Quick answer: Valor's Smith County, Texas rankings show the 19 operators producing the most oil and gas here — Vess Oil leads — from Texas Railroad Commission filings over the last six months. If you own minerals in Smith County, these operators are your likely check-writers. Valor verifies the operator on your tract, audits every royalty check, and recovers suspended funds. Valor manages minerals; it never buys them.
The top 19 oil and gas operators in Smith County, Texas, ranked by monthly oil production. Combined output of all 25 reporting operators: 3,260,522 BBL oil and 4,092,031 Mcf gas across 611 reporting wells/leases.
Momentum blends the year-over-year change in average monthly production (oil + gas at 6 Mcf per BOE, 2025-11 – 2026-05 vs the same months a year earlier, complete reporting months only) with the change in drilling permits (last 12 months vs the prior 12: 13 vs 17). Each input is capped at ±100%.
Benchmark gross value of production: about $12.6M per month — 99,645 bbl of oil and 1,224,861 Mcf of gas a month, priced at the EIA average WTI ($73.03/bbl) and Henry Hub ($4.20/MMBtu) spot prices over the same months.
Benchmark prices before quality and location differentials, transport, taxes and costs; this is a county-level economic indicator, not the value of any mineral or royalty interest.
Source: Valor analysis of public oil and gas data. Statistics are published on this page; no bulk download is offered.
| Rank | Operator | Oil (BBL) | Gas (Mcf) | Wells |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vess Oil | 2,036,854 | 67,100 | 4 |
| 2 | Valence Operating Company | 328,660 | 282,534 | 49 |
| 4 | Linder John Operating | 89,609 | 52,399 | 48 |
| 5 | Goldston Oil | 77,090 | 23,484 | 8 |
| 7 | Culver & Cain Production | 61,047 | 0 | 6 |
| 8 | Weathers Exploration | 53,086 | 0 | 6 |
| 10 | Atlantis Oil Company | 43,345 | 0 | 5 |
| 11 | Faulconer Energy LLC | 30,849 | 907,830 | 289 |
| 12 | Diversified Production LLC | 19,563 | 1,002,113 | 90 |
| 13 | 3t Exploration | 15,915 | 752 | 5 |
| 14 | Map Production | 9,538 | 0 | 3 |
| 15 | Fortune Resources | 7,081 | 78,883 | 29 |
| 16 | Atlas Operating | 6,796 | 0 | 26 |
| 18 | Sabine Energy Inc | 5,234 | 1,668,129 | 4 |
| 21 | Jamex | 2,585 | 0 | 7 |
| 22 | Ursus Oil And Gas | 1,617 | 40 | 4 |
| 23 | Ellis Exploration | 1,482 | 920 | 5 |
| 24 | Reserve Operating | 1,412 | 0 | 3 |
| 25 | Cinron Energy | 1,346 | 1,792 | 12 |
| — | 6 other operators (fewer than 3 producing wells/leases each) | 467,413 | 6,055 | 8 |
The largest oil and gas operators in Smith County by reported production are Vess Oil, Valence Operating Company, and Linder John Operating. In total, 25 operators reported 3,260,522 BBL of oil and 4,092,031 Mcf of gas across 611 wells and leases over the last six months. If you own minerals in Smith County, these operators are your likely check-writers — Valor tracks production and royalties by tract so you know who owes you.
Start with the operator rankings on this page, then confirm the exact well and operator on your tract through the Smith County records and your division orders. Valor's mineral management verifies which operators cover your Smith County tracts and reconciles every royalty check to the right well.
Yes — 25 operators reported active production in Smith County over the last six months, led by Vess Oil. Activity shifts as operators drill, complete, and sell interests; Valor monitors production and permits so Smith County owners can see changes near their tracts.
Operators pay Smith County mineral owners a royalty on production, based on a decimal interest set out on a division order. Missed or suspended checks are common after a move, a death, or a title gap. Valor audits Smith County royalty statements, recovers suspended funds, and manages the interest so owners are paid correctly.
Valor manages minerals for owners — confirming which of the operators above cover your tracts, auditing every royalty check, recovering suspended and unclaimed funds, and giving you one clear, tax-ready view of what you own in Smith County. Valor manages minerals; it never buys them.
Page last reviewed: July 2026. Rankings are refreshed monthly from Texas Railroad Commission filings.