Table 4.5  Crude Oil and Natural Gas Exploratory and Development Wells, 1949-2007




Year		 Wells Drilled
Successful
Wells		 Footage Drilled 1 Average Depth
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
 21,352   3,363   12,597   37,312   66.2   79,428   12,437   43,754   135,619   3,720   3,698   3,473   3,635  
1950
 23,812   3,439   14,799   42,050   64.8   92,695   13,685   50,977   157,358   3,893   3,979   3,445   3,742  
1951
 23,179   3,438   17,026   43,643   61.0   95,106   13,947   63,093   172,146   4,103   4,056   3,706   3,944  
1952
 23,290   3,514   17,759   44,563   60.1   98,148   15,257   70,730   184,133   4,214   4,342   3,983   4,132  
1953
 25,323   3,968   18,449   47,740   61.4   102,136   18,248   73,862   194,245   4,033   4,599   4,004   4,069  
1954
 28,141   4,038   18,930   51,109   63.0   113,362   18,857   75,790   208,009   4,028   4,670   4,004   4,070  
1955
 30,432   4,266   20,452   55,150   62.9   121,148   19,930   85,103   226,182   3,981   4,672   4,161   4,101  
1956
 30,528   4,531   22,111   57,170   61.3   120,352   22,738   90,190   233,280   3,942   5,018   4,079   4,080  
1957
 27,364   4,475   20,156   51,995   61.2   110,043   23,836   83,167   217,045   4,021   5,326   4,126   4,174  
1958
 23,774   5,005   18,162   46,941   61.3   93,105   25,555   74,643   193,304   3,916   5,106   4,110   4,118  
1959
 24,043   4,931   18,589   47,563   60.9   94,611   26,606   79,476   200,694   3,935   5,396   4,275   4,220  
1960
 22,258   5,149   18,212   45,619   60.1   86,568   28,246   77,361   192,176   3,889   5,486   4,248   4,213  
1961
 21,437   5,486   17,331   44,254   60.8   85,626   29,292   74,716   189,633   3,994   5,339   4,311   4,285  
1962
 21,727   5,353   17,078   44,158   61.3   88,431   28,949   77,253   194,634   4,070   5,408   4,524   4,408  
1963
 20,135   4,570   16,762   41,467   59.6   81,809   24,533   76,307   182,649   4,063   5,368   4,552   4,405  
1964
 19,905   4,694   17,694   42,293   58.2   80,463   25,598   81,360   187,420   4,042   5,453   4,598   4,431  
1965
 18,065   4,482   16,226   38,773   58.2   73,322   24,931   76,629   174,882   4,059   5,562   4,723   4,510  
1966
 16,780   4,377   15,227   36,384   58.1   67,340   25,948   69,636   162,924   4,013   5,928   4,573   4,478  
1967
 15,329   3,659   13,246   32,234   58.9   58,634   21,581   61,142   141,357   3,825   5,898   4,616   4,385  
1968
 14,331   3,456   12,812   30,599   58.1   59,517   20,716   64,737   144,970   4,153   5,994   5,053   4,738  
1969
 14,368   4,083   13,736   32,187   57.3   61,582   24,162   71,364   157,108   4,286   5,918   5,195   4,881  
1970
 12,968   4,011   11,031   28,010   60.6   56,859   23,623   58,074   138,556   4,385   5,860   5,265   4,943  
1971
 11,853   3,971   10,309   26,133   60.6   49,109   23,460   54,685   127,253   4,126   5,890   5,305   4,858  
1972
 11,378   5,440   10,891   27,709   60.7   49,269   30,006   58,556   137,831   4,330   5,516   5,377   4,974  
1973
 10,167   6,933   10,320   27,420   62.4   44,416   38,045   55,761   138,223   4,369   5,488   5,403   5,041  
1974
 13,647   7,138   12,116   32,901   63.2   52,025   38,449   62,899   153,374   3,812   5,387   5,191   4,662  
1975
 16,948   8,127   13,646   38,721   64.8   66,819   44,454   69,220   180,494   3,943   5,470   5,073   4,661  
1976
 17,688   9,409   13,758   40,855   66.3   68,892   49,113   68,977   186,982   3,895   5,220   5,014   4,577  
1977
 18,745   12,122   14,985   45,852   67.3   75,451   63,686   76,728   215,866   4,025   5,254   5,120   4,708  
1978
 19,181   14,413   16,551   50,145   67.0   77,041   75,841   85,788   238,669   4,017   5,262   5,183   4,760  
1979
 20,851   15,254   16,099   52,204   69.2   82,688   80,468   81,642   244,798   3,966   5,275   5,071   4,689  
1980
 32,959   17,461   20,785   71,205   70.8   125,262   92,106   99,575   316,943   3,801   5,275   4,791   4,451  
1981
