A drill rig sits on a pad site at a Chevron drilling and hydraulic fracturing site in 2017 in Midland.

The impact of crude prices rallying to seven-year highs is trickling down to the nation’s drillers as activity continues to improve.

Oilfield services firm Baker Hughes said in its weekly rig count Friday the US tally rose three rigs to 613, marking the fifth consecutive weekly increase and highest level since April 2020. The count is 221 more or 56 percent higher than the 392 rigs reported at work last February.

The number of rigs drilling for oil rose two to 497, the highest level since April 2020. There are 198 more rigs drilling for crude than the 299 counted a year earlier. The number of rigs seeking natural gas inched up one to 116, the highest level since January 2020 and 24 more than the 92 drilling for gas last year.

Texas added three rigs for 287 working within the state, 98 more than the 189 that were active last February. New Mexico dropped two rigs for 92. Alaska (2), North Dakota (3), Ohio (1) and West Virginia (1) joined Texas as producing states to see increases while California (1), Louisiana (2), Oklahoma (1) and Pennsylvania (2) joined New Mexico as producing states to see declines.

The Permian Basin, which continues to account for about half the nation’s rig activity, added one rig for 294 drilling in the region. That’s 96 more than the 198 that were active last year.

Lea County, New Mexico, remains the most active county in the Permian with 58 rigs, up three for the week. Midland County and Eddy County, New Mexico, each reported 30 rigs – up one for Midland and down five for Eddy County, the steepest drop this week among Permian Basin counties.

Reeves County reported 26 rigs, up two for the week. Martin County had 24 rigs, up one for the week. Howard County reported 21 rigs for a seventh week. Loving County added three rigs for 17 at work within county lines while Upton County had 14 rigs, up one for the week.

Data analytics firm Enverus, which publishes its own rig count, said this week the US rig count rose by 14 to 720 as of Wednesday. Enverus Rig Analytics said the daily count reached as high as 724 during the week, compared to a peak of 716 during the prior week. The rig count as of Feb. 2 is up by 5 percent from a month earlier and up 63 percent year over year.

According to Enverus Rig Analytics, the largest weekly changes were in the Permian (plus 11 to 278) and Gulf Coast (plus nine to 90). In the Permian, nine of the 11 additions were on the Texas side of the basin. Pioneer Natural Resources remains the most active Permian driller with 26 active rigs. On the Gulf Coast, the count hasn’t been this high since the end of October 2019. 

Mella McEwen is the Oil Editor for the Midland Reporter-Telegram.