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 August 2, 2026 Source: Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Oil & Gas · refreshed monthly
As of August 2, 2026, Illinois had 100 active oil & gas operators across 102 counties and 5 formations, led by The Ohio Oil with 10,782 wells, with 447 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.
The 10 largest operators of record in Illinois, by total well count. See the full top-100 leaderboard →
| # | Operator | Wells | Permits 24mo | DUCs | Top Formation | Top County |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Ohio Oil | 10,782 | 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 | 3,192 | 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 | 1,947 | 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 |
The 10 most-active oil and gas counties in Illinois. See the full county rankings →
| County | Total Wells | Permits 24mo | Spuds 90d | DUCs | Top Operator | Top Formation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake | 31,424 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Il State Geological Survey | Michigan Basin |
| Crawford | 28,728 | 41 | 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 | 18,574 | 145 | 0 | 11 | Superior Oil Company | Illinois Basin |
| Lawrence | 18,007 | 10 | 0 | 0 | The Ohio Oil | Illinois Basin |
| Cook | 17,440 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Illinois State Geological Survey | Michigan Basin |
| Wayne | 15,382 | 4 | 0 | 0 | The Pure Oil Company | Illinois Basin |
| Peoria | 14,725 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Central Il Light Company | Illinois Basin |
| Kane | 13,722 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Il State Geological Survey | Wisconsin Arch |
The 10 most-active formations and plays in Illinois. See all active Illinois formations →
| Formation | Wells | Active Operators | Permits 24mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois Basin | 199,282 | 13,020 | 493 |
| Wisconsin Arch | 3,692 | 336 | 15 |
| Michigan Basin | 621 | 98 | 0 |
| New Albany | 477 | 264 | 0 |
| Lake Michigan | 61 | 5 | 0 |
| Permit Date | Well | API | County | Formation | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | 460 Realty Swd 1 | 120652579500 |
Hamilton | Illinois Basin | Bipetro |
| 2026-06-29 | Lewis 3 | 120252954100 |
Clay | Illinois Basin | Dee Drilling |
| 2026-06-25 | Chamness 1 | 120552533500 |
Franklin | Illinois Basin | Keyrock Energy |
| 2026-06-25 | Sewu 24 | 120552533300 |
Franklin | Illinois Basin | Gesells Pump Sales Service |
| 2026-06-25 | Miller 1-7 | 120652579600 |
Hamilton | Illinois Basin | Bipetro |
| 2026-06-15 | Keller 3-6 | 120792578900 |
Jasper | Illinois Basin | Loeb Hermanllc |
| 2026-06-10 | Gray 17 | 121933450500 |
White | Illinois Basin | Keepes Petroleum |
| 2026-06-09 | Catt 2-A | 121013321000 |
Lawrence | Illinois Basin | Dee Drilling |
| 2026-06-02 | Keller 2-6 | 120792578800 |
Jasper | Illinois Basin | Loeb Hermanllc |
| 2026-05-29 | Loss 4 | 120812533800 |
Jefferson | Illinois Basin | Mke Producing |
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.
Get Your Free Mineral ValuationSource: Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Oil & Gas well-header and production filings.
Refresh cadence: Monthly. Data current as of August 2, 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.
Top 100 Illinois Operators Leaderboard
Illinois Formations & Plays Directory
Top 500 Producing Wells in Illinois
All Recent Illinois Drilling Permits
All Recently Spudded Illinois Wells
All Newly Producing Illinois Wells
Illinois County Drilling Activity Rankings
As of August 2, 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.
About 447 Illinois drilling permits were filed in the trailing 24 months, per Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Oil & Gas records (as of August 2, 2026).
A DUC is a "drilled but uncompleted" well — drilled but not yet hydraulically fractured or put on production. As of August 2, 2026, Illinois had about 0 DUC wells in inventory. DUCs are a leading indicator of near-term completion and production 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.
It is refreshed monthly from Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Oil & Gas well and permit records. The current data is as of August 2, 2026.
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.
State: Illinois
Operators: 100
Counties: 102
Formations: 5
Permits 24mo: 447
DUCs: 0
Data as of: August 2, 2026
Free written offers on Illinois mineral rights — anywhere in the state.
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