US rig count up 13 as prices finish lower

The rig count in the Permian Basin was up four this week, the latest count Friday by Baker Hughes shows, with 349 rigs active in the region. A year ago, 236 rigs were active in the region.

Nationally, the oil and gas rig count is up 13 from last week at 753 rigs. A year ago, 470 rigs were active. The count shows that 594 rigs sought oil, up ten from the previous week, and 157 explored for natural gas, up three from the previous week.

The U.S. rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981. It bottomed out in August of 2020 at 244.

The regional benchmark Plains-West Texas Intermediate Posting ended Friday at $104.10 per barrel, down $1.94 from last Friday’s close. National benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude ended at $107.62 per barrel, down $1.94 from the previous week.