Short answer
The largest oil and gas companies headquartered in the Denver area by 2025 revenue are Ovintiv ($8.91 billion), Antero Resources ($5.28 billion), Liberty Energy ($4.01 billion), SM Energy ($3.15 billion), Antero Midstream and BKV, each from its 10-K. Most produce outside Colorado: Antero in the Appalachian Basin, Ovintiv in the Permian and Montney, BKV in the Barnett. Census County Business Patterns counted 303 oil and gas establishments in the Denver metro in 2023, 151 of them in Denver County.
- Eight listed oil and gas companies give a Denver-area head office on their latest 10-K, from Ovintiv ($8.91 billion) to Altex Industries ($18,000).
- SM Energy completed its merger with Denver-based Civitas Resources on 30 January 2026, adding Colorado's DJ Basin to its assets.
- Natural gas producers in the metro average $324,592 in pay and crude producers $270,845: office jobs, not field jobs.
- 196 of the metro's 303 oil and gas establishments have fewer than five employees.
- The Denver Petroleum Club lists 52 corporate members, a published starting list of local operators and advisers.
On this page
This report is for people looking at Denver oil and gas employers, firms that want them as clients (law, accounting, land, engineering, software), and B2B sellers working out who decides at a Denver head office.
Denver's public oil and gas companies, and where they produce
SEC-registered companies whose latest 10-K gives a Denver-area head office, with revenue as each filing reports it and the operating area from the same filing:
| Company | Headquarters | Revenue, 2025 | Where the 10-K puts its business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ovintiv | Denver | $8.91 billion | A multi-basin portfolio anchored in the Permian (Texas) and the Montney (Western Canada) |
| Antero Resources | Denver | $5.28 billion | About 537,000 net acres in the Appalachian Basin, mainly West Virginia and Ohio |
| Liberty Energy | Denver | $4.01 billion | Completions services, including hydraulic fracturing, for onshore producers |
| SM Energy | Denver | $3.15 billion | After the Civitas merger: the Midland and Delaware basins, South Texas's Maverick Basin, Utah's Uinta Basin and Colorado's DJ Basin |
| Antero Midstream | Denver | $1.19 billion | Midstream |
| BKV Corp | Denver | $1.01 billion | Natural gas in the Barnett Shale of North Texas |
| Vitesse Energy | Greenwood Village | $274.0 million | Non-operated interests, mainly in the Williston Basin of North Dakota and Montana |
| Altex Industries | Denver | $18,000 (year to September 2025) | Crude petroleum and natural gas (SIC 1311) |
Two changes matter. Civitas Resources, also based in Denver, merged into SM Energy on 30 January 2026 and was delisted. And Phoenix Energy One still shows a Denver business address in SEC records, but its 2025 10-K cover gives Irvine, California, so it is left out. For the producing side of the state, from Weld County to the Western Slope, see oil and gas companies in Colorado.
Denver in Census data
US Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metro Area (CBSA 19740), NAICS 211, 213111, 213112 and 324110:
| Measure (2023) | Denver metro |
|---|---|
| Establishments | 303 |
| Employees, payroll and average pay | Not reported (high-noise figure) |
| Share of US establishments | 1.81% of 16,710 |
The Census Bureau published the metro's employee and payroll totals but flagged them as high-noise: the noise it adds for confidentiality changed them by 5% or more, so we don't report them. The segment rows that aren't flagged:
| Segment (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crude petroleum extraction (211120) | 132 | 2,463 | $270,845 |
| Natural gas extraction (211130) | 34 | 884 | $324,592 |
| Support activities (213112) | 122 | 2,517 | $155,904 |
| Drilling (213111) | 15 | Not reported | Not reported |
There are no refinery establishments in the metro's figures. By size, 196 establishments have 1 to 4 employees; the Census Bureau doesn't publish the other size classes for the four codes combined.
| County | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Denver County | 151 | Not reported |
| Arapahoe County | 55 | Not reported |
| Jefferson County | 39 | 196 |
| Douglas County | 29 | Not reported |
| Adams County | 22 | Not reported |
Denver County's 151 establishments are mostly producers' offices (87 extraction, 55 support and 9 drilling), the opposite of a field county. These are establishments with paid employees, not companies, and the self-employed aren't counted. Many head offices are classified under management of companies (NAICS 55), so the Ovintiv or Antero headquarters may not appear in the oil and gas rows at all.
