North Dakota
North Dakota produced 426.8 MMbbl of oil and 1.26 Tcf of natural gas in 2025. 21,322 producing wells tracked, 12 months to Aug 2026.
- Fourth-largest oil-producing state among the US regions we publish, 2025.
- 8.5% of the oil produced in the United States, 2025.
- Oil production fell 2% in 2025 from 2024.
Production
- filling in (est. · missed) . Hatching marks our estimate of the volume still to be filed. That estimate draws on our own production forecast. A check on the forecast behind this estimate measured a miss. It updates as filings arrive
- estimated . Hatching marks our estimate. In the most recent months that is volume still to be filed. Past the divider it is our estimate of each whole month, built on any filings already in. Beyond the last filings it is our forecast.
In this view, hatching marks our estimate, and in the most recent months that is volume still to be filed. Past the divider, the chart continues only the bands it has drawn. Each band continues as our estimate, from any filings already in and then from our forecast, built by summing our per-well forecasts. The method behind each well is recorded with the forecast. The forward months cover existing wells only. How our methods work
All from what the source published. All held at well grain.
How the volume breaks down
- 99.98% Reported by the official source by well
- under 0.01% A series adjusted to match figures the official source published: a well's cumulative, a later correction netted into the months before it, or a field's oil volume from the royalty file for a month missing from the production report.
- 0.01% Filed with the official source, which withheld this period's production figure for one stream. That stream carries a placeholder zero.
Every barrel through July 2026 starts from what the official source published for those months. Measured over January 1952 to July 2026.
- filling in (est. · missed) . Hatching marks our estimate of the volume still to be filed. That estimate draws on our own production forecast. A check on the forecast behind this estimate measured a miss. It updates as filings arrive
- estimated . Hatching marks our estimate. In the most recent months that is volume still to be filed. Past the divider it is our estimate of each whole month, built on any filings already in. Beyond the last filings it is our forecast.
In this view, hatching marks our estimate, and in the most recent months that is volume still to be filed. Past the divider, the chart continues only the bands it has drawn. Each band continues as our estimate, from any filings already in and then from our forecast, built by summing our per-well forecasts. The method behind each well is recorded with the forecast. The forward months cover existing wells only. How our methods work
All from what the source published. All held at well grain.
How the volume breaks down
- 100% Reported by the official source by well
- under 0.01% Filed with the official source, which withheld this period's production figure for one stream. That stream carries a placeholder zero.
Every cubic foot through July 2026 starts from what the official source published for those months. Measured over January 1952 to July 2026.
