The U.S. rig count fell by four in the last week to a total of 619 as of Oct. 6, according to Enverus Rig Analytics. The count is up 2% in the last month and up 97% in the last year.
The largest week-over-week changes occurred in the Gulf Coast, down three to 71, and Oklahoma’s Anadarko Basin, down two to 56.
During Q3, the number of rigs in the U.S. averaged 580, up 11% sequentially and more than 100% compared to 3Q20. The count on the last day of the quarter was up 14% compared to June 30 at 618 rigs.
The largest quarterly increase by major play was in the Anadarko Basin, whose Q3 average of 47 rigs was up 47%, or 15 rigs, compared to Q2. The 58 rigs tallied at the end of the quarter were up 57% sequentially, or 21 rigs.
The number of active operators rose from 28 at the end of Q2 to 41 at the end of Q3. Notable activity increases for Sept. 30 versus June 30 were made by Continental Resources, Marathon Oil and Mewbourne Oil, each of which added two rigs for totals of seven, three and three, respectively.
The Williston Basin averaged 24 rigs in Q3, up 41% compared to Q2. On Sept. 30, 27 rigs were running in the play compared to 20 on June 30, which is a 35% or seven-rig increase. That increase was led by Continental adding three rigs to reach nine and Hess adding two to reach three.
The quarter-over-quarter changes in other major plays were less substantial. The Permian averaged 231 rigs in Q3, up 6% sequentially, or 13 rigs. The DJ Basin averaged 13 rigs, or one more than in Q2. The Gulf Coast averaged three higher at 66 rigs, and Appalachia averaged one rig fewer at 43.