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Annual Energy Review

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

Table 4.7  Crude Oil and Natural Gas Development 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
 19,946 2,939 5,369 28,254 81.0 73,478 10,028 17,315 100,821 3,684 3,412 3,225 3,568
1950
 22,229 3,008 6,507 31,744 79.5 85,833 11,329 20,020 117,183 3,861 3,766 3,077 3,691
1951
 21,416 2,984 7,487 31,887 76.5 86,981 11,451 24,370 122,802 4,061 3,837 3,255 3,851
1952
 21,514 2,955 7,669 32,138 76.1 89,657 11,863 26,999 128,518 4,167 4,015 3,520 3,999
1953
 23,342 3,269 7,816 34,427 77.3 92,704 14,296 26,582 133,581 3,972 4,373 3,401 3,880
1954
 26,156 3,312 8,541 38,009 77.5 103,953 14,458 29,998 148,408 3,974 4,365 3,512 3,905
1955
 28,196 3,392 8,620 40,208 78.6 110,374 14,718 31,883 156,976 3,915 4,339 3,699 3,904
1956
 28,261 3,709 8,993 40,963 78.0 109,241 17,559 32,143 158,943 3,865 4,734 3,574 3,880
1957
 25,419 3,610 8,252 37,281 77.9 100,249 17,869 29,747 147,864 3,944 4,950 3,605 3,966
1958
 22,029 4,183 7,530 33,742 77.7 84,393 20,083 27,343 131,820 3,831 4,801 3,631 3,907
1959
 22,341 4,019 8,012 34,372 76.7 86,066 20,575 30,800 137,441 3,852 5,120 3,844 3,999
1960
 20,937 4,281 8,697 33,915 74.4 79,739 22,780 33,826 136,345 3,809 5,321 3,889 4,020
1961
 20,280 4,673 8,309 33,262 75.0 79,726 24,042 31,423 135,191 3,931 5,145 3,782 4,064
1962
 20,516 4,582 8,263 33,361 75.2 82,226 23,762 35,030 141,018 4,008 5,186 4,239 4,227
1963
 18,821 3,906 8,076 30,803 73.8 75,400 20,303 33,460 129,164 4,006 5,198 4,143 4,193
1964
 18,686 4,137 8,743 31,566 72.3 73,748 21,394 36,782 131,923 3,947 5,171 4,207 4,179
1965
 17,119 3,967 8,221 29,307 71.9 67,956 21,174 36,548 125,678 3,970 5,337 4,446 4,288
1966
 15,584 3,679 6,808 26,071 73.9 60,523 20,140 26,552 107,215 3,884 5,474 3,900 4,112
1967
 14,343 3,127 5,886 23,356 74.8 52,956 17,602 22,960 93,518 3,692 5,629 3,901 4,004
1968
 13,377 2,970 5,373 21,720 75.3 53,875 16,975 23,162 94,012 4,027 5,716 4,311 4,328
1969
 13,284 3,467 5,735 22,486 74.5 55,019 19,177 25,446 99,642 4,142 5,531 4,437 4,431
1970
 12,211 3,534 4,869 20,614 76.4 52,130 19,945 22,951 95,026 4,269 5,644 4,714 4,610
1971
 11,194 3,501 4,357 19,052 77.1 45,323 19,850 20,186 85,358 4,049 5,670 4,633 4,480
1972
 10,693 4,784 4,757 20,234 76.5 45,241 25,159 22,475 92,875 4,231 5,259 4,725 4,590
1973
 9,525 5,866 4,368 19,759 77.9 40,408 31,007 21,190 92,605 4,242 5,286 4,851 4,687
1974
 12,788 5,948 5,283 24,019 78.0 46,996 30,766 24,296 102,059 3,675 5,173 4,599 4,249
1975
 15,966 6,879 6,517 29,362 77.8 61,013 36,032 28,772 125,817 3,821 5,238 4,415 4,285
1976
 16,602 8,063 6,986 31,651 77.9 62,365 39,992 31,008 133,365 3,756 4,960 4,439 4,214
1977
 17,581 10,574 7,702 35,857 78.5 68,581 53,431 35,905 157,917 3,901 5,053 4,662 4,404
1978
 18,010 12,642 8,586 39,238 78.1 69,936 64,043 39,493 173,472 3,883 5,066 4,600 4,421
1979
 19,530 13,347 8,662 41,539 79.1 74,747 67,825 39,130 181,702 3,827 5,082 4,517 4,374
1980
 31,182 15,362 11,704 58,248 79.9 115,085 78,244 49,326 242,655 3,691 5,093 4,214 4,166
1981
 41,236 17,728 15,553 74,517 79.1 156,652 91,274 65,720 313,646 3,799 5,149 4,226 4,209
1982
 37,022 16,943 15,072 69,037 78.2 136,261 92,386 63,066 291,713 3,681 5,453 4,184 4,225
1983
 35,336 13,079 14,149 62,564 77.4 126,412 67,844 56,233 250,489 3,577 5,187 3,974 4,004
