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Illinois Oil & Gas Industry Snapshot 2026

The complete live dashboard of the Illinois oil and gas industry — top operators, hottest counties, most-active formations (SCOOP, STACK, Woodford, Mississippi Lime, Cherokee Platform), current permit pipeline, DUC stack, recent rig activity, and newly producing wells. Refreshed monthly from OCC well-header records.

Data as of June 14, 2026 Source: Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Oil & Gas · refreshed monthly

Original Data As of June 14, 2026

As of June 14, 2026, Illinois had 100 active oil & gas operators across 102 counties and 5 formations, led by The Ohio Oil with 10,780 wells, with 0 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months and 0 drilled-but-uncompleted (DUC) wells in inventory, per Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Oil & Gas records.

100
Active operators
102
Producing counties
0
Permits filed (last 24 mo)
0
DUC wells in inventory
Source: Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Oil & Gas (IDNR) well and permit records
Methodology: Aggregated from Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Oil & Gas records: operators ranked by well count; counties and formations (SCOOP, STACK, Woodford, etc.) by activity; drilling permits over a trailing 24-month window; and current DUC (drilled-but-uncompleted) inventory.
Updated: Refreshed monthly — data current as of June 14, 2026
Total Wells (Top 100 Operators)
85,323
Recent Permits
0
last 24 months
DUC Inventory
0
drilled, uncompleted
Recent Spuds
0
last 90 days
New Producers
0
first prod in last 6 months
Active Counties
102
Active Formations
5
Operators Tracked
100

Top 10 Illinois Operators

The 10 largest operators of record in Illinois, by total well count. See the full top-100 leaderboard →

#OperatorWellsPermits 24moDUCsTop FormationTop County
1 The Ohio Oil 10,780 0 0 Illinois Basin Crawford
2 Marathon Oil Company 4,529 0 0 Illinois Basin Lawrence
3 The Texas Company 4,094 0 0 Illinois Basin Marion
4 Pure Oil Company 3,109 0 0 Illinois Basin Richland
5 Texaco 2,427 0 0 Illinois Basin Marion
6 Ohio Oil Company 2,180 0 0 Illinois Basin Crawford
7 The Pure Oil Company 2,012 0 0 Illinois Basin Wayne
8 The Carter Oil 1,812 0 0 Illinois Basin Fayette
9 Forest Oil 1,678 0 0 Illinois Basin Cumberland
10 Magnolia Petroleum Company 1,605 0 0 Illinois Basin Marion

Top 10 Illinois Counties (by Drilling Activity)

The 10 most-active oil and gas counties in Illinois. See the full county rankings →

CountyTotal WellsPermits 24moSpuds 90dDUCsTop OperatorTop Formation
Lake 31,424 0 0 0 Il State Geological Survey Michigan Basin
Crawford 28,722 42 0 0 The Ohio Oil Illinois Basin
Will 25,446 0 0 0 Il State Geological Survey Wisconsin Arch
Mc Henry 24,295 0 0 0 Il State Geological Survey Wisconsin Arch
White 18,548 136 0 11 Superior Oil Company Illinois Basin
Lawrence 18,001 6 0 0 The Ohio Oil Illinois Basin
Cook 17,440 0 0 0 Illinois State Geological Survey Michigan Basin
Wayne 15,375 5 0 0 The Pure Oil Company Illinois Basin
Peoria 14,725 0 0 0 Central Il Light Company Illinois Basin
Kane 13,720 0 0 0 Il State Geological Survey Wisconsin Arch

Top 10 Illinois Formations & Plays

The 10 most-active formations and plays in Illinois. See all active Illinois formations →

FormationWellsActive OperatorsPermits 24mo
Illinois Basin 199,188 13,017 469
Wisconsin Arch 3,690 336 13
Michigan Basin 621 98 0
New Albany 477 264 0
Lake Michigan 61 5 0

Own Illinois Mineral Rights?

SCOOP, STACK, Cherokee Platform, Mississippi Lime, or anywhere else in the state — get a free written offer based on your specific tract and current operator activity.

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About This Dashboard

Source: Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Oil & Gas well-header and production filings.

Refresh cadence: Monthly. Data current as of June 14, 2026.

What's tracked: Permits filed in the last 24 months, wells spudded in the last 90 days, wells with first production in the last 6 months, drilled-uncompleted (DUC) wells, top operators by total well count, top counties by activity, and active formations/plays.

Disclaimer: Data is provided as a public-service reference. Buckhead Energy is not affiliated with the operators listed unless explicitly stated.

Illinois Oil & Gas Snapshot FAQ

Who are the largest oil and gas operators in Illinois?

As of June 14, 2026, this dashboard tracks 100 active Illinois operators ranked by well count, led by The Ohio Oil, Marathon Oil Company, The Texas Company. See the Top Illinois Operators leaderboard for the full ranking.

How many drilling permits have been filed in Illinois recently?

About 0 Illinois drilling permits were filed in the trailing 24 months, per Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Oil & Gas records (as of June 14, 2026).

What is a DUC well, and how many are there in Illinois?

A DUC is a "drilled but uncompleted" well — drilled but not yet hydraulically fractured or put on production. As of June 14, 2026, Illinois had about 0 DUC wells in inventory. DUCs are a leading indicator of near-term completion and production activity.

Which plays and formations drive Illinois oil and gas activity?

Illinois activity centers on the Illinois Basin across the southeastern counties, among roughly 5 active formations across 102 counties, aggregated from Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Oil & Gas records.

How often is this Illinois oil and gas snapshot updated?

It is refreshed monthly from Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Oil & Gas well and permit records. The current data is as of June 14, 2026.

I own Illinois mineral rights — how do I find my operator and what they are worth?

Look up your operator in the operator directory to see their activity, then request a free written offer based on your specific tract, operator, formation, and decimal interest.

Quick Stats

State: Illinois

Operators: 100

Counties: 102

Formations: 5

Permits 24mo: 0

DUCs: 0

Data as of: June 14, 2026

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