kelsey, Jim 5 | 121013320900 |
Lawrence | Dee Drilling | — |
| 2026-04-16 | Pickrell 1 | 121672843100 |
Sangamon | Bipetro | — |
| 2026-04-16 | U. S. Coal & Coke 18 | 120552532800 |
Franklin | Gesells Pump Sales Service | — |
| 2026-04-16 | Rentschler 1 | 121672843000 |
Sangamon | Bipetro | — |
| 2026-04-16 | Dozier 1 | 121913365400 |
Wayne | Midstates Oil Company | — |
| 2026-04-16 | Rocking Chair 1 | 121672842900 |
Sangamon | Bipetro | — |
| 2026-04-15 | Mclean 1 | 121933449800 |
White | Campbell Energy | — |
| 2026-04-14 | Deck 1-Wi | 121592573501 |
Richland | Murvin Oil Company | — |
| 2026-04-13 | Freeburg 14 Hor | 121633174600 |
St Clair | Ameren Illinois Company | — |
| 2026-04-13 | Freeburg 17 Hor | 121633174900 |
St Clair | Ameren Illinois Company | — |
| 2026-04-13 | Elliott 2 | 121933450000 |
White | Campbell Energy | — |
| 2026-04-13 | Freeburg 18 Hor | 121633175000 |
St Clair | Ameren Illinois Company | — |
| 2026-04-13 | Freeburg 15 Hor | 121633174700 |
St Clair | Ameren Illinois Company | — |
| 2026-04-13 | Freeburg 13 Hor | 121633174500 |
St Clair | Ameren Illinois Company | — |
The Illinois Basin is one of Illinois's active oil and gas plays, with 199,282 wells on file across 13,020 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 493 drilling permits targeting the Illinois Basin in the last 24 months — a measure of how active the play is right now versus its historical baseline.
For mineral owners with interests in Crawford, White, Lawrence, Wayne, Peoria, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Illinois Basin footprint is a foundational valuation question. Active formations with consistent permit flow command premium pricing; legacy formations with steady but declining production are valued differently.
See all Illinois oil & gas formations & plays · Download the Illinois formations dataset (CSV)
199,282 wells target the Illinois Basin in Illinois, worked by 13,020 active operators, per IDNR well-header records (as of 2026-08-02).
By well count, the most active Illinois Basin operators in Illinois are The Ohio Oil, Marathon Oil Company, The Texas Company, Pure Oil Company and Texaco. The full ranking is in the table on this page.
Operators filed 493 drilling permits targeting the Illinois Basin in the last 24 months — a live measure of current activity, per IDNR records.
Operators filed 493 new drilling permits targeting the Illinois Basin in Illinois over the last 24 months. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Illinois Basin drilling, per IDNR records (as of 2026-08-02).
Illinois Basin activity in Illinois currently spans 199,282 wells on record and 13,020 active operators, led by The Ohio Oil, Marathon Oil Company, The Texas Company, Pure Oil Company and Texaco, with 493 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months — refreshed monthly from Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) well-header records (as of 2026-08-02).
The most active Illinois Basin counties in Illinois are Crawford, White, Lawrence, Wayne, Peoria.
Value depends on your net mineral acres or royalty decimal, the operator, the remaining drilling locations, and current oil and gas prices. Buckhead Energy checks your tract against current Illinois Basin well and permit data and puts a free, no-obligation written offer in writing — this page is informational only, not a valuation.
Cite this dataset
Permanently archived and citable via a DOI on Zenodo (CERN), under a CC BY 4.0 license. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21442884 · View on Zenodo
License & attribution: This data is licensed CC BY 4.0. You are free to share and adapt it, including commercially, provided you credit “Buckhead Energy” and link back to this page or the DOI above.
Get a free written offer based on your specific tract, operator, and the current Illinois Basin activity in your area.
Get Your Free Mineral ValuationIllinois Oil & Gas Industry Snapshot Dashboard
Top Illinois Operators Leaderboard
Illinois Drilling Activity Report (permits, DUCs, spuds)
US Mineral Market Activity Index (all 11 states ranked 0–100)
US Mineral & Drilling Activity Index (national rollup)
Texas Industry Snapshot (largest producing state)
Largest US Operators — National Leaderboard
Browse the Full Operator Directory
Live Oil & Gas Prices (WTI + Henry Hub)
Sell Your Illinois Mineral Rights
Formation: Illinois Basin
State: Illinois
Total wells: 199,282
Active operators: 13,020
Permits 24mo: 493
Last refresh: 2026-08-02
Free written offers on Illinois Basin mineral rights in Illinois.
Get Your Free Offer