135,814 wells across 7,856 recorded operators, with 2,572 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 Permian Basin formation in Texas has 135,814 wells on record across 7,856 recorded operators, with 2,572 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at source refresh. Its operators with the most wells on record are Oxy, Hilcorp Energy Company, Kinder Morgan Production, Bcemach Iii LLC and Citation Oil & Gas. 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 Permian Basin formation in Texas:
| # | Operator | Wells in Permian Basin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oxy | 9,050 |
| 2 | Hilcorp Energy Company | 6,888 |
| 3 | Kinder Morgan Production | 2,962 |
| 4 | Bcemach Iii LLC | 2,070 |
| 5 | Citation Oil & Gas | 1,737 |
| 6 | Grayrock Energy Ii LLC | 1,600 |
| 7 | Apache | 1,597 |
| 8 | Pioneer Natural Resources | 1,575 |
| 9 | Lcs Production Company | 1,550 |
| 10 | Crescent Energy Operating, LLC | 1,500 |
The Texas counties with the most Permian Basin activity:
Andrews, Howard, Ector, Scurry, Jones
Drilling permits in Texas each year, the Permian Basin count and share of them, and the median lateral length of those Permian Basin permits.
| Year | State permits | This formation | Share | Median lateral |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8,004 | 4,648 | 58.1% | 10,145 ft |
| 2025 | 8,037 | 5,052 | 62.9% | 10,361 ft |
| 2024 | 8,916 | 5,856 | 65.7% | 10,206 ft |
| 2023 | 9,280 | 5,542 | 59.7% | 10,201 ft |
| 2022 | 12,110 | 5,417 | 44.7% | 10,164 ft |
| 2021 | 9,907 | 3,402 | 34.3% | 10,237 ft |
| 2020 | 9,447 | 2,308 | 24.4% | 10,172 ft |
| 2019 | 15,566 | 3,867 | 24.8% | 8,541 ft |
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 Permian Basin is a formation/play group recorded in Texas, with 135,814 wells on file across 7,856 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 2,572 drilling permits targeting the Permian Basin 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.
135,814 wells target the Permian Basin in Texas, worked by 7,856 recorded operators, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
The Permian Basin operators with the most wells on record in Texas are Oxy, Hilcorp Energy Company, Kinder Morgan Production, Bcemach Iii LLC and Citation Oil & Gas. The full ranking is in the table on this page. Formation summary date: 2026-11-01.
Operators filed 2,572 drilling permits targeting the Permian Basin 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 2,572 new drilling permits targeting the Permian Basin 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.
Permian Basin activity in Texas includes 135,814 wells on record and 7,856 recorded operators, with 2,572 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 Permian Basin in Texas are Andrews, Howard, Ector, Scurry, Jones. 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: Permian Basin
State: Texas
Total wells: 135,814
Recorded operators: 7,856
Permits 24mo: 2,572
Summary date: 2026-11-01
