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Learn About Oil & Gas Production

Data from state Railroad Commissions, explained simply. No jargon. No fluff. Just the facts about how oil and gas is found, drilled, and measured.

State: All States Texas Oklahoma New Mexico North Dakota Colorado Louisiana Wyoming Alaska California Pennsylvania West Virginia Utah Kansas Montana Ohio Michigan Mississippi Arkansas Illinois
Topic: All Topics Production Basins Regulation Glossary
Illinois production

Illinois Oil Production and the Illinois Basin

Illinois has been producing oil longer than almost any other state. The first commercial oil well in Illinois was completed in 1853 — six years before Edwin Drake's famous Pennsylvania well. Over the …

Mar 29, 2026 Read More
Michigan production

Michigan Oil and Gas Production and EGLE

Michigan is not usually listed alongside Texas or North Dakota when people talk about oil states, but it has been producing oil and gas for over a century. The state has unique geology that includes b…

Mar 26, 2026 Read More
Ohio production

Ohio Oil and Gas: The Utica Shale Boom

Ohio has been producing oil and gas for over 150 years. The state was one of the earliest oil producers in the country, with production beginning in the 1860s — just a few years after Edwin Drake's fa…

Mar 25, 2026 Read More
Montana production

Montana Oil and Gas: Williston Basin and BOGC

Montana is a large state with a relatively small oil industry compared to Texas or North Dakota — but it shares some of the same geology. Eastern Montana sits over the western edge of the Williston Ba…

Mar 24, 2026 Read More
Utah production

Utah Oil and Gas: Uinta Basin and DOGM

Utah may not be the first state that comes to mind when you think about oil production, but it is a consistent and significant producer. The state pumps roughly 100,000 to 120,000 barrels of oil per d…

Mar 22, 2026 Read More
West Virginia production

Oil and Gas in West Virginia

West Virginia has one of the longest histories of oil and gas production of any state. Drillers were producing oil here in the 1860s, just a few years after Edwin Drake's famous well in neighboring Pe…

Mar 21, 2026 Read More
Pennsylvania production

Pennsylvania: Where U.S. Oil Was Born

The U.S. oil industry was born in Pennsylvania. On August 27, 1859, Edwin Drake drilled the first successful commercial oil well in Titusville, a small town in the northwestern part of the state. That…

Mar 20, 2026 Read More

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