Updated October 30, 2026
Delaware Basin Towns Guide: Where the Oilfield Jobs Are
The Permian Basin covers a huge stretch of West Texas and southeast New Mexico. Geologists split it into three main parts: the Delaware Basin on the west, the Central Basin Platform in the middle, and the Midland Basin on the east (U.S. Energy Information Administration). The Delaware Basin side takes in Reeves, Loving, Ward, Winkler and Culberson counties in Texas and Eddy and Lea counties in New Mexico.
Where you base yourself decides your commute, your rent and which crews you can join. This guide covers the main oilfield towns, what kind of work is there, and what to expect for housing. You can see every town's open jobs on the towns map.
Midland, TX (Midland County)
Midland is the office and headquarters town of the Permian. It has the most listings on Delaware Basin Jobs by a wide margin, including engineering, land, accounting, IT and supervisor roles alongside field jobs like lease operators, field service techs and frac crews. Many operators and service companies run their Permian operations out of Midland, even for crews that work out in the Delaware Basin.
Housing: The widest range of apartments, houses and hotels in the region. Target Hospitality also runs two workforce lodges in the Midland area (Target Hospitality).
Odessa, TX (Ector County)
About 20 miles west of Midland, Odessa is the Basin's shop-and-yard town. Expect lots of mechanic, shop, welder, CDL, drilling and frac jobs. It's also a training hub: Odessa College runs a Class A CDL academy (Odessa College), and private safety trainers in Odessa and Midland offer H2S and SafeLand/PEC classes.
Housing: Second only to Midland for options. Target Hospitality lists Odessa East and Odessa West lodges.
Pecos, TX (Reeves County)
Pecos sits in the middle of the Texas side of the Delaware Basin, and it's a base for field service, production and midstream work, with compression techs, lease operators, facility operators and heavy equipment operators. Odessa College even offers weekend CDL classes in Pecos.
Housing: Tight. Local news and safety outlets have reported for years that oilfield demand fills Pecos RV parks, hotels and man camps (Longview News-Journal/AP, 2018). Target Hospitality runs Pecos South Lodge and Pecos RV Park. Ask employers whether housing or per diem comes with the job.
Jobs in Pecos, TX · Reeves County jobs
Orla and Mentone, TX (Reeves and Loving counties)
Orla, north of Pecos near the New Mexico line, and Mentone, the seat of Loving County, are tiny communities surrounded by heavy activity. Jobs here are mostly field roles, often on a hitch: facility operators, mechanics, I&E techs, equipment operators and scale-house attendants.
Housing: Little to no regular housing, so most workers stay in workforce lodges. Target Hospitality lists Orla North, Orla South and Delaware Orla lodges, plus Mentone Skillman Station and Mentone Wolf lodges.
Jobs in Orla, TX · Jobs in Mentone, TX
Kermit and Wink, TX (Winkler County)
Kermit is the Winkler County seat, about 45 miles west of Odessa, with Wink just southwest. Both towns are close to Delaware Basin leases on the Texas side.
Housing: Small-town supply. Target Hospitality runs Kermit North and Kermit South lodges.
Jobs in Kermit, TX · Jobs in Wink, TX
Monahans, TX (Ward County)
Monahans sits on I-20 between Odessa and Pecos, which makes it a handy middle point for crews who cover both basins. Recent listings have included pipeline operator and lease operator jobs. One ONEOK pipeline operator posting listed $74k–$110k a year on the employer's own posting.
Jobs in Monahans, TX · Ward County jobs
Carlsbad, NM (Eddy County)
Carlsbad is the biggest town on the New Mexico side of the Delaware Basin. Eddy and Lea counties are where New Mexico's record oil production growth is concentrated (American Petroleum Institute). Expect field service, midstream, water recycling, mechanic and warehouse jobs, plus office roles.
Housing: A known pinch point. Carlsbad's 2023 housing report found that RV park spaces grew 94% from 2017 to 2023, that man camps, RV parks and short-term rentals were filling the gap, and that hotel occupancy averaged 78.6% (Carlsbad Department of Development, 2023). Target Hospitality runs Carlsbad and Seven Rivers lodges.
Jobs in Carlsbad, NM · Eddy County jobs
Artesia, NM (Eddy County)
North of Carlsbad, Artesia's chamber of commerce names four economic drivers: oil and gas production, refining, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and agriculture. It says about 20% of the local workforce works directly in oil and gas (Artesia Chamber of Commerce). HF Sinclair's Navajo refinery in Artesia has a crude capacity of 100,000 barrels per day (HF Sinclair). Frac and completions crews also base out of Artesia.
Hobbs, NM (Lea County)
Hobbs is Lea County's largest city and a long-time oilfield service town on the Texas line. Jobs here include mechanics, field techs, installation technicians and office roles. New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs offers CDL training and testing, plus oil and gas safety training through a long partnership with TEEX (NMJC).
Jobs in Hobbs, NM · Lea County jobs
Jal and Loving, NM
Jal, in the southeast corner of Lea County, sits right on Delaware Basin activity, and Target Hospitality runs a Jal Lodge there. Loving, just south of Carlsbad in Eddy County, is a small farm town close to the leases. Both have only a handful of listings at any time, so set an alert rather than checking daily.
Jobs in Jal, NM · Jobs in Loving, NM
Tips for choosing a base town
- Match the town to the yard. Many field jobs report to a yard, not a well. Check where the yard is before you sign a lease.
- Count the drive. An hour each way on top of a 12-hour shift adds up. Lease roads are slow, and highway traffic around the Basin can be heavy.
- Ask about housing and per diem. Remote and hitch jobs often include a lodge room, housing or per diem. Filter for housing or per diem on our search page.
- Look at hitch jobs if you live elsewhere. A rotation lets you work the Basin and go home on days off. See hitch schedules explained.
Frequently asked questions
What towns are in the Delaware Basin?
The main Delaware Basin towns are Pecos, Orla, Mentone, Kermit, Wink and Monahans in Texas, and Carlsbad, Artesia, Loving, Hobbs and Jal in New Mexico. Midland and Odessa sit on the Midland Basin side but serve as the region's business and service hubs.
Which town has the most oilfield jobs?
Midland, followed by Odessa. On Delaware Basin Jobs they consistently have the most open listings, though many Midland jobs are office and management roles. Pecos and Carlsbad lead for field jobs on the Delaware side.
Is housing hard to find near Pecos and Carlsbad?
It can be. Both towns have reported housing shortages tied to oilfield demand, with RV parks, hotels and man camps filling the gap. Ask employers about housing or per diem before you move.
What is a man camp?
A man camp, or workforce lodge, is temporary housing built for field crews, usually with private rooms, meals, laundry and Wi-Fi. Companies often book rooms for their crews. In the Delaware Basin, lodges operate near Pecos, Orla, Mentone, Kermit, Jal and Carlsbad.
Should I live in Midland or Odessa and commute to the Delaware Basin?
Many people do, especially for jobs with yards in Odessa or Midland. For jobs that report to Pecos, Orla or Carlsbad, the commute can run well over an hour each way, so a hitch with housing may make more sense.
Browse jobs by town
Pick a town on the Delaware Basin Jobs towns map or search all open jobs at delawarebasinjobs.com. Every listing comes from the employer's own careers page and links straight to the application.
More guides: Getting hired with no experience · Becoming an oilfield CDL driver · Where to get your safety cards · Hitch schedules explained