Texas Rig Count | Current Drilling Activity in Texas

This page provides a snapshot of current drilling activity in Texas, using active rig data to show where drilling is happening today and which operators are driving that activity. The breakdowns below focus on clarity and usability, highlighting both geographic concentration and operator-level trends.

Texas Rig Count by County

The county view shows where active drilling rigs are currently operating across Texas. Counties are ranked by total active rig count, making it easy to identify the most active areas at a glance or quickly check drilling activity in a specific county.

This view is especially useful for understanding regional drilling concentration and how activity is distributed across Texas’s major producing areas.

Texas Rig Count by Operator

The operator view groups active rigs by operator to show which companies are currently running the most rigs in Texas. Operator names are consolidated to reflect core operating entities, providing a cleaner and more accurate picture of drilling activity.

This breakdown helps illustrate who is driving drilling activity statewide, without noise from duplicate or affiliate names.

The heat map below provides a visual snapshot of where drilling activity is concentrated across Texas right now. Counties are shaded based on active rig count, making it easy to quickly identify the “hottest” areas of activity without digging through tables.

✅  Blue counties indicate 0 active rigs in the dataset
✅  Darker red counties indicate higher rig counts (10+ rigs shows as bright red)

Use the map to explore activity by region, confirm where drilling is occurring today, and spot where capital is being deployed across the state. You can hover over any county to see the county name and current rig count, or use the search bar to quickly locate a specific county.

Rig count refers to the number of active drilling rigs currently operating in a given area. In oil and gas, a “rig” is the equipment used to drill new wells. When a rig is active, it means a company is spending capital to drill for oil or natural gas.

Rig count is most commonly reported on a weekly basis and is widely used as a leading indicator of drilling activity across the United States and individual states like Texas.

A higher rig count generally signals increased drilling activity and future production growth. A declining rig count often indicates reduced capital spending, slower drilling, and potentially lower future production.

Rig count matters because it helps show where oil and gas companies are actively investing money today, not just producing from existing wells. While production numbers reflect the past, rig count provides insight into what may happen next.

For mineral and royalty owners, changes in rig count can signal:

✅  Increased leasing or drilling interest in a specific county or basin
✅  Potential future royalty income from new wells
✅  Shifts in operator focus between oil plays and natural gas plays
✅  Broader market confidence or caution based on commodity prices

Active rig counts provide a real-time view into where operators are committing capital today. For mineral owners, drilling activity can signal future production, development timelines, and changing interest from buyers and operators.

Counties and operators with higher rig activity often see increased attention from the market, while areas with declining activity may face different valuation dynamics. Understanding where drilling is happening helps mineral owners better contextualize their position within the broader Texas oil and gas landscape.

Rig activity is one of several factors that can influence mineral rights value.   When Texas drilling permits get filed, it’s the first step that indicates the value is increasing.  Once a rig moves on location, the value moves up even higher.

Increased drilling can lead to new wells, stronger production profiles, and heightened buyer interest, while reduced activity may indicate slower development or shifting capital priorities.

Mineral owners often use rig count trends alongside production history, commodity prices, and operator behavior to assess timing and value expectations.

Learn more about how mineral rights value.

Tracking where rigs are active can help mineral owners make more informed decisions about selling mineral rights.  In some cases, increased drilling activity can strengthen market interest, while in others, owners may choose to hold assets through development phases.

There is no single “best time to sell mineral rights” , but understanding current drilling activity provides important context when evaluating offers or planning long-term strategy.