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Annual Energy Review

Release Date: October 19, 2011 
Next Update: August 2012

Table 4.6  Crude Oil and Natural Gas Exploratory Wells, 1949-2010


Year		 Wells Drilled
Successful
Wells		 Footage Drilled 1 Average Footage Drilled
Crude Oil 2 Natural Gas 3 Dry Holes 4 Total Crude Oil 2 Natural Gas 3 Dry Holes 4 Total Crude Oil 2 Natural Gas 3 Dry Holes 4 Total
  Number Percent Thousand Feet Feet per Well
1949
 1,406 424 7,228 9,058 20.2 5,950 2,409 26,439 34,798 4,232 5,682 3,658 3,842
1950
 1,583 431 8,292 10,306 19.5 6,862 2,356 30,957 40,175 4,335 5,466 3,733 3,898
1951
 1,763 454 9,539 11,756 18.9 8,125 2,496 38,723 49,344 4,609 5,497 4,059 4,197
1952
 1,776 559 10,090 12,425 18.8 8,491 3,394 43,731 55,615 4,781 6,071 4,334 4,476
1953
 1,981 699 10,633 13,313 20.1 9,432 3,952 47,280 60,664 4,761 5,654 4,447 4,557
1954
 1,985 726 10,389 13,100 20.7 9,409 4,399 45,792 59,601 4,740 6,059 4,408 4,550
1955
 2,236 874 11,832 14,942 20.8 10,774 5,212 53,220 69,206 4,819 5,964 4,498 4,632
1956
 2,267 822 13,118 16,207 19.1 11,111 5,179 58,047 74,337 4,901 6,301 4,425 4,587
1957
 1,945 865 11,904 14,714 19.1 9,794 5,967 53,420 69,181 5,036 6,898 4,488 4,702
1958
 1,745 822 10,632 13,199 19.4 8,712 5,472 47,300 61,484 4,993 6,657 4,449 4,658
1959
 1,702 912 10,577 13,191 19.8 8,545 6,031 48,676 63,253 5,021 6,613 4,602 4,795
1960
 1,321 868 9,515 11,704 18.7 6,829 5,466 43,535 55,831 5,170 6,298 4,575 4,770
1961
 1,157 813 9,022 10,992 17.9 5,900 5,250 43,293 54,442 5,099 6,457 4,799 4,953
1962
 1,211 771 8,815 10,797 18.4 6,205 5,187 42,223 53,616 5,124 6,728 4,790 4,966
1963
 1,314 664 8,686 10,664 18.5 6,409 4,230 42,847 53,485 4,878 6,370 4,933 5,016
1964
 1,219 557 8,951 10,727 16.6 6,715 4,204 44,578 55,497 5,509 7,547 4,980 5,174
1965
 946 515 8,005 9,466 15.4 5,366 3,757 40,081 49,204 5,672 7,295 5,007 5,198
1966
 1,196 698 8,419 10,313 18.4 6,817 5,808 43,084 55,709 5,700 8,321 5,117 5,402
1967
 986 532 7,360 8,878 17.1 5,678 3,979 38,182 47,839 5,758 7,478 5,188 5,388
1968
 954 486 7,439 8,879 16.2 5,642 3,741 41,575 50,958 5,914 7,697 5,589 5,739
1969
 1,084 616 8,001 9,701 17.5 6,563 4,985 45,918 57,466 6,054 8,092 5,739 5,924
1970
 757 477 6,162 7,396 16.7 4,729 3,678 35,123 43,530 6,247 7,695 5,700 5,885
1971
 659 470 5,952 7,081 15.9 3,786 3,610 34,499 41,895 5,745 7,649 5,796 5,915
1972
 685 656 6,134 7,475 17.9 4,028 4,847 36,081 44,956 5,880 7,400 5,882 6,015
1973
 642 1,067 5,952 7,661 22.3 4,008 7,038 34,571 45,618 6,243 6,596 5,808 5,955
1974
 859 1,190 6,833 8,882 23.1 5,029 7,683 38,603 51,315 5,855 6,456 5,649 5,777
1975
 982 1,248 7,129 9,359 23.8 5,806 8,422 40,448 54,677 5,913 6,748 5,674 5,842
1976
 1,086 1,346 6,772 9,204 26.4 6,527 9,121 37,969 53,617 6,010 6,777 5,607 5,825
1977
 1,164 1,548 7,283 9,995 27.1 6,870 10,255 40,823 57,949 5,902 6,625 5,605 5,798
1978
 1,171 1,771 7,965 10,907 27.0 7,105 11,798 46,295 65,197 6,067 6,662 5,812 5,978
1979
 1,321 1,907 7,437 10,665 30.3 7,941 12,643 42,512 63,096 6,011 6,630 5,716 5,916
1980
 1,777 2,099 9,081 12,957 29.9 10,177 13,862 50,249 74,288 5,727 6,604 5,533 5,733
1981
 2,651 2,522 12,400 17,573 29.4 15,515 17,079 69,214 101,808 5,853 6,772 5,582 5,793
1982
 2,437 2,133 11,307 15,877 28.8 13,413 14,763 60,680 88,856 5,504 6,921 5,367 5,597
1983
 2,030 1,605 10,206 13,841 26.3 10,437 10,264 48,989 69,690 5,141 6,395 4,800 5,035
1984
 2,209 1,528 11,321 15,058 24.8 12,294 9,935 58,624 80,853 5,565 6,502 5,178 5,369
1985
 1,680 1,200 8,954 11,834 24.3 9,854 8,144 47,604 65,602 5,865 6,787 5,317 5,544
1986
 1,084 797 5,567 7,448 25.3 6,579 5,401 30,325 42,305 6,069 6,777 5,447 5,680
1987
 926 756 5,052 6,734 25.0 5,652 5,064 26,746 37,462 6,104 6,698 5,294 5,563
1988
