35,128 wells across 1,289 active operators, with 33 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months.
Refreshed monthly from NDIC well-header records. Data current as of 2026-08-23.
Quick answer: The Bakken formation in North Dakota has 35,128 wells on record across 1,289 active operators, with 33 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months (as of 2026-08-23). Its most active operators by well count are Continental Resources, Hess Bakken Investments Ii, Whiting Petroleum Corp., Oasis Petroleum North America and Devon Energy Williston,LLC. Compiled from North Dakota Industrial Commission (NDIC) well-header records, refreshed monthly.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Bakken formation in North Dakota:
| # | Operator | Wells in Bakken |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Continental Resources | 2,375 |
| 2 | Hess Bakken Investments Ii | 2,316 |
| 3 | Whiting Petroleum CORP | 2,312 |
| 4 | Oasis Petroleum North America | 1,869 |
| 5 | Devon Energy Williston,LLC | 1,827 |
| 6 | Eog Resources | 1,225 |
| 7 | Xto Energy | 1,180 |
| 8 | Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Company | 1,134 |
| 9 | Petrohunt | 1,112 |
| 10 | Enerplus Resources | 1,042 |
The North Dakota counties with the most Bakken activity:
Mc Kenzie, Williams, Mountrail, Dunn, Bottineau
The most recent 25 drilling permits filed for Bakken wells in North Dakota:
| Permit Date | Well | API | County | Operator | Lateral (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-20 | Tempo 148-93-18c-07h-Tf | 33025038940000 |
Dunn | Enerplus Resources | — |
| 2026-08-20 | Octave 148-93-18c-07h | 33025038950000 |
Dunn | Enerplus Resources | — |
| 2026-08-20 | Cadence 148-93-18c-07h-Tf | 33025038930000 |
Dunn | Enerplus Resources | — |
| 2026-05-05 | Olson Swd 1 | 33013904370000 |
Burke | Lime Rock Resources Iiia | — |
| 2025-10-16 | Sylte Swd 5601 14-17 | 33105904750000 |
Williams | Falcon Midstream Services LLC | — |
| 2025-10-16 | Hs Swd 5198 41-20 | 33053904380000 |
Mc Kenzie | Falcon Midstream Services LLC | — |
| 2025-10-16 | Cheryl Swd 5501 44-09 | 33105904400000 |
Williams | Falcon Midstream Services LLC | — |
| 2025-10-03 | Coot 06-07 Bh | 33013018790000 |
Burke | Windridge Operating | — |
| 2025-10-03 | Mallard 5-8 Bh | 33013018750000 |
Burke | Windridge Operating | — |
| 2025-10-03 | Mallard 32-29 Bh | 33013018760000 |
Burke | Windridge Operating | — |
| 2025-10-03 | Coot 31-30 Bh | 33013018780000 |
Burke | Windridge Operating | — |
| 2025-08-27 | Decker Swd 5493 11-19 | 33061904140000 |
Mountrail | Falcon Midstream Services LLC | — |
| 2025-07-23 | Mariner 3-15-8h-160-91p | 33013018930000 |
Burke | Lime Rock Resources Iiia | — |
| 2025-07-23 | Mariner 2-15-8h-160-91p | 33013018920000 |
Burke | Lime Rock Resources Iiia | — |
| 2025-07-23 | Mariner 1-15-8h-160-91p | 33013018940000 |
Burke | Lime Rock Resources Iiia | — |
| 2025-07-22 | Reuben Schneider 2-27-34h-143-96 | 33025038740000 |
Dunn | Lime Rock Resources Iiia | — |
| 2025-06-25 | Thronson E 159-92-36-24-3mbhx | 33061044120000 |
Mountrail | Petrohunt | — |
| 2025-05-15 | Gnu 148-94-03b-10h-Tf-Ll | 33025037870000 |
Dunn | Enerplus Resources | — |
| 2025-05-15 | Genet 148-94-03b-10h-Tf | 33025037900000 |
Dunn | Enerplus Resources | — |
| 2025-05-15 | Addax 148-94-03b-10h-Tf | 33025037880000 |
Dunn | Enerplus Resources | — |
| 2025-05-15 | Camel 148-94-03b-10h | 33025037890000 |
Dunn | Enerplus Resources | — |
| 2025-05-06 | Reuben Schneider 3-27-34h-143-96 | 33025038750000 |
Dunn | Lime Rock Resources Iiia | — |
| 2024-11-22 | Christine 158-93-9-4-4mbh | 33061043550000 |
Mountrail | Silver Hill Energy Partners | 9,486 |
| 2024-11-22 | Ltm 158-93-10-3-1mbh | 33061043560000 |
Mountrail | Silver Hill Energy Partners | 10,190 |
| 2024-11-19 | Bear Butte 2-11-2h | 33053087000000 |
Mc Kenzie | Iron Oil Operating | — |
The Bakken is one of North Dakota's active oil and gas plays, with 35,128 wells on file across 1,289 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 33 drilling permits targeting the Bakken 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 Mc Kenzie, Williams, Mountrail, Dunn, Bottineau, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Bakken 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 North Dakota oil & gas formations & plays · Download the North Dakota formations dataset (CSV)
35,128 wells target the Bakken in North Dakota, worked by 1,289 active operators, per NDIC well-header records (as of 2026-08-23).
By well count, the most active Bakken operators in North Dakota are Continental Resources, Hess Bakken Investments Ii, Whiting Petroleum Corp., Oasis Petroleum North America and Devon Energy Williston,LLC. The full ranking is in the table on this page.
Operators filed 33 drilling permits targeting the Bakken in the last 24 months — a live measure of current activity, per NDIC records.
Operators filed 33 new drilling permits targeting the Bakken in North Dakota over the last 24 months. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Bakken drilling, per NDIC records (as of 2026-08-23).
Bakken activity in North Dakota currently spans 35,128 wells on record and 1,289 active operators, led by Continental Resources, Hess Bakken Investments Ii, Whiting Petroleum Corp., Oasis Petroleum North America and Devon Energy Williston,LLC, with 33 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months — refreshed monthly from North Dakota Industrial Commission (NDIC) well-header records (as of 2026-08-23).
The most active Bakken counties in North Dakota are Mc Kenzie, Williams, Mountrail, Dunn, Bottineau.
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 Bakken 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 Bakken activity in your area.
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Formation: Bakken
State: North Dakota
Total wells: 35,128
Active operators: 1,289
Permits 24mo: 33
Last refresh: 2026-08-23