2,582 wells across 247 recorded operators, with 73 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at summary refresh.
Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
Quick answer: The Dean formation in Texas has 2,582 wells on record across 247 recorded operators, with 73 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at source refresh. Its operators with the most wells on record are Diamondback Energy, Ovintiv USA Inc., Apache, Pioneer Natural Resources and COG Operating. Source: Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Dean formation in Texas:
| # | Operator | Wells in Dean |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diamondback Energy | 575 |
| 2 | Ovintiv USA INC | 198 |
| 3 | Apache | 139 |
| 4 | Pioneer Natural Resources | 118 |
| 5 | Cog Operating | 91 |
| 6 | Xto Energy | 66 |
| 7 | Hibernia Resources Iv, LLC | 61 |
| 8 | New Height Energy LLC | 54 |
| 9 | Oxy | 54 |
| 10 | Sm Energy Company | 53 |
The Texas counties with the most Dean activity:
Martin, Reagan, Dawson, Howard, Glasscock
The Dean is not among the Texas formations tracked separately in the yearly permit mix, so only statewide permit counts are shown.
| Year | State permits | This formation | Share | Median lateral |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8,004 | — | — | — |
| 2025 | 8,037 | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 8,916 | — | — | — |
| 2023 | 9,280 | — | — | — |
| 2022 | 12,110 | — | — | — |
| 2021 | 9,907 | — | — | — |
| 2020 | 9,447 | — | — | — |
| 2019 | 15,566 | — | — | — |
Share of each year’s Texas drilling permits by target formation, for the formations with the most permits.
| Year | Permian Basin | Gulf Coast Basin (La - Tx) | Avalon-Bone Spring | Thirty-One Carbonate-Chert | Austin Chalk | East Texas Basin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 58.1% | 17.8% | 0.5% | 1.4% | 0.7% | 5.9% |
| 2025 | 62.9% | 19% | 1.4% | 1.9% | 1.2% | 4.5% |
| 2024 | 65.7% | 20.9% | 0.5% | 2% | 0.7% | 3.8% |
| 2023 | 59.7% | 21.5% | 1.8% | 3.1% | 0.9% | 3.7% |
| 2022 | 44.7% | 16.7% | 2.9% | 4.6% | 2% | 3% |
| 2021 | 34.3% | 6.2% | 8.4% | 10.3% | 7.9% | 0.8% |
| 2020 | 24.4% | 3.3% | 11.6% | 9% | 11.2% | 0.3% |
| 2019 | 24.8% | 3.2% | 14% | 9.2% | 12.1% | 0.2% |
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.
Share is the formation’s permits as a percent of the state’s permits that year. Median lateral length is published only when at least 5 permits stand behind it.
Last computed: 2026-11-01. These figures are informational only and are not a valuation of any mineral or royalty interest.
The Dean is a formation/play group recorded in Texas, with 2,582 wells on file across 247 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 73 drilling permits targeting the Dean in the 24-month window at summary refresh. These are stored records, not a live measure of drilling.
Recorded formation activity provides regional context. It does not establish ownership, future production, royalty payments or a value for an individual tract. Consult qualified professionals about your specific interest.
2,582 wells target the Dean in Texas, worked by 247 recorded operators, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
The Dean operators with the most wells on record in Texas are Diamondback Energy, Ovintiv USA Inc., Apache, Pioneer Natural Resources and COG Operating. The full ranking is in the table on this page. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
Operators filed 73 drilling permits targeting the Dean in the 24-month window at source refresh, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
Operators filed 73 new drilling permits targeting the Dean in Texas in the 24-month window at source refresh. New permits and spuds record reported activity stages; they do not establish ongoing drilling, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
Dean activity in Texas includes 2,582 wells on record and 247 recorded operators, with 73 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at source refresh — from Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
The primary counties recorded for Dean in Texas are Martin, Reagan, Dawson, Howard, Glasscock. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
Value depends on your net mineral acres or royalty decimal, the operator, the remaining drilling locations, and current oil and gas prices. This page is informational only, not a valuation. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
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Get Your Free Written OfferFormation: Dean
State: Texas
Total wells: 2,582
Recorded operators: 247
Permits 24mo: 73
Summary date: 2026-11-01
