West Virginia· County Detail
Prefer to talk? Call (432) 400-4602
No broker fees. No auction. We close with our own capital.
By Brad James, Founder · Production data through Dec 2024
Production data through Dec 2024
as of Dec 2024
as of Dec 2024
as of Dec 2024
as of Dec 2024
as of Dec 2024
Over the twelve most recent reported months, Ritchie County wells produced about 953,739 barrels of oil and 190.6 million Mcf of gas — an average of 2,606 barrels and 520,752 Mcf per day. That output comes from roughly 6,279 active wells, with 25 permitted locations on file. Monthly volumes have held in a steady band over the past year. Operators filed 25 drilling permits in the county over the trailing 24 months.
953,739 barrels of oil, Jan 2024 → Dec 2024
190,595,380 Mcf of natural gas, Jan 2024 → Dec 2024
Rates shown as barrels of oil per day and Mcf of natural gas per day, computed from monthly totals reported to WV DEP. Jan 2015 through Dec 2024. Download CSV · See methodology · All county data.
| Month | Oil (Bbl) | Gas (Mcf) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2015 | 55,992 | 5,769,553 |
| Feb 2015 | 38,732 | 4,576,357 |
| Mar 2015 | 53,559 | 5,239,202 |
| Apr 2015 | 66,508 | 5,943,138 |
| May 2015 | 70,744 | 6,903,449 |
| Jun 2015 | 72,204 | 7,649,304 |
| Jul 2015 | 69,529 | 7,935,474 |
| Aug 2015 | 77,488 | 8,284,466 |
| Sep 2015 | 74,072 | 8,056,756 |
| Oct 2015 | 75,100 | 8,591,267 |
| Nov 2015 | 61,727 | 7,891,171 |
| Dec 2015 | 76,925 | 9,600,071 |
| Jan 2016 | 65,609 | 9,487,113 |
| Feb 2016 | 55,161 | 8,615,799 |
| Mar 2016 | 66,667 | 9,870,206 |
| Apr 2016 | 68,509 | 9,536,706 |
| May 2016 | 72,386 | 9,773,455 |
| Jun 2016 | 64,284 | 7,876,719 |
| Jul 2016 | 59,088 | 10,081,554 |
| Aug 2016 | 77,317 | 10,660,650 |
| Sep 2016 | 66,625 | 10,846,140 |
| Oct 2016 | 107,826 | 14,509,171 |
| Nov 2016 | 115,495 | 15,837,479 |
| Dec 2016 | 92,753 | 15,145,086 |
| Jan 2017 | 91,909 | 14,383,724 |
| Feb 2017 | 74,385 | 12,734,923 |
| Mar 2017 | 71,803 | 13,291,235 |
| Apr 2017 | 72,397 | 12,713,255 |
| May 2017 | 94,760 | 16,402,684 |
| Jun 2017 | 77,127 | 15,259,246 |
| Jul 2017 | 63,143 | 15,075,150 |
| Aug 2017 | 61,512 | 14,785,061 |
| Sep 2017 | 55,097 | 15,245,145 |
| Oct 2017 | 63,715 | 17,055,307 |
| Nov 2017 | 66,847 | 17,228,605 |
| Dec 2017 | 77,626 | 18,889,408 |
| Jan 2018 | 96,955 | 17,323,288 |
| Feb 2018 | 73,445 | 15,388,882 |
| Mar 2018 | 83,239 | 16,759,488 |
| Apr 2018 | 88,236 | 16,572,833 |
| May 2018 | 66,349 | 16,575,524 |
| Jun 2018 | 65,738 | 15,420,558 |
| Jul 2018 | 57,172 | 15,278,387 |
| Aug 2018 | 59,399 | 15,434,835 |
| Sep 2018 | 96,881 | 18,383,733 |
| Oct 2018 | 92,369 | 17,920,730 |
| Nov 2018 | 74,624 | 17,450,199 |
| Dec 2018 | 72,041 | 17,752,283 |
| Jan 2019 | 65,320 | 16,505,633 |
