The U.S. natural gas rig count dropped two units to fall to 155 for the holiday-shortened week ended Wednesday (Nov. 23), while gains in the oil patch led the overall domestic tally two units higher to 784, according to the latest data from Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).

Offsetting the natural gas declines, four oil-directed rigs were added in the United States for the period. Land drilling increased by two rigs, while the Gulf of Mexico held steady at 16 rigs for the week. Two directional rigs were added domestically, with total horizontal and vertical rigs unchanged.

The combined 784 active U.S. rigs as of Wednesday compares with 569 rigs running in the year-earlier period, according to the BKR numbers, which are partly based on data from Enverus.

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