The bands group wells by when they first produced.
About this chart
The stack shows what is holding today's rate up and how much of it is new drilling. In the reported months the bands draw the filings already in. The months still filling in are marked.
Annual table (full history)
| Year | Oil (MMbbl) | Gas produced (Bcf) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 426.8 | 1,264 |
| 2024 | 437.7 | 1,253 |
| 2023 | 432.1 | 1,189 |
| 2022 | 386.6 | 1,072 |
| 2021 | 405.4 | 1,075 |
| 2020 | 434.0 | 987 |
| 2019 | 517.9 | 1,062 |
| 2018 | 460.5 | 858 |
| 2017 | 390.7 | 688 |
| 2016 | 377.8 | 609 |
| 2015 | 429.4 | 584 |
| 2014 | 394.0 | 463 |
| 2013 | 311.7 | 349 |
| 2012 | 241.9 | 258 |
| 2011 | 151.9 | 156 |
| 2010 | 111.8 | 113 |
| 2009 | 78.5 | 89 |
| 2008 | 60.6 | 82 |
| 2007 | 41.9 | 65 |
| 2006 | 35.5 | 60 |
| 2005 | 30.8 | 55 |
| 2004 | 25.9 | 55 |
| 2003 | 25.1 | 55 |
| 2002 | 26.3 | 56 |
| 2001 | 27.7 | 55 |
| 2000 | 28.8 | 53 |
| 1999 | 28.5 | 53 |
| 1998 | 29.6 | 55 |
| 1997 | 28.6 | 53 |
| 1996 | 26.6 | 53 |
| 1995 | 26.7 | 55 |
| 1994 | 25.5 | 59 |
| 1993 | 28.3 | 62 |
| 1992 | 30.6 | 58 |
| 1991 | 33.7 | 60 |
| 1990 | 34.3 | 62 |
| 1989 | 34.4 | 58 |
| 1988 | 37.0 | 64 |
| 1987 | 38.6 | 72 |
| 1986 | 42.6 | 72 |
| 1985 | 46.8 | 78 |
| 1984 | 47.7 | 76 |
| 1983 | 46.0 | 70 |
| 1982 | 44.0 | 60 |
| 1981 | 41.3 | 51 |
| 1980 | 36.9 | 38 |
| 1979 | 28.3 | 20 |
| 1978 | 22.2 | 19 |
| 1977 | 20.5 | 16 |
| 1976 | 19.0 | 13 |
| 1975 | 17.5 | 1 |
| 1974 | 16.5 | <1 |
| 1973 | 16.7 | <1 |
| 1972 | 17.1 | 0 |
| 1971 | 18.0 | 0 |
| 1970 | 18.2 | 0 |
| 1969 | 18.7 | 0 |
| 1968 | 21.1 | 14 |
| 1967 | 21.6 | 11 |
| 1966 | 23.0 | 10 |
| 1965 | 22.3 | 7 |
| 1964 | 21.7 | 6 |
| 1963 | 21.1 | 5 |
| 1962 | 21.6 | 5 |
| 1961 | 20.5 | 4 |
| 1960 | 19.2 | 4 |
| 1959 | 15.5 | 3 |
| 1958 | 12.8 | 3 |
| 1957 | 12.1 | 3 |
| 1956 | 11.8 | 1 |
| 1955 | 10.4 | 1 |
| 1954 | 5.7 | 1 |
| 1953 | 5.0 | 0 |
| 1952 | 1.6 | 0 |
Source: CommoVision (commovision.com)
Monthly table (last 24 months)
| Month | Oil (Mbbl) | Gas produced (MMcf) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-08 | 32,167.6 | 108,535 |
| 2026-07 | 35,829.0 | 111,596 |
| 2026-06 | 34,569.6 | 107,054 |
| 2026-05 | 34,773.7 | 108,961 |
| 2026-04 | 34,010.5 | 105,031 |
| 2026-03 | 35,311.8 | 107,255 |
| 2026-02 | 31,608.7 | 94,649 |
| 2026-01 | 34,898.4 | 102,870 |
| 2025-12 | 34,886.2 | 103,733 |
| 2025-11 | 35,858.8 | 106,360 |
| 2025-10 | 36,448.2 | 110,329 |
| 2025-09 | 35,074.2 | 107,520 |
| 2025-08 | 36,351.7 | 110,197 |
| 2025-07 | 36,592.8 | 110,652 |
| 2025-06 | 35,056.0 | 104,308 |
| 2025-05 | 34,864.4 | 104,526 |
| 2025-04 | 35,167.8 | 104,336 |
| 2025-03 | 36,958.1 | 106,847 |
| 2025-02 | 32,591.9 | 91,797 |
| 2025-01 | 36,916.1 | 103,406 |
| 2024-12 | 37,188.0 | 105,084 |
| 2024-11 | 36,724.3 | 104,261 |
| 2024-10 | 36,575.7 | 105,920 |
| 2024-09 | 36,046.7 | 106,943 |
Source: CommoVision (commovision.com)
Source: CommoVision · North Dakota, data through September 2026.
Well map
- Oil 35,521
- Natural gas 468
- Undetermined 2,237
About this map
Undetermined means not enough signal to settle it. Producing wells are the ones that reported oil or gas in the 12 months to Aug 2026.
