Overview & FAQ

Recent Counts

Area	Last Count	Count	Change from Prior Count	Date of Prior Count	Change from Last Year	Date of Last Year's Count
U.S.	3 Feb 12	1997	-11	27 Jan 12	+258	6 Feb 11
Canada	3 Feb 12	710	+28	27 Jan 12	+84	6 Feb 11
International	January 2012	1171	-9	December 2011	+10	January 2011

Overview

Baker Hughes has issued the rotary rig counts as a service to the petroleum industry since 1944, when Hughes Tool Company began weekly counts of U.S. and Canadian drilling activity. Hughes initiated the monthly international rig count in 1975. The North American rig count is released weekly at noon central time on the last day of the work week. The international rig count is released on the fifth working day of each month.

The Baker Hughes Rig Counts are an important business barometer for the drilling industry and its suppliers. When drilling rigs are active they consume products and services produced by the oil service industry. The active rig count acts as a leading indicator of demand for products used in drilling, completing, producing and processing hydrocarbons.

Baker Hughes Rig Counts are published by major newspapers and trade publications, are referred to frequently by journalists, economists, security analysts and government officials, and are included in many industry statistical reports. Because they have been compiled consistently for 60 years, Baker Hughes Rig Counts also are useful in historical analysis of the industry.

The working rig location information is provided in part by RigData.

Baker Hughes Rig Counts are available by calling 1-800-969-RIGS (1-800-969-7447).

Rig Count FAQs

show all

What is the North American Rotary Rig Count?

The Baker Hughes North American Rotary Rig Count is a weekly census of the number of drilling rigs actively exploring for or developing oil or natural gas in the United States and Canada.

What is a rotary rig?

A rotary rig rotates the drill pipe from surface to drill a new well (or sidetracking an existing one) to explore for, develop and produce oil or natural gas. The Baker Hughes Rotary Rig count includes only those rigs that are significant consumers of oilfield services and supplies and does not include cable tool rigs, very small truck mounted rigs or rigs that can operate without a permit. Non-rotary rigs may be included in the count based on how they are employed. For example, coiled tubing and workover rigs employed in drilling new wells are included in the count.

When is a rotary rig "active" ?

To be counted as active a rig must be on location and be drilling or 'turning to the right'. A rig is considered active from the moment the well is "spudded" until it reaches target depth or "TD". Rigs that are in transit from one location to another, rigging up or being used in non-drilling activities such as workovers, completions or production testing, are NOT counted as active.

How is the rotary rig count performed?

Baker Hughes field representatives maintain frequent contact with all operating rigs in their district, whether or not they are using Baker Hughes drill bits.

What other information is available about the rigs?

Over the years, the weekly U.S. rotary rig count has been extended to include additional information or subsets of the total count. These "splits" include the number of rigs drilling on land, in inland waters and offshore. In addition the weekly US count includes a split of rigs drilling for oil or natural gas and the number drilling directional and horizontal wells. Other geographic splits are available such as the North and South counts for Louisiana and the Railroad Commission Districts of Texas. The various rig count subsets may cover different time spans.

When was the highest and lowest active rig count recorded?

Since 1940 the highest weekly US rig count was 4,530 recorded on December 28, 1981. The lowest rig count of 488 was recorded on April 23, 1999. In Canada the highest weekly rig count of 718 was recorded on February 17,2006. The lowest weekly rotary rig count of 29 was recorded on April 24,1992.

What is the International Rotary Rig Count?

The Baker Hughes International Rotary Rig Count is a monthly census of active drilling rigs exploring for or developing oil or natural gas outside North America (U.S. and Canada). Due to the difficulty of data collection, the Baker Hughes International Rotary Rig Count does not include rigs drilling in Russia or onshore China.

When is an International rotary rig "active"?

To be counted as active, an international rig must be drilling at least 15 days during the month. A rig is considered drilling if it is turning to the right (i.e. the well is underway but has not reached the target depth or T.D.). Rigs that are in transit from one location to another, rigging up, drilling less than 15 days or are being used in non-drilling activities including production testing, completion, and workover's are not included in the active rig count.

