North Dakota Rigs Hold at 33, Down Two From Last Month

North Dakota's active rig count held at 33 on Friday, with no new rigs, no rigs removed and no rigs moving location since the previous day, according to Bakken Wire rig data.

The daily stability follows a two-rig decline over both the past week and past month. North Dakota had 35 active rigs on Nov. 6, one week earlier, and also 35 active rigs on Oct. 14, one month earlier. The current 33-rig count is therefore two rigs lower than both historical checkpoints.

The Bakken formation is North Dakota's primary oil-producing region, and rig counts are closely watched by operators and royalty owners as a gauge of new drilling activity.

For Bakken operators and royalty owners, the lack of day-over-day movement indicates no immediate changes in active drilling locations after the recent reduction. The count remains below the level seen in mid-October and in the prior week.

National drilling data provided additional context for the North American oil patch. OilPrice.com reported Friday that U.S. oil rigs held at 463, while total active oil and gas rigs fell by three to 601. According to the report, which cited Baker Hughes data, the total rig count was up 52 from the same time last year, and oil rigs were 46 above year-ago levels.

Gas rigs declined by four, leaving them just two above the year-ago level, while miscellaneous rigs rose by one to 11, OilPrice.com reported.

The rig count held steady even as U.S. crude production set another record. OilPrice.com said EIA data showed weekly crude output rose to 14.013 million barrels per day for the week ending Nov. 6, up from 14.003 million bpd the previous week and up 151,000 bpd from a year earlier. It marked the third straight weekly record, according to OilPrice.com.

Completion activity also increased. OilPrice.com reported that Primary Vision's Frac Spread Count rose by four crews to 195, up 22 from the same period last year. The Permian Basin added two rigs to reach 275, 22 rigs above year-ago levels, while the Eagle Ford remained at 50, nine more than the prior year.

Oil prices were higher before the rig data release. Brent traded at $96.09 per barrel, up 3.59%, and WTI traded at $89.00, up 2.85%, OilPrice.com reported.

The national figures showed record crude output alongside a stable U.S. oil rig count, a lower total rig count and rising completion activity. In North Dakota, the rig tally showed no day-over-day movement Friday but remained two rigs below the level seen both one week and one month earlier.