Dated, sourced drilling-activity statistics for the most active oil basin in the United States — updated quarterly. Data as of August 25, 2026.
As of August 25, 2026: the Permian Basin is running 280 active drilling rigs, and operators filed 1,749 new drilling permits across 26 core Permian counties in the trailing 90 days (May 27 – August 25, 2026). WTI crude: $82.55/bbl · Henry Hub gas: $2.72/MMBtu.
Compiled from public Texas Railroad Commission and New Mexico OCD permit records. Data last reviewed August 25, 2026 · refreshed quarterly. See the methodology & changelog, how to cite this dataset, republish or embed it, or download it as CSV / JSON. Underlying permit records are public data.
The Permian Basin is running 280 active rigs as of August 25, 2026 — more than any other U.S. basin. The most active counties:
| County | State | Active Rigs |
|---|---|---|
| Eddy | NM | 42 |
| Lea | NM | 42 |
| Midland | TX | 33 |
| Loving | TX | 26 |
| Reeves | TX | 25 |
| Upton | TX | 17 |
| Martin | TX | 14 |
| Glasscock | TX | 11 |
Source: Energy Domain DataStream (rig tracking), state + satellite data, as of August 25, 2026.
Operators filed 1,749 drilling permits across 26 core Permian counties in the trailing 90 days (May 27 – August 25, 2026). Permits are the clearest forward indicator of where drilling — and royalty income — is headed next. The most-permitted counties:
| County | State | Permits |
|---|---|---|
| Eddy | NM | 496 |
| Lea | NM | 415 |
| Andrews | TX | 111 |
| Midland | TX | 97 |
| Reeves | TX | 93 |
| Martin | TX | 91 |
| Loving | TX | 54 |
| Reagan | TX | 52 |
| Upton | TX | 48 |
| Ector | TX | 43 |
See the full ranked leaderboard of the most active Permian counties →
| Operator | Permits (90 days) |
|---|---|
| ExxonMobil | 266 |
| EOG Resources | 216 |
| Occidental (Oxy) | 133 |
| Permian Resources | 122 |
| Devon Energy | 95 |
| ConocoPhillips | 91 |
| Diamondback Energy | 73 |
| Matador Resources | 54 |
Source: Energy Domain DataStream (Texas RRC + New Mexico OCD filings), trailing 90 days (May 27 – August 25, 2026).
Source: Commodities-API spot quotes, August 25, 2026. Benchmark prices — wellhead realizations vary by area and contract.
Rig counts and permit filings are the activity behind every royalty check: permits show where operators intend to drill next, and rigs show where capital is working right now. If your county appears in the tables above, operators are actively investing around you — which is exactly the data ARB analyzes, at the tract level, when valuing mineral and royalty interests. These are activity statistics, not valuations; what any specific interest is worth depends on your acreage, and the only reliable way to know is a free, no-obligation valuation.
You're welcome to cite this page. Suggested format: "Permian Basin by the Numbers, American Royalty Buyers, data as of August 25, 2026 (americanroyaltybuyers.com/permian-basin-by-the-numbers)." Underlying data: Texas Railroad Commission and New Mexico OCD filings via Energy Domain; spot prices via Commodities-API. Updated quarterly.