More rigs flocked to the oil patch during the week ended Friday (June 11), offsetting a small decrease in natural gas-directed drilling to lift the combined U.S. count five units to 461, according to the latest data published by Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).

shale rig count June 11

Oil-directed drilling increased by six units in the United States for the week, while the total number of domestic natural gas rigs decreased by one. The combined 461 U.S. rigs active as of Friday compares with 279 rigs running in the year-ago period, according to the BKR numbers, which are based partly on data from Enverus.

Land drilling increased by five rigs domestically for the week, while the Gulf of Mexico remained unchanged with 13 rigs. Horizontal drilling increased by five units for the week; vertical units increased by...