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Ironwood Royalty

The Madison formation

Footprint and mineral-owner context for the Madison, drawn from the same state oil and gas commission well records behind our county pages. Every figure on this page is an estimate subject to verification of your specific interest.

Last updated June 2026.

What is the Madison?

The Madison is a producing formation named across 14 counties in Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming, in the Bighorn Basin, Williston Basin, Wind River Basin and Sweetgrass Arch, with 8,627 active wells on record across those counties.

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What are your Madison minerals worth?

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Ironwood Royalty buys mineral and royalty interests directly from owners. The valuation we send is an estimate, not an offer and not an appraisal. By submitting you agree to our Privacy Policy and to how your information is used. You can request deletion of your information at any time. Privacy Policy.

The Madison shows up in state oil and gas commission well records as a producing formation or pool in 14 of the counties and parishes we cover, across the Bighorn Basin, Williston Basin, Wind River Basin and Sweetgrass Arch. It is not confined to one basin; owners in different basins hold Madison interests that are valued the same way, on the income the wells actually pay. Across those counties, state records show 8,627 active wells producing, with the heaviest activity in Park County, Fremont County, Toole County. This page is built from the same public well-record data as our county pages, not a USGS geologic assessment, so it does not carry a play-wide resource estimate the way our larger flagship formation pages do.

Counties in the Madison play

These are the counties and parishes we cover where state commission records show the Madison producing, with active well counts from that same record.

Big Horn County, Montana 34 wells
Bottineau County, North Dakota 398 wells
Bowman County, North Dakota 297 wells
Burke County, North Dakota 467 wells
Carbon County, Montana 78 wells
Fremont County, Wyoming 2,016 wells
Glacier County, Montana 556 wells
Hot Springs County, Wyoming 1,104 wells
McHenry County, North Dakota 9 wells
Park County, Wyoming 2,086 wells
Renville County, North Dakota 164 wells
Sheridan County, Montana 83 wells
Toole County, Montana 1,330 wells
Ward County, North Dakota 5 wells

What the Madison means for your minerals

A resource estimate for a play is not the value of your acreage. Your mineral and royalty interest is valued on the income your wells actually pay, roughly 36 to 72 times your average monthly royalty check, the same as 3 to 6 times your annual royalty. Where you land in that band depends on your wells decline, the operator, your royalty rate, and any undeveloped drilling upside. For the full method and to request your free estimate, see what are my mineral rights worth.

The Madison is not confined to one basin: state records show it producing across Bighorn Basin , Williston Basin , Wind River Basin , and Sweetgrass Arch . For the basin-wide value bands and the counties we buy in, see each basin's page.

Madison questions

Which counties does the Madison produce in?
State commission well records show the Madison producing in 14 counties we cover: Big Horn County, Bottineau County, Bowman County, Burke County, Carbon County, Fremont County, Glacier County, Hot Springs County, McHenry County, Park County, Renville County, Sheridan County, and others. See each county's page for the full local well and operator picture.
How many wells produce from the Madison?
Across the counties we cover, state oil and gas commission records show about 8,627 active wells tied to the Madison. That figure is a sum across counties from public well records, not a measure of any one owner's interest.
What is a Madison mineral interest worth?
A Madison interest is valued the same way as any producing interest: roughly 36 to 72 times your average monthly royalty check. Where you land in that range depends on your wells' decline, the operator, your royalty rate, and any undeveloped drilling upside. This is an estimate, not an offer.

Sources

See what your Madison minerals could be worth

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