States › Louisiana

Cost to plug an oil or gas well in Louisiana

Reported costs of publicly funded well plugging in Louisiana, 2023 to 2026.

Median cost per well

$27,059

B held-out error 40%

Typical range

$16,062 – $46,958

10th to 90th percentile; held 77% of held-out wells

Wells on file

661

261 independent observations, 2023-01 to 2026-04

Estimate a well in Louisiana

By well type

Light bar: 10th to 90th percentile. Dark bar: middle half. Tick: median. Only graded well types are drawn.

Well type	Median per well	Typical range (10th–90th pct.)	Grade	Wells	Held-out error
Gas well	$41,139	$16,057 – $45,954	B	284	26%
Oil well	$25,383	$16,674 – $47,233	B	306	28%
Other or unknown	—	—	Insufficient data	71	—

By depth

Depth band	Median per well	Typical range (10th–90th pct.)	Grade	Wells	Held-out error
1,000-2,999 ft	$28,136	$16,674 – $44,854	B	432	33%
3,000-5,999 ft	—	—	Insufficient data	40	—
6,000 ft and deeper	—	—	Insufficient data	15	—
under 1,000 ft	—	—	Insufficient data	73	—

By year plugged

Wells with a reported plugging cost, by year plugged.

Year	Median per well	Typical range (10th–90th pct.)	Grade	Wells	Held-out error
2023	$27,829	$16,055 – $44,954	B	538	40%
2024	—	—	Insufficient data	8	—
2025	—	—	Insufficient data	57	—
2026	—	—	Insufficient data	58	—

Cost index for Louisiana

Year	Index (2023 = 100 where 2023 is on file, otherwise first year)	Grade	Wells
2023	100.0	B	538
2024	—	Insufficient data	8
2025	—	Insufficient data	57
2026	—	Insufficient data	58

Parishes with a graded estimate

Parish	Median per well	Typical range (10th–90th pct.)	Grade	Wells	Held-out error
Caddo	$20,784	$15,940 – $31,313	B	405	23%
Union	$42,629	$39,207 – $48,947	B	175	6%

Contractors active

Companies awarded federal contracts for well plugging in this state, from USAspending (federal-land wells only): Olgoonik Construction Services LLC, Parliament LLC.

Receipts

Every figure on this page is computed from public records you can inspect:

Well-level records for Louisiana in the US Department of the Interior Orphaned Wells Program Office data layer (well identifier, county, type, reported cost, date).
Orphaned Wells Program maps and data, US Department of the Interior.

Costs are as reported by the grant recipient. 30% of the records here are a cost for one well; the rest are contract or lease averages. See limitations.

Data through 2026-06-30. Sample sizes are the wells behind each figure. Grades come from held-out tests, not in-sample fit: A needs 200+ independent cost observations and a held-out error of 25% or less; B needs 60+ and 40% or less. Anything weaker is shown as Insufficient data. How grading works.

Some figures here are withheld because the data is too thin to grade. If you hold actual plugging costs, report a plugging cost. Reports are reviewed before any use.