Principal contributors: Jozef Lieskovsky, Richard Yan

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Drilling Productivity Report (DPR), based on data from Enverus

In 2020, U.S. initial crude oil production per well, or well production efficiency, increased significantly in the Bakken region, according to our Drilling Productivity Report (DPR), which we update monthly. Productivity in other drilling regions remained largely steady or decreased slightly, DPR data shows.

The DPR synthesizes several different types of information (for example, the initial production of new wells) to represent the current rate of rig productivity growth or decline. To calculate rig-based production, the DPR uses indicators, including the active rig count, drilling efficiency and the productivity of new wells, and production and depletion trends for previously producing wells. The main oil-producing regions of the DPR are the Anadarko, Bakken, Eagle Ford, Niobrara, and Permian.