How is the International rotary rig count performed?

Baker Hughes field representatives maintain frequent contact with all operating rigs in their district, whether or not they are using Baker Hughes drill bits. This close contact with the customer enables the company to track the number of active rigs in each area. Regional offices throughout the world gather rig activity information and report by the end of the month for publication on the 5th working day of the following month.

What other information is available about the International rigs?

The monthly Baker Hughes International Rotary Rig Count presents the number of rigs working in each country, drilling on land or offshore, and drilling for oil, natural gas or for other purposes.

When was the highest and lowest international rig count?

Since 1975 the highest international rig count was 1,509, recorded in November 1982. The lowest international rig count of 556 was recorded in August 1999.

What makes the Baker Hughes Rig Count unique?

Other companies define activity differently than Baker Hughes, and their counts may include rigs that are available or contracted but not actively drilling. These counts provide a census of rigs available for work rather than those actually working.

What factors influence Baker Hughes rig counts?

Rig count trends are governed by oil company exploration and development spending, which in turn is influenced by the current and expected price of oil and natural gas. Rig counts therefore reflect the strength and stability of energy prices. However, there are many other factors at work, including:

Technology:

Minimizes the number of wells required to develop a reservoir
Maximizes production from new and existing fields
Increases the operational efficiency of the active drilling fleet
Opens new frontiers for exploration (such as deepwater areas)

Weather:

Interferes with the logistics of drilling schedules.
Seasonal weather patterns such as the Spring thaw in Canada can have a profound impact on activity, with soft, wet ground making it difficult to move rigs and set up new sites.
Severe weather such as hurricanes can impact the rig count by forcing the evacuation of personnel from offshore platforms and delaying rig moves to new locations.

Seasonal spending patterns:

Rig counts rise and fall with company budgeting and spending cycles
U.S. drilling activity often declines in the first quarter as prior year drilling programs expire. Activity then rises for the rest of the year, peaking in December to fulfill drilling commitments before budgets and leaseholds expire.

Other factors:

Local taxation policies
Government sanctions
Political unrest
Development of new infrastructure (such as roads and pipelines)
Availability of capital investment

What is the difference between a directional and a horizontal well?

Directional wells are typically drilled when the surface location of the well cannot be located directly above the reservoir. Offshore platforms or "pad sites" on land are the most common examples. In these cases, there are a multitude of wells that start at one location, but they all intersect the reservoir at a different spot. Directional wells can be drilled to:

Control vertical wells
Allow intersection by a relief well in the event of a blowout
Provide accessibility to an otherwise inaccessible location
Fulfill specific government regulations, such as in shoreline drilling
Avoid collision with other wells when multiple wells exist in one platform
Avoid or bypass an obstruction in the wellbore or formation
Hit a specific geologic target, such as below a salt dome

A horizontal well is a type of directional well, when the inclination exceeds 80 degrees from vertical, or when the lower part of the well bore parallels the pay zone. Horizontal wells are drilled to increase the length of the well that actually contacts the reservoir, in order to increase the productivity of the well.

How is the determination between drilling for oil and gas made?

The determination is made by the operating company when the rig permit is issued by the state's permitting authority. The operating company will drill appraisal well(s) to determine the hydrocarbon target. Based on the results, the operator makes a judgment call on how to classify the well. For example, if a well is producing – on a Btu basis – 50% gas; 20% NGLs and 30% oil, it could either be listed as a gas well (gas is the largest component), or an oil well (which is driving the economics). This judgment is solely up to the operator.

Technical issue: I can't view the map in the Interactive Rig Count.

If you are accessing the site via IE 8.0 browser, you will need to select "compatibility mode." Click here for instructions.

File Downloads

What rig data is contained in the North American Rotary Rig Counts files?

US Rig Report - an Excel file with 13 tabs, as described below. Published each Friday at noon central U.S. time.

