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As the oil & gas market tightens, having timely, accurate drilling data matters more than ever — EnerLeadPlus delivers a complete, end-to-end view of U.S. drilling activity, including operators, prioritized account lists, and verified decision-maker contacts.
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U.S. drilling activity strengthened considerably during 2026, with the EnerLead Plus Rig Report identifying 667 active rig records in August compared with 495 in January—a 34.7% increase. Operator participation also expanded from 192 to 247 unique accounts, creating new sales opportunities across the Permian, Eagle Ford, Haynesville, Anadarko/SCOOP-STACK and other key markets.
For companies without an active EnerLead Plus subscription, this growth represents a missed opportunity to track new rigs, identify expanding operators and reach accounts as purchasing and field-service needs develop. Renewing provides the market visibility needed to reconnect with active customers, prioritize growing plays and act on opportunities before competitors do.
January vs. August U.S. Drilling Rig Comparison
| Metric | January | August | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total records | 495 | 667 | +172 | +34.7% |
| Unique account names | 192 | 247 | +55 | +28.6% |
| Records with a named rig | 485 | 638 | +153 | +31.5% |
| Records with a blank rig name | 10 | 29 | +19 | — |
There are no duplicate nonblank Contractor_and_Rig values within either file. The difference between total records and named rigs comes entirely from blank rig-name records.
Activity by Oil and Gas Play
County and state were used together to assign each record to its primary play or basin.
| Play/Basin | January | August | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permian Basin | 217 | 291 | +74 | +34.1% |
| Eagle Ford Shale | 40 | 67 | +27 | +67.5% |
| Haynesville Shale | 33 | 51 | +18 | +54.5% |
| Anadarko / SCOOP-STACK | 29 | 41 | +12 | +41.4% |
| Appalachia / Marcellus-Utica | 37 | 39 | +2 | +5.4% |
| Williston / Bakken | 29 | 37 | +8 | +27.6% |
| Uinta Basin | 9 | 15 | +6 | +66.7% |
| Kansas Conventional | 5 | 14 | +9 | +180.0% |
| Powder River Basin | 9 | 14 | +5 | +55.6% |
| DJ Basin | 11 | 12 | +1 | +9.1% |
| East Texas Other | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Texas Other / Conventional | 11 | 10 | -1 | -9.1% |
| California Basins | 6 | 9 | +3 | +50.0% |
| Alaska North Slope | 6 | 8 | +2 | +33.3% |
| Gulf Coast Onshore | 12 | 7 | -5 | -41.7% |
| Gulf of Mexico Offshore | 8 | 7 | -1 | -12.5% |
| Ardmore Basin | 4 | 6 | +2 | +50.0% |
| Mid-Continent Other | 3 | 5 | +2 | +66.7% |
| Anadarko / Texas Panhandle | 2 | 4 | +2 | +100.0% |
| Other Rockies / Geothermal | 0 | 4 | +4 | New |
| San Juan Basin | 3 | 4 | +1 | +33.3% |
| Greater Green River Basin | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Piceance Basin | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Barnett Shale / Fort Worth | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Michigan Basin | 0 | 2 | +2 | New |
| Mississippi Conventional | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Other U.S. Onshore | 0 | 1 | +1 | New |
| Arkoma Basin | 2 | 0 | -2 | -100.0% |
| Total | 495 | 667 | +172 | +34.7% |
Key Findings
- August activity was materially stronger, with 172 more records and 55 more represented operators than January.
- The Permian remained the dominant market, accounting for 291 August records, or 43.6% of the total. Its increase of 74 records generated 43% of the nationwide growth.
- The largest expansion outside the Permian occurred in the Eagle Ford, Haynesville, and Anadarko/SCOOP-STACK. Combined, these three markets added 57 records.
- Appalachia and the DJ Basin were comparatively stable, suggesting steady activity rather than major seasonal growth.
- The largest contraction was Gulf Coast Onshore, which declined from 12 to seven records. Gulf of Mexico activity was nearly unchanged.
- Overall, the August file shows both greater rig activity and broader operator participation, led primarily by the major shale development markets.
What is Included?
EnerLeadPlus delivers a complete, end-to-end view of U.S. drilling activity — from future permits and historical wells drilled to active rigs, prioritized operator accounts, and verified decision-maker contacts. The following are the included reports in the weekly email.
EnerleadPlus – Rig Report
Purpose
The EnerLeadPlus U.S. Rig Report delivers a real-time snapshot of active drilling rigs across the United States, linking each rig to the operator, contractor, location, and drilling activity date.
This report is designed to help oilfield service companies, suppliers, and business development teams identify where drilling is occurring now — not months later.
