Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Oct. 22, 2014
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2014
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Trading Symbol	PTEN
Entity Registrant Name	PATTERSON UTI ENERGY INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000889900
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		146,412,860