North Dakota rig count holds at 22, flat for a month

North Dakota's active drilling rig count held steady at 22 units on Sunday, May 17, 2026, according to live data from Bakken Wire. There were no rigs added, removed, or moved since the previous day.

The current count represents a decrease of one rig from one week ago, when 23 rigs were active on May 10. Compared to one month ago, however, the state's activity is unchanged, also sitting at 22 rigs on April 17. This stability over the past month comes amid a mixed landscape for national drilling.

The broader U.S. rig count showed modest growth last week, according to the Baker Hughes rotary rig count reported on May 15. The national count increased by 3 units to reach 551 rigs running. This gain was driven primarily by oil-directed activity, with rigs drilling for oil rising by 5 to 415. Gas-directed rigs fell by 1 to 128.

On a year-over-year basis, however, the U.S. count is down by 25 rigs from the 576 units active at this time in 2025. The North American total, including Canada's unchanged count of 124 rigs, is down 22 units from 697 a year ago.

The weekly U.S. gains were concentrated on land, where rigs increased by 4 to 531. Offshore drilling declined by 1 rig to 17 units. Horizontal drilling, the dominant method in shale plays like the Bakken, increased by 3 rigs nationally to 484.

State-level data from the weekly report showed Texas leading with a 5-rig gain to 245, while New Mexico, another key Permian Basin state, added 1 rig to reach 96. Louisiana saw the largest decline, dropping 3 rigs to 39.

North Dakota's current rig count of 22 is a key indicator of near-term drilling and completion activity in the Bakken formation, the state's primary oil-producing region. The flat monthly trend suggests operators are maintaining a measured pace of development amid ongoing market and operational considerations.