The U.S. natural gas rig count slipped one unit to 103 for the week ended Friday (July 30) as a pullback in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) dragged the overall domestic tally lower, the latest data from Baker Hughes Co. (BKR) show.

rig count July 30

Declines in the United States also included two oil-directed rigs, leaving the combined count at 488 active rigs as of Friday. That’s nearly double the 251 rigs running in the year-ago period, according to the BKR numbers, which are based partly on data from Enverus.

The GOM saw three rigs exit during the period, lowering its total to 14 versus 12 a year ago. Land rigs remained unchanged at 473, while one rig continued to operate in inland waters. Four directional units and two vertical units exited overall for the week, partially offset by the addition of...