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 3,239 active oil wells, approximately a quarter of which are offshore. Los Angeles County's total 2024 oil production was 11,944,163 barrels (or almost 501.7 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 by oil production within L.A. County.
| Oil Field | Year Discovered | Field Type | 2024 Oil Production (bbl1) | 2024 Active Wells |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington | 1932 | Onshore | 7,189,543 | 1,546 (812 offshore) |
| Inglewood | 1948 | Onshore | 1,202,829 | 420 |
| Long Beach | 1921 | Onshore | 1,131,142 | 222 |
| Beverly Hills | 1900 | Onshore | 289,843 | 102 |
| Placerita | 1920 | Onshore | 242,114 | 113 |
| Oil Field | Year Discovered | Field Type | 2024 Oil Production (bbl1) | 2024 Active Wells |
| Santa Fe Springs | 1919 | Onshore | 199,007 | 133 |
| Sansinena | 1898 | Onshore | 196,641 | 131 |
| Seal Beach 2 | 1924 | Onshore | 189,715 from L.A. County; 311,259 from entire field | 79 in L.A County; 145 in entire field |
| Montebello | 1917 | Onshore | 171,070 | 40 |
| San Vicente | 1968 | Onshore | 156,804 | 35 |
| Oil Field | Year Discovered | Field Type | 2024 Oil Production (bbl1) | 2024 Active Wells |
| Belmont Offshore 2 | 1948 | Offshore | 116,811 from L.A. County; 225,948 from entire field | 24 in L.A. County; 52 in entire field |
| Torrance | 1922 | Onshore | 110,244 | 53 |
| Whittier | 1896 | Onshore | 95,159 | 28 |
| Cascade | 1954 | Onshore | 78,122 | 18 |
| Las Cienegas | 1961 | Onshore | 71,476 | 20 |
| Oil Field | Year Discovered | Field Type | 2024 Oil Production (bbl1) | 2024 Active Wells |
| Aliso Canyon 3 | 1938 | Onshore | 57,343 | 22 |
| Rosecrans | 1927 | Onshore | 55,341 | 40 |
| Sawtelle | 1965 | Onshore | 45,734 | 12 |
| Salt Lake | 1902 | Onshore | 43,251 | 7 |
| Brea-Olinda 2 | 1880 | Onshore | 36,087 from L.A. County; 890,665 from entire field | 15 in L.A. County; 406 in entire field |
| Oil Field | Year Discovered | Field Type | 2024 Oil Production (bbl1) | 2024 Active Wells |
| Playa Del Rey | 1929 | Onshore | 34,427 | 8 |
| Los Angeles Downtown | 1965 | Onshore | 26,078 | 5 |
| Hasley Canyon | 1944 | Onshore | 21,334 | 8 |
| Del Valle | 1940 | Onshore | 21,322 | 34 |
| Oat Mountain | 1946 | Onshore | 20,364 | 9 |
| Oil Field | Year Discovered | Field Type | 2024 Oil Production (bbl1) | 2024 Active Wells |
| Cheviot Hills | 1958 | Onshore | 20,290 | 10 |
| Honor Rancho | 1950 | Onshore | 16,828 | 7 |
| Oak Canyon | 1945 | Onshore | 11,704 | 6 |
| Old Wilmington | 1932 | Offshore | 11,029 | 1 (offshore) |
| El Segundo | 1935 | Onshore | 10,927 | 3 |
| Oil Field | Year Discovered | Field Type | 2024 Oil Production (bbl1) | 2024 Active Wells |
| Castaic Hills | 1951 | Onshore | 10,630 | 4 |
| Hyperion | 1944 | Onshore | 10,198 | 1 |
| Salt Lake, South | 1970 | Onshore | 7,195 | 12 |
| Walnut | 1948 | Onshore | 6,166 | 7 |
| Howard Townsite | 1947 | Onshore | 5,935 | 2 |
| Oil Field | Year Discovered | Field Type | 2024 Oil Production (bbl1) | 2024 Active Wells |
| Ramona 3 | 1943 | Onshore | 5,364 from L.A. County; 19,415 from entire field | 20 in L.A. County; 75 in entire field |
| Tapia | 1957 | Onshore | 4,939 | 9 |
| Wayside Canyon | 1962 | Onshore | 4,805 | 3 |
| Bandini | 1953 | Onshore | 3,915 | 6 |
| Long Beach Airport | 1954 | Onshore | 3,626 | 1 |
| Oil Field | Year Discovered | Field Type | 2024 Oil Production (bbl1) | 2024 Active Wells |
| Los Angeles City | 1890 | Onshore | 3,024 | 12 |
| Dominguez | 1923 | Onshore | 3,022 | 6 |
| Rosecrans, South | 1939 | Onshore | 2,765 | 5 |
| Newhall-Potrero | 1937 | Onshore | 0 | 0 |
| Los Angeles, East | 1946 | Onshore | 0 | 0 |
(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 ten most productive oil fields and ranks among the top 20 most productive oil fields in the nation.
