An objective 0–100 score of how active oil & gas drilling is across the 11 top US mineral states right now — from permits, DUC inventory, spuds, and new producers. Refreshed daily, free to cite.
As of · CC BY 4.0As of September 18, 2026, Texas leads the US Mineral Market Activity Index with a score of 100/100, ahead of New Mexico (57); the 11-state national reading is 27/100 — a relative measure of current drilling activity from state regulator records, compiled by Buckhead Energy.
| # | State | Activity Score | Permits 24mo | DUCs | Spuds 90d | New Producers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 100 |
3,228 | 2,000 | 725 | 1,000 |
| 2 | New Mexico | 57 |
1,587 | 2,000 | 301 | 370 |
| 3 | Kansas | 37 |
1,438 | 1,997 | 34 | 8 |
| 4 | North Dakota | 27 |
1,092 | 844 | 167 | 99 |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 24 |
851 | 897 | 147 | 37 |
| 6 | Colorado | 19 |
335 | 757 | 138 | 103 |
| 7 | California | 19 |
1,848 | 157 | 4 | 89 |
| 8 | Wyoming | 14 |
311 | 614 | 60 | 64 |
| 9 | Utah | 12 |
179 | 468 | 88 | 55 |
| 10 | Ohio | 5 |
253 | 34 | 0 | 87 |
| 11 | Illinois | 4 |
453 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Mississippi | 2 |
105 | 42 | 5 | 1 |
Score = each metric scored 0–100 relative to the leading state, then averaged. Each state links to its dated drilling report. See also the US Mineral & Drilling Activity Index (raw national rollup).
For each state we take four forward-looking activity signals from that state's oil & gas regulator records — drilling permits over the trailing 24 months, current drilled-but-uncompleted (DUC) inventory, wells spudded in the last 90 days, and wells brought onto first production in the last six months. Each metric is scored 0–100 relative to the most active state, then the four are equal-weight averaged into the state's composite. The national reading is the mean of the state scores. The underlying data refreshes daily; every figure carries the as-of date above. This is an objective measure of market activity — not a valuation, price, or recommendation to buy or sell.
An objective 0–100 score of how active oil & gas drilling is in each of the 11 top US mineral states right now — Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, North Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, California, Kansas, Mississippi, Utah, and Illinois. Each state is scored from four forward-looking signals (drilling permits, DUC inventory, recent spuds, and newly producing wells) drawn from state regulator records and refreshed daily.
Each of the four metrics is scored 0–100 relative to the most active state, then averaged (equal weight) into a state composite. 100 means a state leads on every measure. It is a relative, reproducible measure of current drilling activity — not a price, valuation, or recommendation.
As of September 18, 2026, Texas leads the index with a score of 100/100, followed by New Mexico (57). See the full ranking below; each state links to its dated drilling report.
Yes. The index and its underlying datasets are published under CC BY 4.0 — free to quote, cite, and embed with attribution to Buckhead Energy. Per-state and historical figures are available at [email protected].
Not by itself. The index measures market activity, not your personal timing. Whether to sell depends on your wells, decline, prices, and goals — see our per-state "is now a good time to sell" pages, and request a free written offer for your specific minerals.
Buckhead Energy, "US Mineral Market Activity Index," September 18, 2026. Composite 0–100 drilling-activity score across 11 top mineral states, from state regulator records. https://www.buckheadenergy.com/us-mineral-market-activity-index
Machine-readable: /api/v1/us-drilling-activity-index · daily freshness feed: /data-updates.json
US Drilling Activity Index → · All datasets → · Wondering about timing? Is now a good time to sell? →
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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