North Dakota Rig Count Holds at 37 as North America Adds 3
Active rigs in North Dakota are unchanged day over day and week over week but remain up 8 from a month ago.
North Dakota's active rig count held at 37 rigs on Tuesday, Bakken Wire's rig activity data showed. The state's count was unchanged from Monday, with zero new rigs, zero rigs removed and zero rigs moving to a new location.
The flat daily reading extends a one-week pause in the state's rig count. North Dakota also had 37 active rigs on Oct. 20, according to the historical context in Bakken Wire's data. That means the count has not changed over the past seven days, even as the broader North American market added rigs in the latest weekly report.
The current North Dakota count remains well above its level from one month ago. Active rigs in the state totaled 29 on Sept. 27, Bakken Wire's data showed. The increase to 37 rigs marks a gain of 8 rigs over the past month, a trend that has carried into the latest weekly period.
The steady North Dakota count comes as North America added three rigs week on week, according to Baker Hughes' latest North America rotary rig count, Rigzone reported on Oct. 26. The regional increase indicates drilling activity in North America was expanding on a weekly basis, even as North Dakota's rig count did not move from the prior day or the prior week.
For Bakken operators and royalty owners, the data shows a drilling program that has been building over the past month but is currently holding at a stable count. The state's rig base is higher than late September, but the latest daily and weekly readings show no new additions or departures in North Dakota.
The North Dakota rig count is a key gauge of field development in the state's oil-producing regions. A stable count at 37 rigs means the same number of active rigs is operating in the state as seven days earlier, while the month-over-month comparison shows a wider operating footprint than in late September.
North America's weekly addition of three rigs, according to the Baker Hughes count cited by Rigzone, provides broader context for the local market. The regional trend was positive in the latest weekly report, while North Dakota's own count did not change in the most recent day or week.
The zero movement in daily activity means the state's active count did not change because of additions, removals or relocations. The count reflects a fixed number of active rigs operating across North Dakota on Tuesday, compared with Monday.
Source
Bakken Wire rig activity data; Rigzone, “North America Adds Rigs Week on Week, BH Count Shows,” Oct. 26, 2026