| Feb 2019 | 58,505 | 14,350,779 |
| Mar 2019 | 49,142 | 15,553,515 |
| Apr 2019 | 75,453 | 16,362,619 |
| May 2019 | 100,829 | 20,296,950 |
| Jun 2019 | 84,120 | 20,986,828 |
| Jul 2019 | 97,382 | 21,154,452 |
| Aug 2019 | 138,611 | 23,654,994 |
| Sep 2019 | 99,310 | 21,680,247 |
| Oct 2019 | 175,740 | 28,128,572 |
| Nov 2019 | 144,163 | 25,471,353 |
| Dec 2019 | 124,554 | 24,795,893 |
| Jan 2020 | 118,495 | 23,183,175 |
| Feb 2020 | 92,098 | 20,619,460 |
| Mar 2020 | 100,118 | 21,716,222 |
| Apr 2020 | 98,010 | 21,410,053 |
| May 2020 | 132,758 | 22,928,187 |
| Jun 2020 | 101,539 | 22,092,499 |
| Jul 2020 | 100,472 | 22,344,777 |
| Aug 2020 | 89,076 | 21,445,104 |
| Sep 2020 | 70,815 | 19,453,414 |
| Oct 2020 | 68,707 | 19,882,353 |
| Nov 2020 | 62,128 | 18,391,822 |
| Dec 2020 | 58,468 | 18,829,139 |
| Jan 2021 | 62,803 | 18,247,380 |
| Feb 2021 | 54,095 | 16,150,024 |
| Mar 2021 | 54,256 | 17,509,854 |
| Apr 2021 | 46,072 | 16,512,044 |
| May 2021 | 52,681 | 16,538,778 |
| Jun 2021 | 39,712 | 15,249,242 |
| Jul 2021 | 42,205 | 15,096,054 |
| Aug 2021 | 41,624 | 15,535,068 |
| Sep 2021 | 35,182 | 14,598,953 |
| Oct 2021 | 43,826 | 15,069,723 |
| Nov 2021 | 43,139 | 14,366,691 |
| Dec 2021 | 39,910 | 14,679,394 |
| Jan 2022 | 35,794 | 14,190,928 |
| Feb 2022 | 29,675 | 12,543,845 |
| Mar 2022 | 44,318 | 13,771,484 |
| Apr 2022 | 35,338 | 13,244,065 |
| May 2022 | 33,628 | 13,971,945 |
| Jun 2022 | 44,318 | 14,363,131 |
| Jul 2022 | 65,396 | 16,034,110 |
| Aug 2022 | 64,323 | 15,720,900 |
| Sep 2022 | 56,009 | 14,881,756 |
| Oct 2022 | 49,815 | 14,553,767 |
| Nov 2022 | 41,163 | 13,444,280 |
| Dec 2022 | 43,203 | 13,518,779 |
| Jan 2023 | 71,346 | 15,501,596 |
| Feb 2023 | 77,523 | 14,060,016 |
| Mar 2023 | 59,114 | 15,040,167 |
| Apr 2023 | 56,584 | 14,033,482 |
| May 2023 | 47,527 | 14,314,153 |
| Jun 2023 | 40,630 | 13,506,331 |
| Jul 2023 | 53,161 | 13,722,578 |
| Aug 2023 | 40,253 | 13,219,563 |
| Sep 2023 | 45,124 | 12,587,766 |
| Oct 2023 | 43,319 | 13,015,828 |
| Nov 2023 | 35,727 | 12,158,921 |
| Dec 2023 | 40,269 | 12,464,746 |
| Jan 2024 | 34,085 | 12,315,237 |
| Feb 2024 | 53,569 | 12,485,719 |
| Mar 2024 | 104,463 | 16,903,280 |
| Apr 2024 | 103,907 | 16,972,653 |
| May 2024 | 103,128 | 17,096,411 |
| Jun 2024 | 84,082 | 16,110,792 |
| Jul 2024 | 65,485 | 16,125,520 |
| Aug 2024 | 65,671 | 15,697,540 |
| Sep 2024 | 57,479 | 14,990,750 |
| Oct 2024 | 85,139 | 16,560,758 |
| Nov 2024 | 73,997 | 15,856,593 |
| Dec 2024 | 122,734 | 19,480,126 |
| Operator | Parent | Ticker | HQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antero Resources | — | Private | — |
| EQT Corporation | — | Private | — |
Public-company tickers link to investor relations. Private operators are marked as such and do not carry a ticker.
