HOUSTON -- Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. said the number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. rose 19 this week to 1,908.
The Houston firm said Friday in its weekly report that 1,588 rigs were exploring for oil and 316 for gas. Four were listed as miscellaneous. A year ago there were 1,778 active rigs.
Of the major oil- and gas-producing states, California gained seven rigs, North Dakota was up five, Texas four, Colorado and Louisiana three each, and Alaska and Oklahoma two apiece.
Pennsylvania lost three rigs, Wyoming was down two, while Kansas, New Mexico and West Virginia each declined by one.
Arkansas, Ohio and Utah were unchanged.
The U.S. rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981 and bottomed at 488 in 1999.