Permian Basin
The Permian Basin is the largest oil-producing region in the United States, spanning West Texas and southeastern New Mexico.
Oil Production
Gas Production
DUC Wells
Wells Drilled
Wells Completed
Source: U.S. EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook — Permian (cached) · U.S. EIA Drilling Productivity Report · Latest source period Aug 2026
U.S. government data, public domain at the source. Well counts are monthly. We do not publish a basin rig count or a historical basin series, because we do not have a current source for either.
Understanding Permian Basin
The Permian is a broad Paleozoic sedimentary system rather than a single reservoir. Its two principal producing areas are the Midland Basin to the east and the Delaware Basin to the west, separated by the Central Basin Platform. Multiple stacked intervals—including the Wolfcamp, Spraberry, Bone Spring and Avalon—allow operators to develop several targets from one surface location.
Development economics vary materially across the basin because depth, pressure, fluid mix, takeaway access and water handling differ between sub-basins. That makes formation and county context important when comparing permits or production records. Basin-wide totals are useful for direction, but they should not be treated as the performance of every Permian well or operator.