Type curves
3 of the drawn cohorts’ wells are not in these curves yet: each is still producing and joins its curve once it carries a forecast.
3 of the drawn cohorts’ wells are not in these curves yet: each is still producing and joins its curve once it carries a forecast.
Horizontal wells only. Average production per well, for wells grouped by when they first produced.
How these curves are built
Horizontal wells only: 19,346 of the 19,551 wells in these cohorts. Average daily production per well, for wells grouped by when they first produced. Includes every well of the cohort that is old enough at each month, except wells that are still active but not yet covered by our forecasts; those are left out of both the reported and forecast parts until they are. Wells that are shut in or have stopped producing count as zero, so the average reflects the whole group drawn, not just survivors. Rates are calendar-day (volume ÷ days in month). The cumulative axis accumulates those same monthly averages at the average month length. Months not yet fully reported are excluded. The 2010-2014 curve draws those years as one group. The chart opens on average daily rate against months on production, the rate on a log scale. The view control switches to rate against cumulative production per well, on the same log rate scale, or to cumulative production per well against months on production, on a linear scale. Every view draws the same cohorts from the same production history. Each cohort is solid through the last month all the wells in its curve sit inside fully reported data. Past it the dashed curve carries the same wells forward, on our forecast where a well’s own record ends, for up to five years. A dashed curve runs as far as at least nine in ten of its wells are accounted for. A well that is old enough but shut in still counts, as zero. The measured months are what these wells reported. In the forward months each well counts its own reported figure for each month it has one, our forecast for each month it has only that, and zero for the rest. The forward average counts every well in the curve. The drawn forecast runs up to five years past the measured months. Line thickness tracks how many wells each curve is drawn from.
Cohort summary table
| First produced | Wells in curve | Peak oil (bbl/d per well) | Month-12 oil (bbl/d per well) | Cum oil in series (Mbbl per well) | Peak gas (Mcf/d per well) | Month-12 gas (Mcf/d per well) | Cum gas in series (Bcf per well) | Months in series | Wells old enough at last month in series | Forecast months drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 420 | 500 | — | 15.2 | 655 | — | 0.0 | 1 | 100% | 60 |
| 2025 | 803 | 891 | — | 161 | 1,216 | — | 0.3 | 9 | 100% | 60 |
| 2024 | 939 | 747 | 286 | 237 | 892 | 632 | 0.4 | 21 | 100% | 60 |
| 2023 | 1,049 | 717 | 260 | 260 | 941 | 633 | 0.6 | 33 | 100% | 60 |
| 2022 | 737 | 675 | 277 | 295 | 984 | 705 | 0.7 | 45 | 100% | 60 |
| 2021 | 681 | 693 | 290 | 323 | 1,038 | 724 | 0.8 | 57 | 100% | 60 |
| 2020 | 603 | 757 | 314 | 348 | 1,026 | 853 | 1.0 | 69 | 100% | 60 |
| 2019 | 1,277 | 714 | 241 | 335 | 951 | 609 | 0.9 | 81 | 100% | 60 |
| 2018 | 1,271 | 651 | 301 | 362 | 960 | 696 | 1.0 | 93 | 100% | 60 |
| 2017 | 994 | 621 | 266 | 353 | 869 | 581 | 0.9 | 105 | 100% | 60 |
| 2016 | 738 | 518 | 216 | 308 | 712 | 465 | 0.8 | 117 | 100% | 60 |
| 2015 | 1,534 | 408 | 178 | 284 | 498 | 308 | 0.6 | 129 | 100% | 60 |
| 2010-2014 | 8,297 | 376 | 149 | 268 | 381 | 177 | 0.4 | 141 | 100% | 60 |
Source: CommoVision (commovision.com)
Source: CommoVision · North Dakota type curves, per-well production by first-production cohort.
