Bakken Shale Counties

Well production and geological quality of the Bakken Shale vary widely across North Dakota and Montana. Visit each county page to read more about the Bakken Shale.

North Dakota Bakken Counties

Bakken Shale County Coverage

The Bakken covers much of Western North Dakota and parts of Montana. The play benefits from being in a more rural area of the country where fewer people are impacted by industry operations. Many leases cover large tracts of land, which can be several hundred and up to thousands of acres. This makes operations and leasing much more simple than it is in urban shale areas like the Barnett or Marcellus.