North Dakota -- 100; US -- 10; North Dakota Nears Its All-Time Daily Production / Well -- April, 2014

I haven't look at the average production / North Dakota well in a long, long time. I used to look at that statistic periodically. For example, on June 12, 2012, I wrote:

Production/well/day

• Through the '80s, the average daily production per well was around 40 bbls/day.
• Through the '90s, the average daily production per well was around 30 bbls/day.
• In 2009, the average daily production per well jumped to the mid-50s.
• In 2010, the avg daily production/well was in the mid-60s, hitting 70 bbls/day in November.
• In June, 2011, the average hit 70 again, at 73 bbls/well/day.
• In September, 2011: 80 bbls/well/day.
• In April, 2012, 90 bbls/well/day.

For a graphic display, click here.  

The NDIC data can be found here: https://www.dmr.nd.gov/oilgas/stats/statisticsvw.asp. When you get to that site, go to "General Statistics" and click on "Historical Monthly Oil Production Statistics" which will take you to the PDF.

So, what is the average North Dakota well producing these days? According to the NDIC, as of April, 2014, the average well in North Dakota is producing about 97 bopd.

I remember when I first posted that data, a reader (or readers) scoffed at how miserably low this production per well was. That told me volumes about the knowledge base of the reader. I never thought to check the average production of wells across the entire United States. I did not know that data existed. But Don found it and sent it to me. The EIA is reporting that the average US well produces ... drum roll .... offshore and onshore ... drum roll ... hold onto your hat ... 10 bbls of oil per day.

The link is here.

Yes, I know, "North Dakota - 100; US - 10" is rounded, but I do that to help me remember the data. To be exact, it's 97 vs 10.6 (e). The "e" stands for estimate. Yes, even with all the computers and all the reporting regulations and all the bureaucrats crunching numbers every day, the US EAI's most recently published data is only as recent as 2009. The numbers for 2010 and 2011 are estimates and the agency (at this site) does not even post the estimates for 2012, 2013, 2014, or 2015.

North Dakota, on the other hand, has data that is current within about six weeks, and this particular table is current up to two months ago.

Discounting the outliers in the first few years of oil production in North Dakota, the current average of 97 bopd/well in North Dakota is coming close to the all-time high set in November, 2013, -- 101 bopd/well -- also part of the current Bakken boom.

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After the original post was posted, Wes provided a nice look at production/well by county, see first comment. Because comments are not google-searchable, the comment was place up here:

If you are interested, here are the numbers, as of the April 2014 data release, on a countywide basis for the eight most productive counties in the state. In parenthesis are the highest values of daily oil production per well recorded in each of the counties since the start of 2005.

Bowman: 42 bopd/well (highest since 2005 was 98 bopd/well in June 2006)
Burke: 36 bopd/well (37 bopd/well in December 2012)
Divide: 68 bopd/well (82 bopd/well in May/June 2013)
Dunn: 119 bopd/well (134 bopd/well in October 2013)
McKenzie: 132 bopd/well (133 bopd/well in August/September 2013)
Mountrail: 127 bopd/well (297 bopd/well in November 2008)
Stark: 98 bopd/well (137 bopd/well in December 2012)
Williams: 92 bopd/well (118 bopd/well in June 2012)