North Dakota Rig Count Holds at 35 for Third Consecutive Day

North Dakota's active drilling rig count remained unchanged at 35 on Saturday, November 7, according to Bakken Wire live data. No new rigs were added, none were removed, and none moved location in the past 24 hours.

The current level represents a decrease of one rig from one week ago, when the state reported 36 active rigs on October 31. Compared to one month ago, on October 8, activity is up by a single rig from a count of 34.

The stability in the Bakken comes as the broader U.S. drilling landscape showed a slight uptick this week. According to data from Baker Hughes published Friday and reported by OilPrice.com, the total number of active drilling rigs for oil and gas in the United States rose slightly to 604. This marks an increase of 56 rigs compared to the same time last year. The number of active oil rigs nationally rose by 1 to 463, which is 49 above year-ago levels.

This national activity persists despite a sharp downturn in oil prices. OilPrice.com reported that Brent crude was trading at $97.32 per barrel on Friday, down roughly $20 per barrel from the previous week. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was trading at $90.00, down approximately $14 per barrel from a week ago.

U.S. crude oil production, however, continues to reach new heights. Data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) for the week ending October 30 showed production rose to a record 14.003 million barrels per day, up from 13.992 million bpd the prior week and up 352,000 bpd from a year ago.

While drilling rigs have increased slightly nationally, well completion activity has softened. Primary Vision’s Frac Spread Count, an estimate of crews completing wells, fell for the third consecutive week during the week ending October 30, losing 3 crews to sink to 191. This figure remains up 16 year-over-year.

In other major U.S. basins, the Permian Basin saw its rig count rise by 1 to 273, which is 22 rigs above year-ago levels, according to OilPrice.com. The Eagle Ford count held steady at 50, which is 8 more than this time last year.

Internationally, Rigzone reported that UK cabinet ministers are lobbying Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh to approve drilling at the Rosebank oil and gas field in the North Sea, highlighting continued global investment interest in hydrocarbon projects despite market volatility.

For the Bakken, the steady rig count suggests operators are maintaining a measured pace of development, balancing capital discipline with ongoing operations in the formation, which is North Dakota's primary oil-producing region.