Top operators in North Dakota, 2025 best estimate incl. source-withheld
Top operators in North Dakota, 2025: full table
| Operator | Oil (Mbbl/d, 2025) | Gas produced (MMcf/d, 2025) | Share of output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chord Energy Corporation | 218.3 | 608.7 | 18.5% |
| Continental Resources | 183.2 | 638.7 | 16.1% |
| Devon Energy | 100.8 | 391.4 | 9.1% |
| Burlington Resources | 92.1 | 333.2 | 8.2% |
| ConocoPhillips | 76.4 | 176.3 | 6.3% |
| Hess Corporation (January to July) | 119.0 | 431.8 | 6.1% |
| XTO Energy | 52.4 | 185.3 | 4.6% |
| Chevron (August to December) | 122.7 | 461.4 | 4.6% |
| Kraken Operating, LLC | 33.3 | 74.2 | 2.7% |
| Petro-Hunt LLC | 30.9 | 92.7 | 2.7% |
| 57 other operators | 219.7 | 422.7 | 17.7% |
| Without a named operator | 41.5 | 95.7 | 3.4% |
Mbbl/d = thousand barrels per day · MMcf/d = million cubic feet per day (units).
Source: CommoVision (commovision.com)
Top counties by 2025 production best estimate incl. source-withheld
| County | Oil (MMbbl) | Gas produced (Bcf) | Share of 2025 output |
|---|---|---|---|
| McKenzie County, North Dakota | 133.5 | 571.5 | 35.9% |
| Williams County, North Dakota | 89 | 273.6 | 21.1% |
| Dunn County, North Dakota | 92.1 | 186.1 | 19.3% |
| Mountrail County, North Dakota | 80.9 | 190.2 | 17.7% |
| Divide County, North Dakota | 14.7 | 21 | 2.8% |
Share of output counts oil and gas together, gas at its market-value weight.
Recent permitting
About this chart
Approvals of every permit type per month, the 24 months to Oct 2026. The last bar is Oct 2026 through October 16, 2026 (61 so far), drawn hatched. Of the 966 approved in the 365 days to October 16, 2026, 894 are permits to drill a new well, 71 are other permit types and 1 is a permit to deepen, sidetrack or re-enter an existing well. Permits to drill a new well: 894 in the 365 days to October 16, 2026 and 259 in the last 90 days of that window. How permits are counted.
Most permits 365 days to October 16, 2026
- In North Dakota, 966 well permits were approved in the 365 days to October 16, 2026. Of those, 283 came in the last 90 days of that window. The latest approval on record is dated October 16, 2026.
- Of the 966 approved in the 365 days to October 16, 2026, 894 are permits to drill a new well, 71 are other permit types and 1 is a permit to deepen, sidetrack or re-enter an existing well. Permits to drill a new well: 894 in the 365 days to October 16, 2026 and 259 in the last 90 days of that window.
Well permits approved per month: full table
| Month | Permits approved |
|---|---|
| Oct 2026 (through October 16, 2026) | 61 |
| Sep 2026 | 86 |
| Aug 2026 | 90 |
| Jul 2026 | 96 |
| Jun 2026 | 90 |
| May 2026 | 92 |
| Apr 2026 | 81 |
| Mar 2026 | 60 |
| Feb 2026 | 61 |
| Jan 2026 | 66 |
| Dec 2025 | 82 |
| Nov 2025 | 69 |
| Oct 2025 | 77 |
| Sep 2025 | 89 |
| Aug 2025 | 89 |
| Jul 2025 | 100 |
| Jun 2025 | 84 |
| May 2025 | 105 |
| Apr 2025 | 98 |
| Mar 2025 | 93 |
| Feb 2025 | 85 |
| Jan 2025 | 91 |
| Dec 2024 | 74 |
| Nov 2024 | 74 |
Source: CommoVision (commovision.com)
Active drilling rigs
Interactive chart. Focus it and use the left and right arrow keys to read each week, Page Up and Page Down to move a year, Home and End for the ends of the series. The full figures are also in the table below.
