The Permian Basin of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico is the most productive oil region in the United States, producing roughly half of the nation's crude oil. By the numbers, Buckhead Energy's well-header database records nearly 500,000 Permian wells — more than 337,000 of which have produced — across 81 counties and thousands of operators, with tens of thousands of new wells drilled in recent years.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Wells on record | 493,586 |
| Wells that have produced | 337,984 |
| New wells (first production, last 24 months) | 10,574 |
| Distinct operators of record | ~11,000 |
| Counties spanned (TX + NM) | 81 |
| Wells that have produced in the Spraberry field (largest) | 60,924 |
Data as of September 2026. Source: Buckhead Energy well-header database (Texas RRC and New Mexico regulator records). Free to cite under CC BY 4.0.
| Operator | Wells that have produced (Permian) |
|---|---|
| Occidental (OXY) | 25,623 |
| Pioneer Natural Resources | 15,901 |
| Hilcorp Energy | 15,350 |
| Diamondback Energy | 12,240 |
| Scout Energy Management | 7,624 |
| Apache | 7,517 |
| UPP Operating | 6,246 |
Data as of September 2026. Source: Buckhead Energy well-header database. Free to cite under CC BY 4.0.
| U.S. total | Value |
|---|---|
| Crude oil production | 13.8 million barrels/day |
| Dry natural gas production | 111.2 billion cubic feet/day |
Data as of 2026 annual average (EIA STEO). Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook. Free to cite under CC BY 4.0.
The Permian Basin — spanning West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, and split into the Midland Basin to the east and the Delaware Basin to the west — is the largest and most productive oil region in the United States. The EIA reports that the Permian produces on the order of roughly half of all U.S. crude oil: against a national total of roughly 13.8 million barrels per day (EIA), that is several million barrels of Permian crude every day, alongside a very large share of U.S. natural gas. No other basin comes close on oil.
The scale shows up directly in the well data. Buckhead Energy's well-header database records over 493,000 Permian wells, of which more than 337,000 have produced, across 81 counties in Texas and New Mexico — a footprint built over a century of drilling and dramatically expanded by the shale era.
The Permian is not just large; it is the most active basin in the country. More than 10,000 new wells have reported first production in the Permian in the last 24 months alone — a pace of development that keeps the basin's output growing and continually re-prices the minerals beneath it. That activity is concentrated in the Midland and Delaware sub-basins' stacked shale targets, above all the Spraberry field, whose more than 60,000 wells that have produced make it the largest oil field in the United States.
Roughly 11,000 operators of record appear on Permian wells, but development is led by a familiar set of large producers. By count of wells that have produced, Occidental (OXY) leads with more than 25,000 wells, followed by Pioneer Natural Resources, Hilcorp Energy, Diamondback Energy, Apache, and others shown above. The identity and financial strength of the operator on your acreage is one of the clearest signals of how — and how reliably — your minerals will be developed and paid.
If you own minerals in the Permian, you own an interest in the most sought-after oil region in the country — which is why Permian owners receive so much buyer and lease mail. High activity, deep operator interest, and stacked pay all support value, but they also make it worth understanding exactly what you own and what a fair offer looks like. Buckhead Energy actively buys Permian mineral and royalty interests across both the Midland and Delaware basins, and prices them on the same well, permit, and operator data summarized here.
These figures are compiled from public well-header records (well counts and operators) and EIA production estimates (volumes), refreshed monthly, and are provided free to cite. They describe the basin's scale and activity, not the value of any specific interest, which depends on your decimal, your wells, and current prices.
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The EIA reports the Permian Basin produces roughly half of all U.S. crude oil — on the order of several million barrels per day against a U.S. total of roughly 13.8 million barrels per day (EIA). It is by a wide margin the most productive oil region in the country, and also produces a large share of U.S. natural gas.
Buckhead Energy's well-header database records over 493,000 Permian wells, of which more than 337,000 have produced, spread across 81 counties in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. More than 10,000 of those wells reported first production in just the last 24 months, making the Permian the most active drilling basin in the country.
By count of wells that have produced in our database, Occidental (OXY) leads with more than 25,000 wells, followed by Pioneer Natural Resources, Hilcorp Energy, Diamondback Energy, Apache, Scout Energy, and Crescent Energy. Roughly 11,000 operators of record appear on Permian wells in total.
The Permian Basin spans West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, covering 81 counties in our data. It is divided into the Midland Basin to the east and the Delaware Basin to the west, with a central platform between them. Its most active counties include Midland, Martin, Reeves, Loving, Lea (NM), and Eddy (NM).
Buckhead Energy buys mineral and royalty interests across all 50 states and has completed acquisitions in 33 states. Buckhead Energy is a direct buyer, not a broker — we purchase mineral and royalty interests with our own capital. Buckhead Energy has been buying mineral and royalty interests since 2006. Buckhead Energy holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
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