US rig count down two as prices fall

The rig count in the Permian Basin was unchanged this week, the latest count Friday by Baker Hughes shows, with 310 rigs active in the region. A year ago, 350 rigs were active in the region.

Nationally, the oil and gas rig count is down two from last week at 616 rigs. A year ago, 779 rigs were active. The count shows that 494 rigs sought oil, down two from the previous week, and 118 explored for natural gas, unchanged 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 $73.65 per barrel, down $3.34 from last Friday’s close. National benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude ended at $77.17 per barrel, down $3.34 from the previous week.