1984
 40,697 15,810 14,563 71,070 79.5 150,359 81,545 61,236 293,140 3,695 5,158 4,205 4,125
1985
 33,581 13,124 12,257 58,962 79.2 127,874 68,149 52,784 248,807 3,808 5,193 4,306 4,220
1986
 18,129 7,802 7,232 33,163 78.2 70,246 39,638 30,636 140,520 3,875 5,080 4,236 4,237
1987
 15,284 7,340 6,115 28,739 78.7 60,706 37,520 26,842 125,068 3,972 5,112 4,390 4,352
1988
 12,791 7,831 5,408 26,030 79.2 53,353 40,371 25,438 119,162 4,171 5,155 4,704 4,578
1989
 9,623 8,816 4,302 22,741 81.1 39,607 44,417 20,152 104,176 4,116 5,038 4,684 4,581
1990
 R 12,061 R 10,435 R 4,593 R 27,089 83.0 R 51,290 R 51,317 R 21,781 R 124,388 R 4,253 R 4,918 R 4,742 R 4,592
1991
 R 11,915 R 9,144 R 4,290 R 25,349 R 83.1 R 51,789 R 46,461 R 19,808 R 118,058 R 4,347 R 5,081 R 4,617 R 4,657
1992
 R 8,831 R 7,650 R 3,478 R 19,959 82.6 R 41,859 R 41,269 R 16,419 R 99,547 R 4,740 R 5,395 R 4,721 R 4,987
1993
 R 8,317 R 9,229 R 3,762 R 21,308 82.3 R 40,751 R 54,424 R 17,645 R 112,820 R 4,900 5,897 R 4,690 R 5,294
1994
 R 6,753 R 8,593 R 2,849 R 18,195 84.3 R 34,704 R 53,310 R 14,521 R 102,535 R 5,139 R 6,204 5,097 R 5,635
1995
 R 7,678 7,524 2,790 R 17,992 84.5 R 37,213 R 46,343 R 14,469 R 98,025 R 4,847 R 6,159 R 5,186 R 5,448
1996
 R 8,347 R 8,451 2,934 R 19,732 85.1 R 38,863 R 52,349 R 15,747 R 106,959 R 4,656 R 6,194 R 5,367 R 5,420
1997
 R 10,715 R 10,936 3,761 R 25,412 85.2 R 52,504 R 67,515 R 20,251 R 140,270 R 4,900 R 6,174 R 5,384 R 5,520
1998
 R 7,355 R 11,073 R 3,171 R 21,599 85.3 R 35,943 R 66,282 R 17,743 R 119,968 R 4,887 R 5,986 R 5,595 R 5,554
1999
 R 4,608 R 11,457 R 2,393 R 18,458 87.0 R 20,592 R 56,390 R 12,972 R 89,954 R 4,469 R 4,922 R 5,421 R 4,873
2000
 7,802 R 16,394 R 2,805 R 27,001 89.6 R 34,695 R 78,885 R 14,928 R 128,508 R 4,447 R 4,812 R 5,322 R 4,759
2001
 R 8,531 R 21,020 R 2,865 R 32,416 91.2 R 40,595 R 103,460 R 14,809 R 158,864 R 4,759 R 4,922 R 5,169 R 4,901
2002
 R 6,517 R 16,498 R 2,472 R 25,487 R 90.3 R 29,238 R 87,443 R 12,526 R 129,207 R 4,486 R 5,300 R 5,067 R 5,069
2003
 R 7,779 R 19,725 R 2,685 R 30,189 91.1 R 36,242 R 109,556 R 13,945 R 159,743 R 4,659 R 5,554 R 5,194 R 5,291
2004
 R 8,406 R 22,515 R 2,732 R 33,653 91.9 R 39,166 R 128,785 R 14,416 R 182,367 R 4,659 R 5,720 R 5,277 R 5,419
2005
 R 10,240 R 26,449 R 3,191 R 39,880 92.0 R 47,402 R 151,986 R 15,674 R 215,062 R 4,629 R 5,746 R 4,912 R 5,393
2006E
 R 12,580 R 30,310 R 3,609 R 46,499 92.2 R 58,325 R 177,713 R 17,922 R 253,960 R 4,636 R 5,863 R 4,966 R 5,461
2007E
 R 12,516 R 30,075 R 3,355 R 45,946 R 92.7 R 59,361 R 194,702 R 17,496 R 271,559 R 4,743 R 6,474 R 5,215 R 5,910
2008E
 R 15,870 R 30,872 R 3,634 R 50,376 R 92.8 R 77,787 R 216,695 R 18,023 R 312,505 R 4,902 R 7,019 R 4,960 R 6,203
2009E
 R 10,992 R 17,764 R 2,591 R 31,347 R 91.7 R 56,995 R 138,251 R 12,962 R 208,208 R 5,185 R 7,783 R 5,003 R 6,642
2010E
 18,597 17,790 3,548 39,935 91.1 104,087 149,406 17,364 270,857 5,597 8,398 4,894 6,782
1See "Footage Drilled" in Glossary. R=Revised.  E=Estimate.  
2See "Crude Oil Well" in Glossary. Notes:  ·  Data are for development wells only; see Table 4.5 for exploratory and development wells
combined, and Table 4.6 for exploratory wells only.  ·  Service wells, stratigraphic tests, and core tests are
excluded.  ·  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 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.