- In North Dakota, 31 drilling rigs were active in the week to October 16, 2026 (3 more than a year earlier).
- Since Oct 2016, the weekly count peaked at 61 in Apr 2019.
- The count covers land and inland-water rigs; rigs in US federal offshore waters are counted on the Gulf of Mexico page.
Average active rigs per month: full table
| Month | Oil-directed | Gas-directed | Miscellaneous | All rigs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2026 (through October 16, 2026) | 27 | 4 | 0 | 31 |
| Sep 2026 | 26.8 | 3.5 | 0 | 30.2 |
| Aug 2026 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Jul 2026 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Jun 2026 | 25.6 | 0 | 0 | 25.6 |
| May 2026 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
| Apr 2026 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
| Mar 2026 | 26.2 | 0 | 0 | 26.2 |
| Feb 2026 | 26.2 | 0 | 0 | 26.2 |
| Jan 2026 | 26.2 | 0 | 0 | 26.2 |
| Dec 2025 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| Nov 2025 | 27.8 | 0 | 0 | 27.8 |
| Oct 2025 | 28.2 | 0 | 0 | 28.2 |
| Sep 2025 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| Aug 2025 | 27.2 | 1 | 0 | 28.2 |
| Jul 2025 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 29 |
| Jun 2025 | 28.4 | 1 | 0 | 29.4 |
| May 2025 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 31 |
| Apr 2025 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 32 |
| Mar 2025 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 32 |
| Feb 2025 | 31.2 | 1 | 0 | 32.2 |
| Jan 2025 | 32.2 | 1 | 0 | 33.2 |
| Dec 2024 | 34.4 | 1 | 0 | 35.4 |
| Nov 2024 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 34 |
Source: CommoVision (commovision.com)
Formations
A cross-section through the Williston Basin in North Dakota, drawn across McKenzie County.
14 formations along a 54-mile line, west-southwest to east-northeast.
Every depth drawn here is our own estimate, built from the curated formation tops of North Dakota wells across the basin. The pale ribbon along each boundary shows how certain that depth is. Where the ribbon is wider, the depth is less certain.
How these sections are built
Each section follows one straight line across its county, and the map beside it shows where that line runs.
West is on the left.
The depth of each formation along the line is estimated from the depths at which North Dakota wells across the basin met that formation, as filed by their operators or as picked by the official source.
A formation is drawn where enough wells along the line place it and where it stands clear of the formation above or below.
What we cover here
Each row names the grain a region’s production is held at. Where a source publishes at a coarser grain, the page says so.
| Data | Grain | Since | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota production | well | 1951-04 | ~99–100% of EIA |
Benchmark cells compare our series with the EIA’s published estimates.
About the EIA comparison
The two are produced differently: the EIA estimates from a survey of the largest operators and a model built to anticipate late filings, while the series compared here are rebuilt from the source’s own records as they arrive. Recent months can differ without either being wrong; the methodology page explains both methods.
Coverage rows for North Dakota are regenerated at every build from the same catalog of sources the data is built from.
How our North Dakota production compares with the EIA
- Our North Dakota oil total is 0.2% below the EIA series over August 2023 to July 2026. Those are the last 36 months our own figures have settled.
- Our North Dakota natural gas total is 0.3% below the EIA series over August 2023 to July 2026. Those are the last 36 months our own figures have settled.
Why the two differ
The EIA estimates state totals from an operator survey. The series compared here are rebuilt from the source’s own records as they arrive. Recent months differ while filings are still arriving. Every region, beside the EIA series and why the two differ.
What the data shows
- North Dakota produced 426.8 MMbbl of oil and 1.26 Tcf of natural gas in 2025.
- North Dakota oil production peaked in 2019 at 517.9 MMbbl; 2025 output of 426.8 MMbbl ran at 82% of that peak.
- 21,322 producing wells tracked, 12 months to Aug 2026.
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