Map of oil, gas and geothermal fields in the Los Angeles area, 2001. Courtesy of California Geologic Energy Management Division, California Department of Conservation
Click on map for larger image.
Los Angeles County has 8,335 active oil wells, approximately a quarter of which are offshore. Los Angeles County's total 2021 oil production was 14,827,026 barrels (or 622.7 million gallons), about 11% of all oil production in California. Below are listed the 45 producing oil fields in the county.
In January 2023, due to long-time concerns over the environmental and health impact of oil and gas extraction operations in urbanized areas, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors banned any new oil and gas extraction operations within the county and set a 20-year phaseout for existing operations.
Note: Some oil fields in this list include production and oil well figures from those oil fields that cross county lines between L.A. County and adjacent counties. We ranked oil fields here only by oil production within L.A. County.
| Oil Field | Year Discovered | Field Type | 2021 Oil Production (bbl1) | 2021 Active Wells |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington | 1932 | Onshore | 8,915,409 | 4,183 (2,305 offshore) |
| Inglewood | 1948 | Onshore | 1,580,073 | 974 |
| Long Beach | 1921 | Onshore | 1,166,005 | 529 |
| Beverly Hills | 1900 | Onshore | 312,651 | 249 |
| Placerita | 1920 | Onshore | 310,278 | 364 |
| Oil Field | Year Discovered | Field Type | 2021 Oil Production (bbl1) | 2021 Active Wells |
| Santa Fe Springs | 1919 | Onshore | 310,080 | 394 |
| Montebello | 1917 | Onshore | 246,815 | 150 |
| Torrance | 1922 | Onshore | 230,357 | 247 |
| Seal Beach 2 | 1924 | Onshore | 221,625 from L.A. County; 360,925 from entire field | 95 in L.A County; 204 in entire field |
| Sansinena | 1898 | Onshore | 189,132 | 100 |
| Oil Field | Year Discovered | Field Type | 2021 Oil Production (bbl1) | 2021 Active Wells |
| Belmont Offshore 2 | 1948 | Offshore | 179,644 from L.A. County; 311,512 from entire field | 68 in L.A. County; 101 in entire field |
| San Vicente | 1968 | Onshore | 171,173 | 56 |
| Las Cienegas | 1961 | Onshore | 137,742 | 94 |
| Whittier | 1896 | Onshore | 94,010 | 36 |
| Aliso Canyon 3 | 1938 | Onshore | 88,856 | 141 in L.A. County; 142 in entire field |
| Oil Field | Year Discovered | Field Type | 2021 Oil Production (bbl1) | 2021 Active Wells |
| Rosecrans | 1927 | Onshore | 79,778 | 60 |
| Cascade | 1954 | Onshore | 77,212 | 28 |
| Sawtelle | 1965 | Onshore | 72,294 | 18 |
| Oat Mountain | 1946 | Onshore | 68,557 | 14 |
| Playa Del Rey | 1929 | Onshore | 45,240 | 81 |
| Oil Field | Year Discovered | Field Type | 2021 Oil Production (bbl1) | 2021 Active Wells |
| Salt Lake | 1902 | Onshore | 35,989 | 12 |
| Brea-Olinda 2 | 1880 | Onshore | 33,343 from L.A. County; 950,786 from entire field | 8 in L.A. County; 467 in entire field |
| Cheviot Hills | 1958 | Onshore | 30,525 | 27 |
| Los Angeles Downtown | 1965 | Onshore | 30,448 | 22 |
| Hasley Canyon | 1944 | Onshore | 23,163 | 10 |
| Oil Field | Year Discovered | Field Type | 2021 Oil Production (bbl1) | 2021 Active Wells |
| Del Valle | 1940 | Onshore | 18,589 | 24 |
| El Segundo | 1935 | Onshore | 16,043 | 6 |
| Honor Rancho | 1950 | Onshore | 15,360 | 53 |
| Oak Canyon | 1945 | Onshore | 15,111 | 13 |
| Rosecrans, South | 1939 | Onshore | 11,439 | 4 |
| Oil Field | Year Discovered | Field Type | 2021 Oil Production (bbl1) | 2021 Active Wells |
| Howard Townsite | 1947 | Onshore | 11,338 | 3 |
| Salt Lake, South | 1970 | Onshore | 11,179 | 2 |
| Hyperion | 1944 | Onshore | 10,878 | 2 |
| Los Angeles City | 1890 | Onshore | 9,350 | 11 |
| Castaic Hills | 1951 | Onshore | 8,824 | 5 |
| Oil Field | Year Discovered | Field Type | 2021 Oil Production (bbl1) | 2021 Active Wells |
| Bandini | 1953 | Onshore | 8,608 | 14 |
| Tapia | 1957 | Onshore | 8,445 | 21 |
| Walnut | 1948 | Onshore | 7,727 | 8 |
| Wayside Canyon | 1962 | Onshore | 7,426 | 5 |
| Ramona 3 | 1943 | Onshore | 5,819 from L.A. County; 23,812 from entire field | 8 in L.A. County; 49 in entire field |
| Oil Field | Year Discovered | Field Type | 2021 Oil Production (bbl1) | 2021 Active Wells |
| Old Wilmington | 1932 | Offshore | 5,439 | 157 (82 offshore) |
| Long Beach Airport | 1954 | Onshore | 3,791 | 5 |
| Dominguez | 1923 | Onshore | 1,104 | 4 |
| Los Angeles, East | 1946 | Onshore | 158 | 7 |
| Newhall-Potrero | 1937 | Onshore | 0 | 23 |
(1) bbl - barrels of oil (42-gallons each)
(2) Stradles Los Angeles and Orange Counties
(3) Stradles Los Angeles and Ventura Counties
Source: California Dept. of Conservation, California Geologic Energy Management Division
Edward Doheny dug the first oil well in Los Angeles in 1892. It came to be part of what became known as the Los Angeles City Oil Field.
The Wilmington Oil Field is ranked among California's 10 largest most productive oil fields and ranks among the top 20 most productive oil fields in the nation.
