The U.S. natural gas rig count dropped four units to finish at 114 for the week ending Friday (Nov. 17), while gains in the oil patch saw the combined domestic drilling tally rise two units to 618, according to updated numbers from Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).

Changes in the United States for the period included the addition of six oil-directed rigs. Land drilling increased by two, while the Gulf of Mexico held steady at 17 rigs. The loss of one directional rig week/week was offset by gains of two horizontal rigs and one vertical rig.

The combined 618 active U.S. rigs as of Friday compares with 782 rigs running in the year-ago period, according to the BKR numbers, which are based partly on data from Enverus.

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