Finding Denver companies
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Colorado Oil & Gas Association | The state industry association; its online member directory lists member companies and contacts |
| Denver Petroleum Club corporate members | 52 corporate members, from producers to law firms and service companies |
| SEC EDGAR | 10-Ks for the public companies above, with basins, capital plans and headcount |
| Colorado COGIS production lookup | Well status and production by API number from Colorado's regulator |
The Denver Petroleum Club's members include operators such as Anschutz Exploration, Bayswater Exploration & Production, Jonah Energy, Extex and Thunder River Production, alongside SM Energy, Ovintiv and Liberty, and service and advisory firms such as SLB, PropX, East Daley Analytics, BakerHostetler and Haynes Boone. For a company that produces in another state, check its operator records with that state's regulator, such as the Railroad Commission of Texas for BKV's Barnett wells.
Selling to Denver oil and gas companies
A Denver head office buys the work that doesn't need to be near a well: land and title, reservoir engineering, geoscience, accounting and revenue distribution, hedging, IT and data, legal and reporting. Field purchases (chemicals, equipment, crews) are usually set by operations teams in the basin, even when contracts are signed in Denver.
| Function at a Denver head office | Typical buyer | What they buy |
|---|---|---|
| Land and minerals | VP land, land manager | Title work, lease records, division orders, mapping |
| Engineering and geoscience | VP reservoir engineering, geoscience manager | Software, data, consulting, reserve reports |
| Finance and accounting | Controller, revenue accounting manager | Revenue distribution, audit support, systems |
| Supply chain | Category manager | Field services, often specified by basin teams |
Illustrative example. The seller and its prices are invented; the establishment counts are Census 2023 data.
Larimer Land Data (larimer.example) cleans lease and division-order records for producers. Its fit is the 166 extraction establishments in the metro, most of them small offices without a records team. Assume half run their own land function: 83 accounts. One contact at each (land manager or VP land) is 83 people. At a 7% reply rate that's about 6 conversations; one cleanup project of 4,000 records at $12 each is $48,000. Start with the companies that just changed hands, because a merger like SM and Civitas leaves two sets of records to reconcile. At this scale Bebop can find the offices that fit and research each before you write; the account research guide covers what to look for.
Next step: see how Denver's producers compare with the largest in the country in the list of the largest oil and gas companies.
Sources
- County Business Patterns (CBP), 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Form 10-K filings, fiscal 2025: Ovintiv, Antero Resources, Liberty Energy, SM Energy, Antero Midstream, BKV, Vitesse Energy, Altex Industries, SEC EDGAR, accessed 30 October 2026
- Civitas Resources Form 8-K: completion of merger with SM Energy, SEC EDGAR, 30 January 2026
- Phoenix Energy One Form 10-K, fiscal 2025 (cover page address), SEC EDGAR, 17 March 2026
- Colorado Oil & Gas Association, COGA, accessed 30 October 2026
- Corporate members, Denver Petroleum Club, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
What oil and gas companies are headquartered in Denver?
Public companies whose 2025 10-K gives a Denver-area head office include Ovintiv ($8.91 billion in revenue), Antero Resources ($5.28 billion), Liberty Energy ($4.01 billion), SM Energy ($3.15 billion), Antero Midstream ($1.19 billion), BKV ($1.01 billion), Vitesse Energy in Greenwood Village and Altex Industries. Civitas Resources was based in Denver until its merger into SM Energy in January 2026.
How many oil and gas companies are in Denver?
Census County Business Patterns counted 303 oil and gas establishments in the Denver metro in 2023: 166 extraction offices, 122 support firms and 15 drillers. Denver County had 151 of them. That counts locations with paid employees, not companies, and many head offices are classified under management of companies rather than oil and gas, so the count understates headquarters.
Do Denver oil companies drill in Colorado?
Some do, many don't. By their 10-Ks, Antero Resources produces in the Appalachian Basin of West Virginia and Ohio, Ovintiv mainly in the Permian and the Montney in Canada, BKV in the Barnett Shale of Texas and Vitesse mainly in the Williston Basin. SM Energy added Colorado's DJ Basin through its January 2026 merger with Civitas Resources.
How much do oil and gas jobs pay in Denver?
Census County Business Patterns shows average annual pay of $324,592 at the metro's natural gas extraction establishments in 2023, $270,845 at crude oil extraction establishments and $155,904 at support firms. These are payroll averages for office-heavy employers, not pay for a given job. The metro-wide total isn't reported because the Census Bureau flagged it as a high-noise figure.
How do I find a list of oil and gas companies in Denver?
Start with SEC EDGAR for the public companies, then the Colorado Oil & Gas Association's member directory and the Denver Petroleum Club's corporate member list, which names 52 operators, service companies and advisers. For each operator, check its wells with the regulator in the state where it produces, since many Denver companies operate in Texas, Appalachia or the Williston Basin.