Texas Oil and Gas Production by County: An Owner Primer

Direct answer

Texas oil and gas production by county is published by the Railroad Commission of Texas from operator-reported volumes and by the EIA for state and national context. County tables, statewide series, and well-level queries are inputs for owner research; they do not determine ownership or value.

Key takeaways

• County-level oil and gas production in Texas is published by the RRC from operator-reported monthly volumes; the EIA publishes statewide and national totals.
• Public production data shows what was produced on or near a tract, not who owns the minerals or what those minerals are worth.
• For any specific tract, the production series should be paired with the county deed records, the lease, and the division order before drawing conclusions about ownership or value.
• County-level production rankings shift as wells are added, recompleted, or plugged; a single month of output is not a reliable indicator of long-term value.
• MRX uses RRC production data and EIA price series as dated inputs in its disclosed valuation methodology; the methodology page describes how those inputs are combined.

What Texas oil and gas production by county can tell mineral-rights owners

Texas oil and gas production is reported publicly at the county level by the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC), and at the state and national level by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Both sources are useful, but they answer different questions. The RRC county-level data is built from operator-reported monthly volumes for individual leases and wells; the EIA series describe aggregate state and national output over time. Neither source determines who owns the minerals in a given county, and neither is a value statement on its own.

This article explains where the public county production data comes from, what it can and cannot tell an owner, and how MRX uses those public inputs alongside owner documents in its directional reviews.

Where the data comes from

County-level oil and gas production in Texas is reported monthly to the RRC by operators, aggregated by the RRC, and made available through:

• The RRC production-data page, which lists current and historical production by county.
• The RRC online research query portal, where a user can search by lease name, operator, well number, or county for the wells of interest.

The EIA publishes complementary state and national series:

• The EIA Texas profile summarizes Texas crude oil production, natural gas production, refining, and prices.
• The EIA U.S. crude oil and natural gas production series provide the national context against which Texas is measured.

For any single number cited in an article, the RRC query export, the EIA series identifier, the publication date, and the access date should be attached so the reader can reproduce the figure.

What county production can tell an owner

County-level production data is useful for several owner tasks:

• Verifying that the production shown on a royalty statement is consistent with the volumes reported to the RRC for the same lease and period.
• Identifying whether activity in a county is increasing, stable, or declining relative to prior periods.
• Comparing the relative scale of producing counties when an owner is researching a new interest or comparing two interests.
• Supporting an MRX directional review that needs dated production inputs and an operator name to look up lease and well records.

What county production cannot tell an owner

County production totals do not, on their own:

• Determine ownership. County deed, probate or estate, and other chain-of-title records must be reviewed separately; leases and division orders answer related contract and payment questions, and the RRC has no ownership file.
• Establish a royalty fraction. The royalty share is set in the lease and shown on the division order.
• Substitute for a valuation. A valuation requires dated production, dated prices, the royalty fraction, division-order decimals, and the lease and ownership documents.
• Predict future production. A single month or a single year of county output does not, by itself, indicate long-run volumes; wells are added, recompleted, and plugged over time.

For any of these questions, county production is one input among several, not an answer.

How an owner can pair county data with tract-level records

A practical research file pairs the public county totals with the records that describe a specific tract. A common starting sequence:

1. Identify the county, survey, abstract, or block for the interest using the county deed records.
2. Pull the RRC production for the leases covering that tract from the online research query, noting the operator and lease identifier.
3. Pull RRC permit and completion records for the wells on those leases to see when each was drilled, completed, or plugged.
4. Compare those volumes and operator names to the division order and recent royalty statements.
5. Confirm ownership through the county deed records; consult a title professional where the chain of title is complex.

How MRX uses RRC and EIA production data in its reviews

MRX’s published methodology describes how it assembles a directional mineral-rights review from public data and owner-provided documents. Among other inputs, MRX uses RRC production data as a dated record of what is being produced on or near an interest, and EIA state and national series as the price and aggregate context behind a directional cash-flow model. Those public inputs are combined with the lease, the division order, royalty statements, and the owner’s other documents to support a directional range. The MRX methodology page describes the inputs and assumptions behind that process.

When to bring in a qualified professional

Public county and state data can frame a question, but several related questions are outside public data:

• Ownership disputes, severance questions, and chain-of-title review typically require a title opinion from a qualified Texas oil and gas attorney or land professional.
• Royalty-fraction interpretation and division-order review can be reviewed by a division-order analyst or oil and gas attorney.
• Federal and state royalty-tax treatment and any depletion calculation are specific to each owner’s facts. A CPA or tax attorney can address an owner’s individual situation.

Records an owner can request during a review

For a directional MRX review, the following records are commonly useful:

• The current royalty statement(s) for the interest.
• The lease and any amendments.
• The division order(s) issued by the operator.
• Recent (typically 12 months) RRC production for the relevant leases, which MRX can help assemble from the RRC online research query.
• County deed records establishing the chain of ownership for the interest.

A note on terminology

Public-record searches can surface unfamiliar terms: division order, net revenue interest, working interest, lease identifier, completion report, and plug report. MRX’s mineral rights value hub explains the underlying concepts, and the published MRX methodology describes how those concepts fit into a directional review. For a discussion of your own records, book a free underwriter conversation, so the review can help identify the inputs but does not establish ownership or provide a certified conclusion about value.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find Texas county oil and gas production data?

The Railroad Commission of Texas publishes county-level production from operator-reported monthly volumes on its production-data page, with the ability to query specific leases, wells, and counties through the online research portal. The EIA publishes statewide and national totals in its Texas profile and U.S. crude oil and natural gas production series.

Do county production totals tell me what my mineral rights are worth?

No. County totals describe what was produced in aggregate; they do not identify your specific tract, your royalty fraction, your division-order decimal, or your share of any given well. They are a useful reference point, not a substitute for the lease, the division order, your royalty statements, and the RRC production records for the wells that cover your interest.

How should I read a county production table?

Treat it as a starting point, not an answer. Note the county, the reporting period, and the operator, then cross-check those against the RRC online research query for the specific lease or well on your tract. Confirm the volume against your royalty statement, and confirm ownership against the county deed records.

Why do RRC and EIA production numbers differ?

The RRC and EIA serve different reporting purposes and may use different coverage, timing, aggregation, and measurement methods. Use the RRC for tract and lease research and the EIA for state or national context; do not assume the totals should match.

What records connect county data to my interest?

Use the county, survey or abstract, lease identifier, well records, division order, royalty statements, and county deed records. Together they help connect an aggregate county series to the specific interest being researched.

Sources

• Railroad Commission of Texas: Oil and Gas Production Data
• Railroad Commission of Texas: Research Queries
• U.S. Energy Information Administration: Texas Profile
• MRX Methodology: How We Value Mineral Rights