U.S. rig count dips by 4 to 767, Utah unchanged

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Houston • The number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. declined by four this week to 767, but Utah was one of eight states where the rig count was unchanged.

Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. said Friday that 574 rigs were seeking oil and 193 explored for natural gas. A year ago, with oil prices about double the prices now, 1,928 rigs were active.

Among major oil- and gas-producing states, California and Texas each lost two rigs while Colorado, Louisiana and North Dakota lost one apiece.

Oklahoma gained two rigs and New Mexico gained one.

Unchanged along with Utah were Alaska, Arkansas, Kansas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wyoming.

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