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The number of operational U.S. oil and gas rigs averaged 549 in October 2025. This was a decrease compared to the same month a year prior, with benchmark oil prices influenced by moderate demand outlooks. 

Most common rig types

Oil rigs are the most common rigs in the U.S. At the end of 2024, there were some 460 active oil rigs compared with roughly 94 gas rigs. This discrepancy has been exacerbated over the years, with there having been a less pronounced difference in 2011. 2011 was also the year when new well drilling numbers peaked within the past decade, with roughly 2,000 newly bored oil and gas extraction sites. The majority of oil rigs are found in the Permian Basin. Located in Texas and parts of New Mexico, the Permian Basin has been a harvesting ground for petroleum since the early 1920s and since established itself as the most productive U.S. oil basin.

The U.S. oil rig industry in the global context

In the last decade, the number of oil rigs worldwide has decreased significantly. In 2014, there were over 3,500 oil rigs worldwide, compared to 1,734 oil rigs at the end of 2024. Of those, 460 were located in the United States, which represented a 26 percent share of the global oil rigs market.