The U.S. natural gas rig count rose three units to 149 for the week ended Friday (May 13), while rising numbers in the oil patch rounded out another week of healthy gains for domestic drilling activity, the latest numbers from Baker Hughes Co. (BKR) show.

rig count

Six oil-directed rigs were added along with the three natural gas-directed rigs in the United States for the week. Seven rigs were added on land, along with one in inland waters and one in the Gulf of Mexico. Five horizontal rigs were added week/week, along with four directional rigs.

The combined U.S. rig count rose nine units to 714 as of Friday, up from 453 rigs running in the year-earlier period. Since bottoming out at around 250 in 2020, the U.S. rig count has been posting steady gains ever since, according to the BKR...