The U.S. active drilling rig count climbed to 599 in the latest reporting week, up 50 units from the same week a year earlier, according to the Baker Hughes survey published Friday. The headline total spans three classifications the data provider tracks weekly: oil, gas and miscellaneous rigs.

Oil-directed rigs led the period's additions, rising by 3 to 455. That leaves the oil segment 31 units above the comparable 2024 week and makes it the largest of the three categories. Gas-directed rigs added 1 to reach 135, running 18 units above the year-ago period. Miscellaneous rigs held flat at 9, showing no change against either the prior week or the prior year.

The 50-unit year-over-year gain extends an upward trend in U.S. drilling activity that has carried through recent quarters. Operators added rigs in both the oil and gas segments while leaving the smaller miscellaneous category steady. The composition reflects a measured fleet buildout consistent with capital-discipline programs across the United States.

The arithmetic behind the 599-unit total checks out at 455 oil rigs plus 135 gas rigs plus 9 miscellaneous rigs. Oil rigs make up approximately 76% of the active fleet, gas rigs roughly 23% and miscellaneous rigs about 1.5%. The dominance of oil rigs in the fleet reflects sustained operator preference for liquids-directed drilling.

What does the category split signal?

The 455-to-135 ratio between oil and gas rigs leaves a roughly 3.4-to-1 split in favor of liquids, a tilt that has held through recent reporting periods. Operators continue to weight capital toward liquids-rich basins even as gas-directed activity rebuilds from compressed dry-gas economics in 2024.

Miscellaneous rigs, at 9, form a small stable slice of the active fleet covering operations outside the two main hydrocarbon classifications. Their flat reading against the prior week and the prior year indicates no incremental shifts in that segment during the reporting period.

How is the dataset constructed?

Baker Hughes compiles the U.S. rig count each Friday from surveys of operating rigs across the United States. The data is categorized by primary target — oil, gas or miscellaneous — and tracked both week over week and year over year. Producers, service providers and sell-side analysts cite the dataset as the reference indicator of near-term U.S. drilling activity.

The 31-rig year-over-year gain in oil units and the 18-rig gain in gas units together produce the 50-unit headline increase. The composition of the gain — heavily weighted toward oil-directed drilling — points to where operators are placing incremental capital week over week.

What should operators watch next?

The next directional read on U.S. drilling activity arrives with the following Friday's Baker Hughes release. Participants will look for confirmation of the upward trend, alongside any change in the oil-gas classification split. Year-over-year comparisons will continue to anchor analyst commentary on capital deployment across the United States.

Watch item: Next Friday's Baker Hughes U.S. rig count release.