Research list
Oil and Gas Statistics 2026: Production, Wells, Federal Leases and Royalties in Numbers
Oil and gas statistics are easy to repeat and hard to source. Every figure here comes from the agency or study that published it, with the period it covers: production, wells, federal minerals and leases, royalties and revenue, and the mineral law counts from AMR’s own review.
Key numbers
Every figure on this page links to the agency or study that published it, with the period it covers. Two shares are AMR’s own arithmetic on EIA’s volumes, and are labeled so.
| Statistic | Figure |
|---|---|
| U.S. crude oil, 2025 | 13.66 million barrels a day |
| Texas share of U.S. crude, 2025 | 42.2 percent |
| Producing oil and gas wells, 2024 | 918,481 |
| Federal onshore mineral estate | About 700 million acres |
| Federal energy revenue disbursed, fiscal 2025 | $14.61 billion |
| Minimum federal onshore royalty rate | 12.5 percent, since July 4, 2025 |
| Orphaned wells documented by USGS | 130,121 |
| States with a forced pooling statute | 39 |

How we checked
Every figure below was read on its own page or filing on October 5, 2026, and each figure is given as that source states it. Nothing here is paid placement, and AMR earns nothing from any organization listed.
Each number was read in the publisher’s own table, file or release, and is given as published. Figures for one year are not mixed with another without saying so.
Production
The United States produced more crude oil and natural gas in 2025 than in any of the five years before it, by EIA’s tables, and two of every five barrels came from Texas.
| Statistic | Figure | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. crude oil production | 13.66 million barrels a day | 2025 | EIA |
| U.S. marketed natural gas production | 43.2 trillion cubic feet | 2025 | EIA |
| Texas share of U.S. crude oil | 42.2 percent, 2.10 billion barrels | 2025, calculated from EIA volumes | EIA |
| Federal offshore Gulf of America share of U.S. crude | 14.2 percent | 2025, calculated from EIA volumes | EIA |
| Federal onshore share of U.S. oil and gas sales | About 15 percent of oil, 9 percent of natural gas | Fiscal year 2024 | BLM |
Wells
Most U.S. wells are small: nearly four in five produce 15 barrels of oil equivalent a day or less.
| Statistic | Figure | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Producing U.S. oil and natural gas wells | 918,481 | 2024 | EIA |
| Share of producing wells making 15 barrels of oil equivalent a day or less | 78 percent | 2023 and 2024 | EIA |
| Documented unplugged orphaned oil and gas wells | 130,121, in 28 states | Database released September 30, 2026 | USGS |
Federal minerals and leases
Federal agencies hold the minerals under about 30 percent of the country, including some beneath privately owned surface.
| Statistic | Figure | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal onshore mineral estate | About 700 million acres, 30 percent of the United States | Current | BLM |
| Federal onshore oil and gas leases in effect | 31,833 | End of fiscal year 2025 | BLM |
| Acres under federal onshore oil and gas lease | 21,394,971 | End of fiscal year 2025 | BLM |
| Producing federal onshore leases | 23,647, on 12,346,001 acres | End of fiscal year 2025 | BLM |
| Minimum federal onshore royalty rate | 12.5 percent | Since July 4, 2025, when P.L. 119-21 repealed the 16 2/3 percent rate | 30 U.S.C. 226 |
Royalties and revenue
Federal mineral revenue is public to the dollar; private royalties are not, and the only national estimate is more than a decade old.
| Statistic | Figure | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal energy revenue disbursed | $14.61 billion | Fiscal year 2025 | Interior and ONRR |
| Federal mineral revenue paid to states | $4.07 billion, to 34 states | Fiscal year 2025 | Interior and ONRR |
| Largest state recipient | New Mexico, $2.76 billion | Fiscal year 2025 | Interior and ONRR |
| Paid to tribes and individual Indian mineral owners | $1.00 billion, shared by 33 tribes and about 31,000 individual Indian mineral owners | Fiscal year 2025 | Interior and ONRR |
| Royalties paid to private oil and gas owners | $22 billion | 2012, the latest national estimate found | Fitzgerald and Rucker, Montana State University, 2014 |
| Texas oil and gas revenue paid into the Permanent School Fund | More than $1.4 billion | Texas fiscal year 2024 | Texas General Land Office |
| Unclaimed property returned by states, all kinds | Over $1 billion a year | Annual, no year stated | NAUPA |
Mineral law
Counts from AMR’s own review of every state’s statutes.