Current Weekly Summary
Current Weekly by State
Land & Offshore Split by State
1949-present Rigs by Week
Canadian Land & Offshore Split
Canadian Split by Province
1964-present Canada Rig Count
Canadian Oil & Gas Split
US Oil & Gas Split
Gulf of Mexico Split
GOM by Week 1985-present
GOM Historical Yearly Average 1959-2007
1991-present Drilling Type

Rigs by State - an Excel file with current and historical rig counts by State dating back to 2000. Published each Friday at noon central U.S. time.

Rigs by State - a PDF file with current month rig counts by State. Published each Friday at noon central U.S. time.

NA Rig Charts - a PDF file with current rig count data in chart form. Published each Friday at noon central U.S. time.

U.S. Annual Average by State 1987 - 2007 (weekly) - an Excel file updated at the end of each year.

U.S. Monthly Averages by State 1987- 2007 (weekly) - an Excel file updated at the end of each year.

What rig data is contained in International Rig Counts files?

International Rig Count Spreadsheet (monthly) - an Excel file with the following current and historical data. Published the 5th business day of each month.

Current Land and Offshore Split
Current Oil & Gas Split
1982 - present Land and Offshore Split by Month
1995 - present Oil & Gas Split by Month

Worldwide Rig Count - available in both Excel and PDF formats. Contains rig data from 1975 - present by month. Published the 5th business day of each month

North America Rotary Rig Counts Current Week Data

Title	Date	Size
North American Rotary Rig Counts - see all 13 tabs in spreadsheet. Rigs by oil vs gas; trajectory; rigs by state, GOM, etc	Feb 3, 2012	2.3 MB
Rigs by State- Current & Historical data	Feb 3, 2012	2.7 MB
Rigs by State - Current Week	Feb 3, 2012	41.3 KB
North America Rig Count charts	Feb 3, 2012	321.2 KB

North America Rotary Rig Counts Archive and Reference

Title	Date	Size
U.S. Monthly Averages by State 1992 - 2011	Feb 6, 2012	402.5 KB
U.S. Annual Average by State 1987-2011	Feb 6, 2012	51.0 KB
Unconventional gas shale plays - County break-out	Feb 10, 2010	499.8 KB
Maps of North America Oil & Gas Shale Plays (eia.gov)	Feb 8, 2010	N/A
Oil & Gas Division District Boundaries - Texas Railroad Commission map	Sep 10, 2008	181.1 KB
Texas Counties By District	Jul 2, 2008	31.3 KB
Historical Workover Rig Data - June 2007 back through 1999. BHI no longer publishes this data.	Jul 2, 2008	410.5 KB

North America Rotary Rig Counts 1968-1999
These files exist as static PDF files only, no Excel format is available.

International Rig Counts

Title	Date	Size
International Rig Counts for January 2012	Feb 7, 2012	1.8 MB
Worlwide Rig Counts - Current & Historical data	Feb 7, 2012	128.0 KB
Worldwide Rig Counts - Current Data	Feb 7, 2012	20.3 KB
International Rig Count charts	Feb 7, 2012	139.4 KB

Questions on the Baker Hughes Rig Counts can be directed to:

Eric Holcomb
Baker Hughes Incorporated
2929 Allen Parkway, Suite 2100
P.O. Box 4740
Houston, TX 77210-4740
713-439-8822

PLEASE DIRECT ALL OTHER INQUIRIES OR QUESTIONS TO THE MAIN NUMBER:
713-439-8600

EMPLOYMENT INQUIRIES
All available jobs with Baker Hughes are listed on our Careers website. Please reference this site in lieu of making phone inquiries.

Stockholder Tools

Interactive US Rig Count Maps

This is an interactive map site. The map is 100% web based, requiring no download of software, cookies, anything that would interfere with IT policies.
Interactive Rig Count Maps

Rig Count Application

Our interactive map application of Baker Hughes' US rotary rig counts is available for the Apple iPhone and iPad. The US rig count is released weekly at noon central time on the last day of the workweek.
Get the application from iTunes™.

Baker Hughes Investor Relations