North Dakota Rig Count Holds at 25; U.S. Drilling Activity Climbs

North Dakota's active drilling rig count held steady at 25 on Sunday, July 19, 2026, according to live Bakken Wire data. There was no change from the previous day, with no new rigs added, removed, or relocated.

The current count represents a gain of one rig from the level of one week ago, on July 12, but remains one rig below the total of 26 active on June 19, a month ago. This stability in the Bakken formation coincides with a broader uptick in U.S. drilling activity reported elsewhere.

Nationwide, the number of active oil and gas drilling rigs rose this week, according to Baker Hughes data published on Friday, July 17, and reported by OilPrice.com. The total U.S. rig count increased to 588, which is 44 more than at the same time last year. The count specifically for oil rigs climbed by 7 to 452.

Other major U.S. basins showed mixed activity. The Permian Basin saw its rig count climb by 3 to reach 259, while the Eagle Ford count remained unchanged at 47, OilPrice.com reported.

The increase in drilling activity comes as oil prices have strengthened. On Friday, July 17, Brent crude was trading at $87.65 per barrel, a gain of 4.06% for the day and roughly $12 higher than the prior week, according to OilPrice.com. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was also up, trading at $82.23.

The latest U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data showed a slight weekly increase in crude oil production, averaging 13.861 million barrels per day for the week ending July 10. However, a separate metric for well-completion activity, Primary Vision’s Frac Spread Count, fell by 5 crews to 200 for the week ending July 10.

For North Dakota mineral rights owners, the stable rig count and broader industry activity underscore the ongoing value of the subsurface mineral estate. As explained in a guide from OilPrice.com, mineral rights—the ownership of oil, gas, and other resources below the surface—are a separate, tradeable asset from surface land rights, a legal concept known as severance. This is common in oil-producing states like North Dakota, where the mineral estate is typically considered dominant, granting owners or their lessees the right to reasonable surface access for exploration and production.