 43,887   20,250   27,953   92,090   69.6   172,167   108,353   134,934   415,454   3,923   5,351   4,827   4,511  
1982
 39,459   19,076   26,379   84,914   68.9   149,674   107,149   123,746   380,569   3,793   5,617   4,691   4,482  
1983
 37,366   14,684   24,355   76,405   68.1   136,849   78,108   105,222   320,179   3,662   5,319   4,320   4,191  
1984
 42,906   17,338   25,884   86,128   69.9   162,653   91,480   119,860   373,993   3,791   5,276   4,631   4,342  
1985
 35,261   14,324   21,211   70,796   70.0   137,728   76,293   100,388   314,409   3,906   5,326   4,733   4,441  
1986
 19,213   8,599   12,799   40,611   68.5   76,825   45,039   60,961   182,825   3,999   5,238   4,763   4,502  
1987
 16,210   8,096   11,167   35,473   68.5   66,358   42,584   53,588   162,530   4,094   5,260   4,799   4,582  
1988
 13,646   8,578   10,119   32,343   68.7   58,639   45,363   52,517   156,519   4,297   5,288   5,190   4,839  
1989
 10,230   9,522   8,236   27,988   70.6   43,266   49,081   42,099   134,446   4,229   5,154   5,112   4,804  
1990
 12,445   11,126   8,496   32,067   73.5   55,269   56,775   44,160   156,204   4,441   5,103   5,198   4,871  
1991
 12,035   9,611   7,882   29,528   73.3   55,268   50,757   40,307   146,332   4,592   5,281   5,114   4,956  
1992
 9,019   8,305   6,284   23,608   73.4   44,851   46,615   31,814   123,280   4,973   5,613   5,063   5,222  
1993
 8,764   10,174   6,513   25,451   74.4   43,922   61,186   33,323   138,431   5,012   6,014   5,116   5,439  
1994
 7,001   9,739   5,515   22,255   75.2   37,270   61,576   30,293   129,139   5,324   6,323   5,493   5,803  
1995
 7,827   8,454   5,319   21,600   75.4   39,125   52,872   29,312   121,309   4,999   6,254   5,511   5,616  
1996
 8,760   9,539   5,587   23,886   76.6   42,196   59,800   31,366   133,362   4,817   6,269   5,614   5,583  
1997
 10,445   11,186   5,955   27,586   78.4   51,466   69,593   34,233   155,292   4,927   6,221   5,749   5,629  
1998
 6,979   11,127   4,805   22,911   79.0   34,340   67,789   29,008   131,137   4,920   6,092   6,037   5,724  
1999
 4,314   11,121   3,504   18,939   81.5   18,860   55,331   20,404   94,595   4,372   4,975   5,823   4,995  
2000
 7,585   16,242   4,046   27,873   85.5   33,777   79,605   23,193   136,575   4,453   4,901   5,732   4,900  
2001
 8,186   21,403   4,432   34,021   87.0   38,716   108,482   25,047   172,245   4,730   5,069   5,651   5,063  
2002
 6,226   16,728   3,610   26,564   86.4   27,869   91,788   20,316   139,973   4,476   5,487   5,628   5,269  
2003
 7,465   19,522   3,688   30,675   88.0   35,220   112,990   20,968   169,178   4,718   5,788   5,685   5,515  
2004E
 7,806 [R] 21,816 [R] 3,474 [R] 33,096 [R] 89.5 [R] 36,691 [R] 127,953 [R] 20,056 [R] 184,701 [R] 4,700 [R] 5,865 [R] 5,773 [R] 5,581 [R]
2005E
 9,668 [R] 27,014 [R] 4,063 [R] 40,745 [R] 90.0 [R] 46,011 [R] 159,778 [R] 21,795 [R] 227,584 [R] 4,759 [R] 5,915 [R] 5,364 [R] 5,586 [R]
2006E
 12,339   31,587   5,581   49,507   88.7   60,494   194,504   29,533   284,531   4,903   6,158   5,292   5,747  
2007E
 14,477   32,910   6,171   53,558   88.5   80,086   227,968   34,753   342,807   5,532   6,927   5,632   6,401  
1See "Footage Drilled" in Glossary. R=Revised.  E=Estimate.  
2See "Crude Oil Well" in Glossary. Notes:  ·  Data are for exploratory and development wells combined; see Table 4.6 for exploratory wells
only, and Table 4.7 for development 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 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:  See http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petroleum/info_glance/petroleum.html for related
information.
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.  ·  1970-1994—EIA computations based on well reports
submitted to the API.  ·  1995 forward—EIA computations based on well reports submitted to the Information
Handling Services Energy Group, Inc.  For current data see the EIA, Monthly Energy Review, Table 5.2.