HOUSTON (AP) -- Oilfield services company Baker Hughes (BHI +0.00%) says the number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. dropped by six this week to 1,765.
The Houston-based company said Friday in its weekly report that 1,406 rigs were exploring for oil and 354 for gas. Five were listed as miscellaneous. A year ago there were 1,984 active rigs.
Of the major oil- and gas-producing states, Oklahoma dropped by five rigs, Pennsylvania and California each decreased by four, and Louisiana lost one. North Dakota and Wyoming each gained two rigs, while Texas, West Virginia, New Mexico, and Colorado increased by one. The count in Alaska and Arkansas was unchanged from the previous week.
The U.S. rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981 and bottomed at 488 in 1999.