 855 747 4,711 6,313 25.4 5,286 4,992 27,079 37,357 6,182 6,683 5,748 5,917
1989
 607 706 3,934 5,247 25.0 3,659 4,664 21,947 30,270 6,028 6,606 5,579 5,769
1990
 778 811 R 3,652 R 5,241 30.3 R 5,321 R 5,758 R 20,757 R 31,836 R 6,839 R 7,100 R 5,684 6,074
1991
 673 R 649 R 3,191 R 4,513 29.3 R 4,470 R 4,620 R 18,049 R 27,139 R 6,642 R 7,118 R 5,656 R 6,013
1992
 571 513 R 2,384 R 3,468 31.3 R 3,958 R 3,544 R 13,058 R 20,560 R 6,932 R 6,908 R 5,477 R 5,928
1993
 539 610 R 2,334 R 3,483 33.0 R 3,573 R 3,960 R 13,472 R 21,005 R 6,629 R 6,491 R 5,772 R 6,031
1994
 595 R 782 2,247 R 3,624 38.0 R 3,971 R 5,129 R 13,307 R 22,407 R 6,674 R 6,559 R 5,922 R 6,183
1995
 570 R 558 R 2,024 R 3,152 35.8 3,933 R 3,497 R 11,928 R 19,358 6,900 R 6,266 5,893 R 6,141
1996
 489 576 1,956 3,021 35.3 3,654 3,901 R 12,137 R 19,692 7,472 R 6,773 R 6,205 6,518
1997
 491 R 562 2,113 R 3,166 R 33.3 R 3,947 R 4,036 R 13,490 R 21,473 R 8,039 R 7,181 R 6,384 R 6,782
1998
 327 566 1,590 2,483 36.0 R 2,740 R 4,093 R 10,842 R 17,675 R 8,379 R 7,231 6,819 7,118
1999
 197 R 570 1,157 R 1,924 R 39.9 R 1,433 R 3,992 R 7,687 R 13,112 R 7,274 R 7,003 6,644 6,815
2000
 R 288 R 657 R 1,341 R 2,286 41.3 R 2,103 R 4,812 R 9,173 R 16,088 R 7,302 R 7,325 R 6,840 R 7,038
2001
 357 1,052 R 1,733 R 3,142 R 44.8 R 2,618 R 7,327 R 11,470 R 21,415 R 7,333 R 6,965 R 6,619 R 6,816
2002
 R 258 R 844 R 1,282 R 2,384 46.2 R 1,743 R 5,731 R 8,695 R 16,169 R 6,756 R 6,791 R 6,782 R 6,782
2003
 R 350 R 997 R 1,297 R 2,644 R 50.9 R 2,448 R 6,584 R 8,817 R 17,849 R 6,994 R 6,604 6,798 R 6,751
2004
 R 383 R 1,671 R 1,350 R 3,404 R 60.3 R 3,124 R 9,989 R 9,345 R 22,458 R 8,157 R 5,978 R 6,922 R 6,598
2005
 R 539 R 2,135 R 1,462 R 4,136 R 64.7 R 4,279 R 12,198 R 9,396 R 25,873 R 7,939 R 5,713 R 6,427 R 6,255
2006E
 R 644 R 2,450 R 1,529 R 4,623 R 66.9 R 4,760 R 14,003 R 9,609 R 28,372 R 7,391 R 5,716 R 6,284 R 6,137
2007E
 R 825 R 2,777 R 1,585 R 5,187 R 69.4 R 5,944 R 15,616 R 10,136 R 31,696 R 7,205 R 5,623 R 6,395 R 6,111
2008E
 R 921 R 2,467 R 1,764 R 5,152 R 65.8 R 7,356 R 15,152 R 10,835 R 33,343 R 7,987 R 6,142 R 6,142 R 6,472
2009E
 R 618 R 1,290 R 1,157 R 3,065 R 62.3 R 4,856 R 9,254 R 7,053 R 21,163 R 7,858 R 7,173 R 6,096 R 6,905
2010E
 778 1,269 1,322 3,369 60.8 6,319 8,639 7,932 22,890 8,122 6,808 6,000 6,794
1See "Footage Drilled" in Glossary. R=Revised.  E=Estimate. 
2See "Crude Oil Well" in Glossary. Notes:  ·  Data are for exploratory wells only; see Table 4.5 for exploratory and development wells
combined, and Table 4.7 for development wells only.  ·  For 1949-1959, data represent wells completed in
a given year.  For 1960-1969, data are for well completion reports received by the American Petroleum
Institute (API) during the reporting year.  For 1970 forward, the data represent wells completed in a given
year.  The as-received well completion data for recent years are incomplete due to delays in the reporting
of wells drilled.  The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) therefore statistically imputes the missing
data.  ·  Totals may not equal sum of components due to independent rounding.  Average depth may not
equal average of components due to independent rounding.
3See "Natural Gas Well" in Glossary. Web Page:  For related information, see http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/.
4See "Dry Hole" in Glossary. Sources:  ·  1949-1965—Gulf Publishing Company, World Oil, "Forecast-Review" issue.
·  1966-1969—American Petroleum Institute (API), Quarterly Review of Drilling Statistics for the United
States, annual summaries and monthly reports.  ·  1970-1989—EIA computations based on well reports
submitted to the API.  ·  1990 forward—EIA computations based on well reports submitted to IHS, Inc.,
Denver, CO.  For current data see the EIA, Monthly Energy Review, Table 5.2.