Houston, TX – April 16, 2026 – The latest U.S. rotary rig count data shows a modest pullback in drilling activity. According to Baker Hughes, the total U.S. rig count for the week of April 10, 2026, stands at 545 rigs, down 3 rigs week-over-week (WoW) from 548 the prior week. Year-over-year (YoY), activity is down 38 rigs (approximately 6.5%) from 583 rigs at this time last year.
The split between oil- and gas-directed rigs remains heavily weighted toward oil. Oil rigs held steady at 411 (flat WoW), while gas rigs declined by 3 to 127. Miscellaneous rigs remained unchanged at 7.
State and Basin Breakdown Highlights
Drilling remains concentrated in key shale plays, particularly the Permian Basin. While exact county-level and operator details are available in proprietary reports (see WellDatabase section below), here are the major state and basin movements based on Baker Hughes and supporting industry analysis:Texas: Approximately 232 rigs (down 1 WoW; significantly lower YoY by ~42 rigs). Texas continues to dominate U.S. activity, driven largely by the Permian and Eagle Ford.
New Mexico: Approximately 101 rigs (down 2 WoW; roughly flat to slightly up YoY).
Permian Basin (Texas + New Mexico): ~242 rigs (flat WoW; down sharply YoY by ~47 rigs from levels near 289 last year). The Permian remains the anchor of U.S. drilling but continues to show restraint amid commodity price volatility.
Other notable basins (approximate recent trends):
Eagle Ford: ~42–43 rigs (slight WoW decline).
Haynesville: ~55 rigs.
Williston (Bakken): ~28–30 rigs (minor WoW dip).
Marcellus: ~25 rigs.
Anadarko: Minor decline of ~1 rig.
Niobrara: Slight increase of ~1 rig.
Gulf of Mexico (GOM): +3 rigs WoW.
These figures reflect a broader trend of disciplined capital spending by operators, with activity focused on high-efficiency pads in core acreage rather than broad expansion.
Comparison to Last Week and Last Year
Week-over-week:
Total rigs -3 (primarily from gas-directed activity). Oil rigs are stable at 411, indicating operators are maintaining crude-focused programs despite softer natural gas prices.
Year-over-year: Total rigs -38 (~6.5% decline). The drop is more pronounced in oil rigs (down ~70 from last year in some reporting periods) while gas rigs have shown relative resilience in certain basins.
The U.S. rig count has stabilized in the low-to-mid 500s range for much of 2026 after steeper declines in prior years, reflecting a “lower-for-longer” drilling environment as producers prioritize free cash flow and shareholder returns over volume growth.
WellDatabase Rig Report Insights
The WellDatabase weekly Rig Report RigReport.-2 extracts and enhances the official Baker Hughes data with granular county-level mapping, permit cross-referencing, historical charts, and operator-specific details. This report aligns exactly with Baker Hughes national totals (545 rigs as of April 10) but provides deeper visibility into:
County-by-county rig distribution and percent changes.
Basin-specific oil vs. gas splits.
Year-over-year trends visualized in charts.
WellDatabase’s analysis is particularly useful for regional operators and investors tracking hyper-local activity in the Permian, Eagle Ford, or Haynesville. The report confirms the national slowdown while highlighting pockets of stability in core Tier 1 acreage.
Bottom Line: U.S. drilling activity remains in a cautious holding pattern. With oil rigs steady but gas rigs easing and the overall count trending lower YoY, the data signals continued capital discipline across the industry. Watch next Friday’s Baker Hughes release for the April 17 update, as commodity prices and upcoming earnings will influence Q2 activity.
Energy News Beat will continue to monitor rig trends, production data from the EIA, and operator guidance for the latest market signals.
We will cover this on the next Energy News Beat Standup. The Energy News Beat Substack: https://theenergynewsbeat.substack.com/
And we have WellDatabase rolling in as a new sponsor of the Energy News Beat podcast. We are using their data, and comparing to BakerHuges and other sources.