Bakken Rig Count Holds at 34, Up 5 from Week Ago

The number of rigs actively drilling for oil and gas in North Dakota held steady at 34 on Saturday, according to live data from Bakken Wire. The count showed no day-over-day change, with no new rigs added, removed, or relocated.

The current activity level represents a notable increase from one week prior. On September 26, 2026, the state's rig count stood at 29, meaning the Bakken has added five active rigs over the past seven days. Compared to one month ago, activity is down by a single rig from the 35 rigs reported on September 3.

The stability in North Dakota contrasts with a mixed picture for U.S. drilling activity nationally. According to a report from OilPrice.com citing Baker Hughes data, the total number of active drilling rigs in the United States fell in the latest weekly reporting period. The national oil rig count inched up by one to 456, while the gas rig count fell by two to 133. The overall U.S. count stands at 598, which is 49 rigs higher than the same time last year.

The Permian Basin, the nation's most active play, saw its rig count remain unchanged at 270, according to the same source. The Eagle Ford shale play lost a rig for the second consecutive week, bringing its count to 49.

The national rig activity is occurring against a backdrop of falling oil prices. OilPrice.com reported that prices were down on Friday, with Brent crude trading at $101.10 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate at $90.50. The decline was attributed to Europe's announcement that it would release additional crude and diesel from emergency reserves.

Despite the price dip, U.S. oil production continues to rise. Data from the Energy Information Administration cited by OilPrice.com showed that weekly U.S. crude oil production averaged 13.955 million barrels per day for the week ending September 25. This is an increase from 13.939 million bpd the previous week and up 450,000 bpd from a year ago.

Furthermore, well completion activity is increasing. Primary Vision’s Frac Spread Count, which estimates crews completing wells, rose for the third consecutive week to 195 for the week ending September 25, according to the OilPrice.com report. This indicates that while drilling new wells may be seeing mixed signals, the industry is pushing more drilled wells into production.

For the Bakken, the rig count holding at 34, combined with the significant week-over-week gain, suggests operators are maintaining a steady pace of development in the formation despite broader market volatility.