The U.S. natural gas rig count fell one unit to 96 for the week ended Friday (June 11), while the oil patch continued to add to its numbers, lifting the overall domestic drilling tally in the process, the latest data from Baker Hughes Co. (BKR) show.

rig count June 11

Oil-directed drilling increased by six units in the United States for the week, lifting the United States to a combined 461 active rigs as of Friday. That 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 one, while directional rigs declined by one...