Despite production dropping by more than 100,000 barrels in 2025, White County continues to top the list of top oil producing counties in the state and by a large margin. Of the 43 counties that produced oil in 2025, White County lifted more than 2.1 million barrels for the calendar year; more than the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th highest producing counties combined. The new report, out from the Illinois Petroleum Resources Board shows White County alone produced 31% of the state’s total oil.
Oil production was down for 2025 with 438,162 fewer barrels pumped versus 2024. Only six counties increased production year over year with Sangamon leading the way and more than tripling its output to 185,640. For the year 2025, annual production was at it’s lowest level since 1936.
Find more insights provided by the IPRB at https://iprb.org/PDF/2025_IllinoisOilProductionReport_FINAL.pdf.
A report from Capitol News Illinois earlier this week suggested taxpayers could be on the hook for millions in cleanup costs from oil and gas wells. In it, the report called the pumpjacks that sit idle and the inactive oil and gas wells that lie below the ground environmental timebombs that could expose taxpayers to future clean-up costs. Officials with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources have said it’s a national problem and the agency is focused on using federal resources to increase the number of wells being capped and plugged. IPRB officials declined to comment on that story. According to the organization’s website, “in 2018 alone, IPRB utilized $350,000 in funds to clean up and restore approximately 70 tank battery sites. IPRB has played a key financial and administrative role in the cleanup and restoration of more than 600 tank battery sites across the state since 2004.” Learn more at https://illinoispetroleumresourcesboard.org.