The U.S. rig count inched higher during the week ended Friday (Sept. 30), picking up one unit to end at 765 thanks to a small overall gain in the oil patch, according to the latest figures from Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).

rigs

Two oil-directed rigs were added in the United States for the week. Partially offsetting was a one-rig decline in natural gas-directed drilling. The 765 active U.S. rigs as of Friday compares with 528 rigs running in the year-earlier period, according to the BKR numbers, which are partly based on data from Enverus.

One rig was added on land week/week, while the Gulf of Mexico tally went unchanged at 15. Three horizontal rigs were added domestically, while total vertical rigs declined by two.

The Canadian rig count fell two units to 213 for the week. Changes...