Baker Hughes Rig Count Today
Week ending October 30, 2026 · Source: Baker Hughes weekly rotary rig count · Updated after each Friday release
Baker Hughes counted 603 active rotary rigs in the United States for the week ending October 30, 2026, unchanged on the week and up 57 from the same week a year earlier. Oil-directed rigs numbered 462, gas-directed rigs 130, with 11 miscellaneous rigs. Canada counted 226 rigs and the worldwide count stood at 1,936, putting the North American total at 829.
US rig count by basin
Basin counts come from the same Baker Hughes release. The Permian Basin alone runs 272 rigs, about 59% of all US oil-directed rigs.
| Basin | Rigs | Oil | Gas | Weekly | Year ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permian | 272 | 272 | 0 | 0 | +21 |
| Haynesville | 55 | 0 | 55 | -1 | +15 |
| Eagle Ford | 50 | 42 | 8 | -1 | +7 |
| Williston (Bakken) | 36 | 31 | 5 | 0 | +6 |
| Marcellus | 23 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| DJ-Niobrara | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
US rig count, last 12 weeks
Weekly Baker Hughes totals for the United States. Older weeks roll off as each new count is published.
| Week ending | Total | Oil | Gas | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 30, 2026 | 603 | 462 | 130 | 0 |
| October 23, 2026 | 603 | 460 | 132 | 0 |
| October 16, 2026 | 603 | 459 | 133 | 0 |
| October 9, 2026 | 603 | 462 | 132 | +5 |
| October 2, 2026 | 598 | 456 | 133 | -1 |
| September 25, 2026 | 599 | 455 | 135 | +4 |
| September 18, 2026 | 595 | 452 | 134 | +4 |
| September 11, 2026 | 591 | 450 | 132 | +3 |
| September 4, 2026 | 588 | 449 | 130 | 0 |
| August 28, 2026 | 588 | 447 | 132 | -5 |
| August 14, 2026 | 593 | 455 | 128 | +5 |
| August 7, 2026 | 588 | 454 | 124 | - |
What the rig count measures
The Baker Hughes rig count is a weekly census of rotary drilling rigs actively drilling for oil or natural gas. Baker Hughes has published the count since 1944; the North American figures are released every Friday and split into oil-directed, gas-directed, and miscellaneous rigs. Because a rig has to be on location and turning to be counted, the series tracks drilling activity as it happens rather than permits or announced plans.
Readers watch the count because wells drilled today become production later. A sustained rise usually points to more supply in the months ahead and stronger demand for oilfield services, while a falling count points the other way. The count is a leading indicator, not a production figure: modern rigs drill longer horizontal wells faster than older fleets did, and drilled-but-uncompleted wells can be finished to add supply without any new rigs. That is why this page pairs the headline count with basin detail and, in the interactive sections below, DUC inventory context.
For this week, the US total of 603 rigs sits 57 rigs above the year-ago level, and the Permian Basin accounts for 272 of them. Canada at 226 rigs is up 39 from a year earlier, which matters for North American supply because Canadian oil sands and shale output feeds many of the same refineries as US production.
Figures: Baker Hughes North America rotary rig count, week ending October 30, 2026, republished from the PetroEyes data pipeline. Related reading: rig-count intelligence hub, oil production by country, weekly EIA inventory analysis, and our Permian rig count deep dive, and our DUC wells explainer. The charts and DUC breakdowns below update from the same dataset.
How to read the Friday release
Baker Hughes releases the North America count on Fridays at 1 p.m. Eastern Time (noon Central), moving to the last business day of the week when a holiday intervenes. The release that matters for supply is rarely the single-week change. Weather, holidays, and rigs moving between basins can swing one Friday by several rigs. The trend over four to twelve weeks, the split between oil and gas rigs, and the basin detail in the tables above carry the signal. Over the twelve weeks in the table above, the US total moved from 588 rigs in the week ending August 7, 2026 to 603 in the week ending October 30, 2026, a change of +15.
Read the two splits separately, because they answer to different prices. Oil-directed rigs track crude prices and shale basin economics, while gas-directed rigs track natural gas prices, so the splits often move in opposite directions in the same week. Basin concentration matters just as much: a national gain driven by one basin says something different from a broad gain, and the Permian share shown above is the fastest check on where US supply growth is actually coming from.
Finally, keep the lag in mind. A rig counted this week is at the start of a chain that runs through drilling, completion, and connection before the first barrel flows, and producers hold a buffer of drilled but uncompleted wells that can be finished to add supply without any new rigs at all. That is why the count leads production by months rather than weeks, and why this page sits next to the EIA weekly inventory terminal, where the production and stock results of past drilling decisions show up. For the full method, see our Baker Hughes rig count guide.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Baker Hughes rig count released?
Baker Hughes publishes the North America rig count on Fridays at 1 p.m. Eastern Time (noon Central). When a holiday shortens the week, the release moves to the last business day of that week. The international count follows a separate monthly schedule.
What counts as an active rig in the Baker Hughes survey?
A rig is counted when it is on location and actively drilling a well for oil or natural gas. Rigs that are moving between sites, rigging up, or doing completion or workover work are not counted, which is why the series measures drilling activity rather than total oilfield employment or spending.
Why can the rig count fall while oil production still rises?
Modern shale rigs drill longer horizontal wells and drill them faster than the fleets of a decade ago, so each rig supports more new production than it used to. Producers can also complete drilled but uncompleted wells (DUCs) to add supply without adding rigs. The count shows drilling intent; the production result shows up months later in the EIA data.
Do oil rigs and gas rigs respond to the same signals?
No. Oil-directed rigs follow crude oil prices and basin economics, while gas-directed rigs follow natural gas prices, which is why the two splits can move in opposite directions in the same week. The small miscellaneous category covers rigs directed at neither, such as geothermal drilling.
How should I read a one-week change in the rig count?
Carefully. Weather, holidays, and rig moves between basins can swing a single week by several rigs without changing the supply outlook. The four-week and twelve-week direction, the oil and gas split, and which basins gained or lost rigs carry more information than any single Friday headline.