U.S. Rig Count Increases by 33 This Week to 1,771

HOUSTON (AP) -- Oilfield services company Baker Hughes (BHI) says the number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. rose by 33 this week to 1,771.

The Houston-based company said in its weekly report Friday that 1,387 rigs were exploring for oil and 377 for gas. Seven were listed as miscellaneous. A year ago, there were 1,950 rigs.

Of the major oil- and gas-producing states, Texas led this week's rise with 23 new rigs. Oklahoma added six rigs, North Dakota and West Virginia each gained four, and Alaska and Louisiana rose by one each. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania lost four rigs, Wyoming dropped by two, and New Mexico by one. Arkansas, California, and Colorado remained unchanged.

The rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981 and bottomed at 488 in 1999.