| Statistic | Figure | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| States and D.C. with a rule that can end or transfer an unused severed mineral interest | 33 | Law Atlas review, October 1, 2026 | AMR Law Atlas |
| Of those, with a dormant mineral lapse statute | 18 | Law Atlas review, October 1, 2026 | AMR Law Atlas |
| States with a forced pooling statute | 39 | Law Atlas review, October 1, 2026 | AMR Law Atlas |
| States with a surface damage act | 18 | Law Atlas review, October 1, 2026 | AMR Law Atlas |
What is not published
How many Americans own mineral rights. No federal agency publishes a count. A figure of 12 million circulates online, but it could not be found on the National Association of Royalty Owners’ own pages, so it is not used here.
Total state severance tax collections. The Census Bureau publishes them in its survey of state tax collections, but its site refused our connection on October 5, 2026, so the figure is left out rather than taken second hand. AMR’s severance tax by state gives each producing state’s rates.
Private royalties since 2012. The only national estimate found, $22 billion for 2012, comes from a 2014 Montana State University paper; no agency updates it.
Common questions
How much oil does the U.S. produce?
13.66 million barrels a day in 2025, by EIA’s annual figures.
How many oil and gas wells are there in the U.S.?
EIA counted 918,481 producing oil and natural gas wells in 2024; USGS separately documents 130,121 unplugged orphaned wells.
What is the federal oil and gas royalty rate?
At least 12.5 percent for new onshore leases since July 4, 2025, when P.L. 119-21 restored it; leases issued from August 16, 2022 under the Inflation Reduction Act keep 16 2/3 percent.
How much do private mineral owners receive in royalties?
The only national estimate found is $22 billion in 2012; no current national figure is published.
Summary
Production, wells, federal leasing and federal revenue are published to the unit by EIA, BLM and ONRR; private royalties and the number of owners are not. The production data by state is in AMR’s top oil producing states.
Sources
Every page below was opened on October 5, 2026.
- Fitzgerald and Rucker, Montana State University, 2014
- NAUPA
- BLM
- BLM
- Interior and ONRR
- EIA
- EIA
- EIA
- EIA
- Texas General Land Office
- 30 U.S.C. 226
- USGS
Cite this list
American Mineral Registry. "Oil and Gas Statistics 2026: Production, Wells, Federal Leases and Royalties in Numbers." Release 2026.10.1, October 5, 2026. https:// americanmineralregistry.com/ research/ oil-and-gas-statistics
[Oil and Gas Statistics 2026: Production, Wells, Federal Leases and Royalties in Numbers](https:// americanmineralregistry.com/ research/ oil-and-gas-statistics), American Mineral Registry, release 2026.10.1 (October 5, 2026).
<a href="https:// americanmineralregistry.com/ research/ oil-and-gas-statistics">Oil and Gas Statistics 2026: Production, Wells, Federal Leases and Royalties in Numbers</ a>, American Mineral Registry, release 2026.10.1 (October 5, 2026).
@online{amr_oil_and_gas_statistics_2026_production_wells_federal_leases_and_royalties_in_numbers_2026101,
author = {{American Mineral Registry}},
title = {Oil and Gas Statistics 2026: Production, Wells, Federal Leases and Royalties in Numbers},
version = {2026.10.1},
date = {2026-10-05},
url = {https://americanmineralregistry.com/research/oil-and-gas-statistics}
} TY - ELEC AU - American Mineral Registry TI - Oil and Gas Statistics 2026: Production, Wells, Federal Leases and Royalties in Numbers ET - 2026.10.1 DA - 2026/10/ 05 UR - https:/ / americanmineralregistry.com/ research/ oil-and-gas-statistics ER -