Methodology & sources
Every number on this site is computed from public records. This page shows the work.
Source data
All well records come from the Wyoming State Engineer's Office e-Permit database — the state's official record of groundwater well permits (seoweb.wyo.gov/e-Permit). Our copy covers records through 2023-09-01; we re-check the source weekly and top the data up as new records become available, and every page shows the records-through date. (161,037 well records at last refresh, 2026-07-06.)
Filters
- water well permits only — coalbed-methane, monitoring and test wells excluded; depths 0–5,000 ft
- Static water level statistics use measurements 0–2,000 ft below ground surface; zero/blank values are treated as missing
- Yield statistics use reported flows/pump tests 0–5,000 gpm
- Records without a resolvable county are excluded from county pages
- Counties with fewer than 10 records are not published
Statistics
We report medians and interquartile ranges (25th–75th percentile) rather than averages, because well data is heavily skewed — a few very deep wells would distort an average. "Recent" figures cover well permits filed since 2016 (Dates are permit priority (filing) dates from the State Engineer's Office — the permit extract does not carry drilling-completion dates). Driller tables count wells by the driller on logs filed since 2016.
Cost estimates
We do not collect quotes. Cost ranges apply published national per-foot rates to the local median depth — the local depth is what makes the estimate useful, and it comes from actual drilled wells nearby:
- Drilling + casing: $25–$65 per foot
- Complete system (pump, pressure tank, hookup): $60–$100 per foot
Rate sources (last checked 2026-06-11):
- HomeGuide — Well Drilling Cost (2026) — $25–65/ft drilling + casing; complete systems $3,000–15,000, most $5,500–9,000
- Angi — How Much Does Well Drilling Cost? (2026) — cross-check: drilling alone $15–25/ft; complete installation $25–65/ft
- The Well Guide — Well Drilling Cost (2026) — depth tables (e.g. 150 ft: $9,000–13,000 all-in); Mountain West/Pacific NW: $35–65/ft, systems $10,000–25,000
- the Wyoming State Engineer's Office e-Permit well permit database (WSGS bulk extract + e-Permit top-ups) — all depth/static-water-level/yield figures are computed from State Engineer records, not estimated
Estimates are planning figures, not quotes. Site access, geology, casing depth, and water treatment needs move real prices substantially.
Known data limitations
- Location accuracy varies by record: wells are plotted at the coordinates recorded in the State Engineer’s Office e-Permit database — quarter-quarter-section locations on older permits (roughly ±0.5 mi), closer on recent ones.
- Dates are permit priority (filing) dates from the State Engineer's Office — the permit extract does not carry drilling-completion dates.
- Our copy of the source covers records through 2023-09-01; permits filed after that date appear as we top the data up from the state's system.
- Not every well is on record — older and hand-dug wells are under-represented.
- Some records contain filing errors; we propagate the official record as filed.
Corrections
If a number here looks wrong, email us (or reply to any report). Confirmed errors are corrected and logged on the changelog. In this niche one wrong number costs more trust than ten missing features — we'd rather show less and be right.
About
Wyoming Well Data is an independent data publisher. We are not affiliated with the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office, the State of Wyoming, or any drilling company. Revenue comes from property reports and from connecting homeowners with licensed local drillers — never from selling rankings or placements in the statistics.