North American Rotary Rig Counts

The U.S. rotary rig count was up 2 at 1,763 for the week of November 27, 2013. It is 48 rigs (2.7%) lower than last year.

The number of rotary rigs drilling for oil was up 4 at 1,391. There 5 more rigs targeting oil than last year. Rigs drilling for oil represent 78.9 percent of all drilling activity. 

Rigs directed toward natural gas were down 2 at 367. The number of rigs currently drilling for gas is 57 lower than last year's level of  424.

Year-over-year oil exploration in the U.S. is up 0.4 percent. Gas exploration is down 13.48 percent. The weekly average of crude oil spot prices is 6.4 percent higher than last year and natural gas spot prices are 4.4 percent higher than last year. Daily crude oil and natural gas futures and spot prices are available on our site.

Canadian rig activity is up 17 at 368 for the week of November 27, 2013 and is 14 (3.5%) lower than last year's rig count. The number of rigs drilling for oil was up 15 at 215 and is 72 (25.1%) lower than last year. Gas directed rig count at 170 is up 2 and is 58 rigs (51.8%) higher than last year. Canadian drilling falls rapidly in the spring to avoid environmental damage moving drilling equipment during the spring thaw and rainy season. With wide weather related seasonal swings, even year-over-year comparisons can lead to incorrect conclusions.

North American Rig Count				Change		Percent Change
	11/29/2013	11/22/2013	11/30/2012	Weekly	Annual	Weekly	Annual
Total U.S.	1,763	1,761	1,811	2	(48)	0.1%	-2.7%
Offshore	57	57	50	0	7	0.0%	14.0%
Land	1,706	1,704	1,761	2	(55)	0.1%	-3.1%
Inland Waters	19	19	20	0	(1)	0.0%	-5.0%
Oil	1,391	1,387	1,386	4	5	0.3%	0.4%
Percent	78.9%	78.8%	76.5%	0.1%	2.4%
Gas	367	369	424	(2)	(57)	-0.5%	-13.4%
Percent	20.8%	21.0%	23.4%	-0.1%	-2.6%
Directional	222	216	193	6	29	2.8%	15.0%
Horizontal	1,127	1,127	1,110	0	17	0.0%	1.5%
Vertical	414	418	508	-4	-94	-1.0%	-18.5%
Gulf of Mexico	55	55	48	0	7	0.0%	14.6%
Gulf Oil	39	39	29	0	10	0.0%	34.5%
Percent	70.9%	70.9%	60.4%	0.0%	10.5%
Gulf Gas	16	16	19	0	-3	0.0%	-15.8%
Percent	29.1%	29.1%	39.6%	0.0%	-10.5%
Canada	385	368	399	17	(14)	4.6%	-3.5%
Oil	215	200	287	15	(72)	7.5%	-25.1%
Percent	55.8%	54.3%	71.9%	1.5%	-16.1%
Gas	170	168	112	2	58	1.2%	51.8%
Percent	44.2%	45.7%	28.1%	-1.5%	16.1%
North America	2,148	2,129	2,210	19	(62)	0.9%	-2.8%
Prices
Oil $/bbl.	$93.32	$94.08	$87.68	-$0.76	$5.65	-0.8%	6.4%
Gas $/mmbtu	$3.829	$3.679	$3.666	$0.150	$0.163	4.1%	4.4%

Monthly: International Rig Counts

International rig count, which excludes the US and Canada, was up 17 to 1,284 for the month of  September 2013 and is 30 rigs (2.4%) above last year's 1,254 rigs.

The total number of rotary rigs worldwide in  September was 3,431 up 15 from October and 37 (1.1%) lower than last year.

Worldwide Rotary Rig Count				Change		Percent Change
	September 2013	August 2013	September 2012	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual
Latin America	404	399	411	5	(7)	1.3%	-1.7%
Europe	139	143	124	(4)	15	-2.8%	12.1%
Africa	119	125	108	(6)	11	-4.8%	10.2%
Middle East	379	362	381	17	(2)	4.7%	-0.5%
Far East	243	238	230	5	13	2.1%	5.7%
International	1,284	1,267	1,254	17	30	1.3%	2.4%
Canada	387	368	355	19	32	5.2%	9.0%
United States	1,760	1,781	1,859	(21)	(99)	-1.2%	-5.3%
World	3,431	3,416	3,468	15	(37)	0.4%	-1.1%

The Rig Count page will be updated as the data becomes available. US rotary and Canadian rig counts are updated weekly.  International, world and workover rig counts are updated mid month.  The oil price shown in all long term graphs and all but the short term graph of US and Canadian rotary rig counts is US average wellhead price. The price in the short term US and Canadian rotary rig count graphs is WTI spot.