Reason #1 Why I Love To Blog -- Feedback From Readers -- May 22, 2019

It was a huge surprise (at least to me) that McKenzie County ranked first among all US counties in crude oil production -- one would have thought that title would have gone to a county in Texas. Now, a reader provides a ranking of US counties producing natural gas:

A listing of US ounties by natural gas production would be interesting also. 

I tried approximating it using shaleprofile.com. That site doesn't really have a suitable view on the free side. But I did cum production ranking by county, restricting it to wells started in 2017 & 2018 (to try to get recent production ranking). 

McKenzie was first ND county at 12th (surprised it was even that high...but it is an oil powerhouse, so is some gas too). List obtained:

1. Susquehanna (NE PA part of Marcellus)
2. De Soto (LA Haynesville sweet spot)
3. Washington (SW PA part of Marcellus)
4. Reeves (southern Delaware part of the Permian)
5. Weld (CO, sweet spot of Niobrara)
6. Greene (SW PA part of Marcellus)
7. Webb (TX, southern EF, bordering Mexico)
8. Karnes (TX, sweet spot of EF oil)
9. Eddy (NM, northern Delaware part of Permian)
10. Bradford (NW PA part of Marcellus)
11. Loving (TX, central Delaware part of the Permian, borders NM)
12. McKenzie (ND Bakken, biggest oil producing county in US)

Note: that this is hz wells only and recent ones. Also, OK is excluded. 

A huge "thank you" to the reader. Wow, that took a lot of work. I'm impressed with this work. Like the reader, I am also impressed that McKenzie County ranked so high in natural gas production. 

By the way, to reiterate: I doubt McKenzie County will hold the title of #1 crude oil producing county for very long -- and it won't bother me a bit. I am quite happy to see New Mexico do well.