Recent permit activity: 25 new drilling permits in the last 24 months.
We also buy overriding royalty interests (ORRIs) and non-participating royalty interests (NPRIs) in Ritchie County — common for tracts under leases held by major operators with carried-out royalty structures.
Yes. Ritchie County is on our active buy list. We buy mineral interests, royalty interests, NPRI, and ORRI on both producing and non-producing tracts targeting the Marcellus and Utica formations.
The most active operators we track in Ritchie County include Antero Resources, EQT Corporation. We regularly buy interests held under leases with these operators.
Ritchie County sits in the Utica Shale, where the primary target is marcellus / utica. Here we underwrite the Marcellus and Utica formations.
Yes — 25 new drilling permits were filed in Ritchie County in the last 24 months. Recent permit activity is one of the inputs we weigh when sizing an offer on undeveloped or PDP-only acreage.
Yes. Ritchie County is one of our top-tier acquisition areas. We can usually turn an offer around in 48 hours and we will compete on price for tracts inside the active development area.
Ritchie County (Harrisville area) is in central WV with a deep history of shallow conventional gas and oil production going back to the late 1800s, layered with modern Marcellus / Utica horizontal development. Antero Resources, BKV Corporation, and others operate horizontal units; Diversified Energy holds a large legacy book. Mineral interests can carry both revenue streams; we underwrite each separately because the decline curves, operator credit, and lease applicability differ.
Some legacy stripper wells continue to produce small but steady volumes; others are at the end of their economic life with attendant plugging liability. Whether they materially affect value depends on the actual well-by-well decline and operator credit. WV plugging liability has been the subject of legislative attention (SB 480 / SB 690 lines of work, varies by session) — for sellers, we discount for plugging risk where it sits on the operator and ultimately on the lessor. We read the well list before pricing.
Ritchie sits at the edge of the wet-gas window, with some areas pulling NGL uplift and others producing closer to dry-gas. Processing and gathering deductions reflect the actual gas stream and the midstream arrangements the operator has in place. WV deduction case law (Tawney, Estate of Tawney, Wellman, Leggett) governs whether specific deductions are allowed under specific lease language. We read the lease and recent stubs before pricing — a single deduction analysis cannot generalize across a county.
Closings on Ritchie County mineral rights typically take 7 to 30 days from the date you accept our offer, depending on title complexity. We handle county-level title work, PSA drafting, mineral deed preparation, and notary coordination at our expense.
Just a tract description (abstract or survey, section/township/range, or a legal description from your deed) and any recent royalty check stubs if the interest is producing. You do not need to gather deeds or title opinions up front.
Ritchie County sits in the Utica Shale, where operators are targeting marcellus / utica. Activity is led by names like Antero Resources, EQT Corporation, and new drilling continues to shape the play across the Marcellus and Utica formations.
If you hold mineral rights, royalty interests, NPRI, or ORRI anywhere in the county, we'd like to put a written offer in front of you. Every offer we send is funded from our own balance sheet — there's no auction, no broker markup, and no third-party capital waiting to approve the deal.
Ritchie County is one of our highest-priority acquisition areas. Top-tier operators are running active drilling programs here and we're making offers on both producing and non-producing tracts.
Monthly production has held within a normal band over the last year, suggesting steady development without a recent completion wave.