If U.S. States Were Countries, Texas Would Be #4 in Oil Production
Key Takeaways
- Texas alone would rank fourth globally in crude oil production, behind only the U.S., Russia, and Saudi Arabia.
- New Mexico would rank 12th, producing more crude oil than Kazakhstan, Norway, Mexico, and Nigeria.
- Even smaller U.S. producers stand out globally, with Wyoming and California both surpassing Australia’s 250,000 barrels per day.
The United States is the world’s largest crude oil producer, but several individual states produce volumes comparable to major oil-producing nations.
This visualization ranks major U.S. oil-producing states and federal offshore production alongside leading oil-producing countries. The data comes from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Country figures represent average daily crude oil production from January through November, while U.S. state figures are full-year 2025 averages.
Importantly, the U.S. state and federal Gulf of Mexico figures shown here are components of the United States’ 13.58 million barrels per day (mb/d) total. They should therefore be viewed as comparisons of production scale rather than additional production on top of the national figure.
Texas Would Be the World’s Fourth-Largest Producer
Texas averaged 5.75 million barrels of crude oil per day in 2025, accounting for about 42% of total U.S. crude production.
If it were ranked alongside countries, the state would place fourth, behind the United States, Russia, and Saudi Arabia, while exceeding Canada, Iraq, and China.
| Rank | Country / State | Type | Oil Production (mb/d) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States |
Country | 13.58 |
| 2 |  Russia |
Country | 9.87 |
| 3 |  Saudi Arabia |
Country | 9.51 |
| 4 | Texas |
U.S. State | 5.75 |
| 5 |  Canada |
Country | 4.94 |
| 6 |  Iraq |
Country | 4.39 |
| 7 |  China |
Country | 4.34 |
| 8 |  Iran |
Country | 4.19 |
| 9 |  United Arab Emirates |
Country | 3.82 |
| 10 |  Brazil |
Country | 3.75 |
| 11 |  Kuwait |
Country | 2.58 |
| 12 | New Mexico |
U.S. State | 2.24 |
| 13 |  Kazakhstan |
Country | 2.07 |
| 14 | U.S. Offshore |
U.S. Federal Offshore | 1.90 |
| 15 |  Norway |
Country | 1.85 |
| 16 |  Mexico |
Country | 1.72 |
| 17 |  Nigeria |
Country | 1.61 |
| 18 |  Libya |
Country | 1.36 |
| 19 |  Qatar |
Country | 1.31 |
| 20 | North Dakota |
U.S. State | 1.15 |
| 21 |  Algeria |
Country | 1.14 |
| 22 |  Angola |
Country | 1.03 |
| 23 |  Oman |
Country | 1.00 |
| 24 |  Venezuela |
Country | 0.97 |
| 25 |  Argentina |
Country | 0.79 |
| 26 |  Colombia |
Country | 0.75 |
| 27 |  Guyana |
Country | 0.73 |
| 28 |  United Kingdom |
Country | 0.61 |
| 29 |  India |
Country | 0.60 |
| 30 |  Indonesia |
Country | 0.58 |
| 31 |  Azerbaijan |
Country | 0.56 |
| 32 |  Malaysia |
Country | 0.52 |
| 33 |  Egypt |
Country | 0.51 |
| 34 | Colorado |
U.S. State | 0.47 |
| 35 |  Ecuador |
Country | 0.44 |
| 36 | Alaska |
U.S. State | 0.42 |
| 37 | Oklahoma |
U.S. State | 0.41 |
| 38 | Wyoming |
U.S. State | 0.29 |
| 39 | California |
U.S. State | 0.26 |
| 40 |  Australia |
Country | 0.25 |
| 41 |  Congo-Brazzaville |
Country | 0.24 |
| 42 |  Gabon |
Country | 0.24 |
| 43 |  Turkmenistan |
Country | 0.19 |
| 44 | Utah |
U.S. State | 0.19 |
| 45 |  Ghana |
Country | 0.18 |
| 46 |  Bahrain |
Country | 0.18 |
| 47 |  Vietnam |
Country | 0.16 |
| 48 |  Thailand |
Country | 0.16 |
| 49 | Ohio |
U.S. State | 0.14 |
| 50 |  Chad |
Country | 0.13 |
The state’s massive output is closely tied to the Permian Basin, which stretches across West Texas and southeastern New Mexico.
Advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have transformed the basin into one of the world’s most important oil-producing regions.
New Mexico Also Ranks Among Global Oil Heavyweights
New Mexico produced an average of 2.24 million barrels per day, enough to rank 12th in this comparison.
That puts the state ahead of major producers including Kazakhstan, Norway, Mexico, and Nigeria. Like Texas, New Mexico has benefited from rapid development in the Permian Basin.
North Dakota is another major contributor, producing 1.15 million barrels per day. At that level, it sits just ahead of Algeria, Angola, Oman, and Venezuela in the ranking.
U.S. Oil Production Extends Far Beyond Texas
Federal offshore production in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico averaged 1.90 million barrels per day, placing it between Kazakhstan and Norway in this comparison.
Several other states produce volumes comparable to entire countries. Colorado’s 470,000 barrels per day exceeds Ecuador’s output, while Alaska and Oklahoma each produce more crude than Australia.
Wyoming and California also surpass Australia’s 250,000 barrels per day, while Utah’s production is roughly level with Turkmenistan.
Taken together, these comparisons help illustrate why the United States is the world’s largest crude oil producer. While Texas dominates U.S. output, significant production across New Mexico, federal offshore areas, and other states adds to the country’s global lead.
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If you enjoyed today’s post, check out this graphic about U.S. oil independence over time.
- Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/if-u-s-states-were-countries-texas-would-rank-4-in-oil-production/
