Free Oil & Gas Data Sources — Every Public Database You Need

March 8, 2026 • 8 min read

There is more free oil and gas data available than most people realize. State regulators, federal agencies, and public institutions publish well data, production records, permit information, and geological data at no cost. The challenge is knowing where to look and how to work with the data. Here is a comprehensive directory.

State Regulatory Agencies

Every oil-producing state has a regulatory agency that maintains well records. Data quality and accessibility vary dramatically.

Texas — Railroad Commission (RRC)

The gold standard for state-level oil and gas data. The Texas RRC provides well headers, production data, drilling permits, completion reports, and GIS data. Available through online queries and bulk downloads. MineralSearch ingests and indexes this data for faster searching.

New Mexico — Oil Conservation Division (OCD)

Covers Permian Basin wells in Lea and Eddy counties. Data available through the OCD Imaging System. Less user-friendly than the Texas RRC but contains complete well records.

North Dakota — NDIC / DMR

The North Dakota Industrial Commission provides Bakken and Three Forks well data. Their online well search and production data tools are among the better state systems.

Oklahoma — OCC

Oklahoma Corporation Commission provides well data through their Well Records database. Completion reports and production data available online.

Other States

• Colorado — COGCC provides well data through their online facilities (ecmc.state.co.us)
• Wyoming — WOGCC provides well data and production records
• Pennsylvania — DEP provides Marcellus and Utica well data
• Louisiana — SONRIS provides well data, production, and permit information

Federal Data Sources

BOEM / BSEE — Gulf of Mexico

Federal offshore data for the Gulf of Mexico. BOEM covers lease data, BSEE covers well data and production. See our GOM data guide for details. MineralSearch tracks 55,000+ GOM wells from these sources.

EIA — U.S. Energy Information Administration

The EIA publishes state and national-level production data, rig counts, price data, and production forecasts. Key resources:

• Drilling Productivity Report — Monthly well-level productivity estimates by basin
• Petroleum Supply Monthly — State and national crude oil production
• Short-Term Energy Outlook — Production and price forecasts

USGS — Geological Survey

Geological assessments of undiscovered resources, published reports on basin-level resource potential, and geological mapping data.

Industry Data

Baker Hughes Rig Count

Weekly rig count data by basin, state, and play type. Published every Friday. One of the most-watched leading indicators in the industry.

FracFocus

Chemical disclosure registry for hydraulic fracturing operations. Operators report the chemicals used in each frac job. Searchable by well, operator, or state. Useful for environmental research and completion analysis.

SEC / EDGAR

Public company filings. 10-K annual reports contain proved reserves, production data, acreage positions, and drilling plans. Quarterly 10-Q filings provide more recent operational updates. Investor presentations often contain type curves and well-level data.

Mapping and GIS

• Texas RRC GIS Viewer — Web-based map of Texas well locations and infrastructure
• Texas GLO Map — Survey boundaries and land patent information
• BOEM Mapping — GOM lease blocks and protraction areas
• Google Earth — Satellite imagery useful for identifying surface facilities and pad sites

The Catch

All of this data is free, but it is scattered across dozens of websites, in different formats, with different update schedules. Aggregating and normalizing it into a usable form requires significant effort. That is exactly what platforms like MineralSearch do — we pull from the primary sources (RRC, BOEM, BSEE) and present it in a single, searchable interface.