Primary Use Cases
- Identify active drilling locations by basin, state, and county
- Track which operators are currently drilling
- See which drilling contractors and rigs are working
- Prioritize near-term sales opportunities
- Support territory planning and account targeting
- Validate drilling momentum beyond permit filings
EnerLeadPlus – Wells Drilled Report
Purpose
The EnerLeadPlus Wells Drilled Report provides a complete historical view of drilling execution, capturing every well drilled over a selected time period, not just where a rig is currently located.
Rather than showing a single point-in-time rig position, this report reveals true drilling volume, operator momentum, and sustained activity patterns across basins, counties, and operators.
Key Difference vs. Rig Report
| Report Type | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Rig Report | Where rigs are currently operating |
| Wells Drilled Report | All wells that were drilled during a defined period |
This makes the Wells Drilled Report essential for understanding:
- who is actually executing drilling programs
- how much activity occurred
- where capital has already been deployed
Primary Use Cases
- Measure actual drilling activity, not planned activity
- Identify top drilling operators by well count
- Track year-to-date, quarterly, or multi-year drilling trends
- Rank counties, states, and basins by drilling intensity
- Support account prioritization and sales territory planning
- Validate operator momentum beyond permits or rig counts
- Identify repeat drilling locations and development corridors
EnerLeadPlus – New Well Permits Report
Purpose
The EnerLeadPlus New Well Permits Report captures every newly approved drilling permit, providing early visibility into future drilling activity before a rig ever moves to location.
Because most permitted wells have not yet been drilled, this report is the industry’s best source for identifying upcoming capital deployment, operator planning, and future service demand.
What This Report Shows
- Wells that have been approved but not yet drilled
- Operator development intent
- Near-term drilling inventory
- Future basin and county activity
- Early-stage sales and relationship opportunities
How This Differs From Other Reports
| Report | What It Represents |
|---|---|
| New Well Permits | Planned drilling (future activity) |
| Wells Drilled | Completed drilling (executed activity) |
| Rig Report | Active rigs today (current activity) |
Together, these three reports provide a full drilling lifecycle view — from planning to execution.
Primary Use Cases
- Identify operators planning new drilling programs
- Build early-stage sales pipelines
- Track future service demand before competitors
- Measure undrilled inventory by operator
- Prioritize accounts with large permit backlogs
- Support long-lead equipment and service planning
- Forecast basin-level drilling activity
EnerLeadPlus – Account Report
Purpose
The EnerLeadPlus Account Report consolidates drilling, permitting, and activity data into a single operator-level view, allowing users to quickly identify who is active, who is growing, and where sales effort should be prioritized.
Rather than analyzing wells or rigs individually, the Account Report summarizes activity by operator, transforming large datasets into actionable account intelligence.
What This Report Delivers
- Operator-level drilling and permit metrics
- Historical and current activity trends
- Identification of high-value target accounts
- Clear prioritization of sales focus
- One-row-per-operator reporting for easy CRM use
How This Report Is Different
| Dataset | Focus |
|---|---|
| New Well Permits | Planned future activity |
| Wells Drilled | Executed drilling activity |
| Rig Report | Current drilling operations |
| Account Report | Operator-level intelligence & prioritization |
The Account Report is the summary layer that brings all EnerLeadPlus datasets together.
Primary Use Cases
- Identify most active operators in each basin
- Rank accounts by drilling momentum
- Quantify operator commitment using multi-year data
- Prioritize sales outreach based on real activity
- Build targeted account lists for campaigns
- Support territory planning and account reviews
- Create executive-level market summaries
EnerLeadPlus – Contact Report
Purpose
The EnerLeadPlus Contact Report provides role-specific, operator-aligned decision-maker contacts, allowing users to move immediately from market intelligence to targeted sales outreach.
Instead of generic contact lists, this report connects verified industry roles (e.g., Drilling Engineers, Completions Engineers, Operations, Supply Chain) directly to active operators and accounts identified in EnerLeadPlus activity reports.
What This Report Delivers
- Role-specific oil & gas contacts
- Operator-aligned decision makers
- Basin and region context
- Clean, CRM-ready contact data
- Direct activation of account insights
How This Report Fits in the EnerLeadPlus Workflow
| EnerLeadPlus Layer | Purpose |
|---|---|
| New Well Permits | Identify future activity |
| Wells Drilled | Confirm execution |
| Rig Report | See current operations |
| Account Report | Prioritize operators |
| Contact Report | Reach the right people |
The Contact Report is the final step — turning data into conversations.
Primary Use Cases
- Build role-based call and email lists
- Target decision makers tied to active drilling
- Launch basin-specific or operator-specific campaigns
- Support account-based selling (ABS)
- Reduce time spent searching for contacts
- Improve response rates through relevance
