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U.S. drilling activity increased for a second consecutive week as producers added both oil and natural gas rigs, pushing the national fleet further above year-ago levels.
The U.S. rig count rose by four to 595 for the week ended September 18, according to the latest Baker Hughes North America Rig Count Report.
That is 53 rigs above the 542 operating during the comparable week last year, an increase of nearly 10%.
Oil rigs increased by two to 452, while natural gas rigs also rose by two to 134. Miscellaneous rigs were unchanged at nine.
Compared with a year ago, the U.S. now has 34 more oil rigs and 16 more gas rigs operating.
The increase comes with crude prices remaining above US$100 per barrel amid continued disruptions and geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East.
WTI crude was trading around US$100.74 per barrel Friday, while Brent was around US$103.89. U.S. natural gas futures were near US$2.91 per MMBtu.
Those prices present two very different drilling environments.
Triple-digit crude provides a strong economic backdrop for oil producers, while natural gas remains below US$3 despite gas-directed drilling being more than 13% higher than it was a year ago.
Baker Hughes’ regional data showed some of the strongest growth this week in North Dakota and New Mexico.
North Dakota added three rigs to reach 31, while New Mexico also gained three to reach 95. Utah added one rig, while Texas slipped by one to 283.
At the basin level, the Williston added three rigs to reach 35, six more than a year ago. The Permian added one to reach 269, up 15 year over year.
The Haynesville lost one rig but remains one of the strongest year-over-year performers. Its 56 active rigs are 17 above the 39 operating a year ago, an increase of more than 40%.
That helps illustrate the broader story behind this year’s rig-count growth.
U.S. drilling is expanding across both oil and natural gas, but producers are still showing considerably more restraint than might historically have been expected with oil above US$100.
The U.S. has added seven rigs over the past two weeks, taking the fleet from 588 on September 4 to 595 today.
More importantly, 53 additional rigs are working compared with a year ago.
For an industry that has spent years prioritizing capital discipline and extracting more production from each rig, that steady year-over-year increase may say more about producer confidence than any single week’s move.
Source: Baker Hughes North America Rig Count Report, September 18, 2026.
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