North Dakota Rig Count Holds at 23 Amid National Drilling Caution

The number of rigs actively drilling for oil and gas in North Dakota remained at 23 on Saturday, July 11, 2026, 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 continued pullback from recent weeks. The state's rig count is down by two from the 25 rigs active one week ago on July 4, and down by four from the 27 rigs working one month ago on June 11.

The flat state-level activity comes as the broader U.S. drilling market shows mixed signals. According to data from Baker Hughes published on Friday and reported by OilPrice.com, the total number of active drilling rigs in the United States rose slightly this week to 581. That figure is up 44 from the same time last year. The national count for oil rigs specifically held steady at 445, which is 21 more than a year ago.

However, the gains were not uniform across major basins. OilPrice.com reported that the Permian Basin, the nation's most active play, saw its active rig count fall by five this week to 256, which is nine rigs below year-ago levels. In contrast, the Eagle Ford basin added three rigs, bringing its total to 47.

Other metrics indicate ongoing well completion work. Primary Vision’s Frac Spread Count, which estimates crews completing wells, rose by five in the week ending July 2, reaching 205 crews nationwide.

U.S. crude oil production continues to run at high levels despite the cautious drilling activity. Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed production averaged 13.860 million barrels per day for the week ending July 3, according to OilPrice.com. That is an increase from 13.810 million bpd the previous week and up 475,000 bpd from a year ago.

Oil markets have been volatile. On Friday, July 10, OilPrice.com reported Brent crude was trading at $75.72 per barrel, down 0.76% on the day but up nearly $4 from the prior week. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was trading at $71.26, down 1.14%.

The steady rig count in the Bakken suggests operators are maintaining a disciplined capital approach. The decline from levels seen earlier in the summer may reflect a strategic pause or response to recent price fluctuations, mirroring the pullback observed in the Permian. For North Dakota, the current activity level sustains a baseline of drilling operations necessary to offset well decline rates and support state production.