The latest U.S. Rig Report from WellDatabase, dated June 12, 2026, shows the total active U.S. rig count at 557 — up 15 rigs week-over-week and +2 year-over-year. This marks a meaningful rebound after a period of relative stability.energynewsbeat.co
The increase was driven primarily by oil-directed drilling, with gains concentrated in the Permian Basin and key producing states.
Comparison to Baker Hughes and Enverus
WellDatabase’s figure of 557 aligns closely with Baker Hughes’ official count of 562 rigs as of June 12, 2026 (down 1 rig week-over-week but up 7 year-over-year).
The small difference (5 rigs) likely reflects minor variations in methodology, timing, or inclusion criteria between the two providers. WellDatabase extracts and processes data from the Baker Hughes survey but may apply additional filters or real-time adjustments.
Enverus, which tracks rigs daily via GPS on over 95% of the U.S. fleet, typically reports higher totals. Recent readings have hovered in the 570–620 range, reflecting its broader, near-real-time methodology compared to the traditional weekly survey approach.
Biggest State Gainers: Texas Leads the Way
Texas posted the largest absolute gain:Texas: 256 rigs (+11 week-over-week)
North Dakota: 21 rigs (+4)
New Mexico: 98 rigs (+2)
Other notable states remained relatively stable or saw minor declines:Oklahoma: 44 (–1)
Louisiana: 38 (–1)
Wyoming: 16 (flat)
Pennsylvania: 17 (flat)
Texas and New Mexico together account for the bulk of the national increase, underscoring the continued dominance of the Permian Basin region.Basin Breakdown: Permian Powers the UpswingThe Permian Basin remains the clear leader with 255 rigs (+9 week-over-week), representing roughly 46% of the total U.S. count.getscalefunding.com
Other key basins:
Haynesville (gas): 55 (–1)
Eagle Ford: 44 (+2)
Williston (Bakken/North Dakota): 23 (+4)
Marcellus: 24 (flat)
Cana Woodford: 21 (+2)
Granite Wash: 17 (flat)
DJ-Niobrara: 8 (flat)
Utica: 12 (flat)
The Permian’s strong +9 rig gain, combined with Williston’s +4, highlights renewed momentum in major oil plays.Oil vs. Gas and Well Trajectory TrendsOil-directed rigs: 403 (+14 week-over-week) — the primary driver of the overall increase.
Gas-directed rigs: 125 (–3)
Horizontal rigs: 455 (–4) — still the overwhelming majority.
Directional: 64 (+11)
Vertical: 33 (+8)
The rise in directional and vertical activity alongside the oil rig increase suggests operators are optimizing in certain plays or bringing online different well types.
Top Operators
Top Drilling States
DUC Inventory: A Shrinking Buffer Signals Need for Sustained Drilling
A critical supporting factor for future rig demand is the ongoing drawdown in Drilled but Uncompleted (DUC) wells. As shown in the Chart above, the number of DUCs in the US is in a steep decline.
According to EIA data, the U.S. DUC inventory peaked above 8,800 wells in mid-2020 amid the COVID-driven drilling slowdown. Since then, it has declined precipitously over the past several years as operators completed the backlog while maintaining disciplined capex.
By early 2024, Permian DUCs had fallen to around 975, and overall inventories continued trending lower into 2025. Entering 2025, operators faced meaningfully lower DUC counts than the prior year, reducing the “free” production buffer from previously drilled wells.
Implication: With a thinner DUC cushion, sustaining current high U.S. oil production levels (near record highs and forecasted to remain relatively flat-to-slightly declining through 2026–2027 per EIA outlooks) will require ongoing or increased drilling activity. The recent rig count uptick — especially the +14 oil rigs and strong Permian/Williston gains — appears well-timed to help replenish the drilled-well inventory for future completions.
If rig counts were to stall or decline further, production growth could face headwinds as the easy completions from the DUC backlog diminish.
Bottom Line
The June 12, 2026 WellDatabase report paints a picture of resilient U.S. drilling activity, with clear momentum in oil-weighted basins and states. While Baker Hughes and Enverus show broadly consistent trends (with expected methodological differences), the data collectively point to a market that is stabilizing and selectively expanding where economics support it.
The combination of a modest rig rebound and a multi-year DUC drawdown reinforces that higher or sustained rig counts will be necessary to keep U.S. production near current elevated levels in the years ahead.
Appendix: Sources & Links
- WellDatabase U.S. Rig Report – June 12, 2026 https://welldatabase.com/
- Baker Hughes Rig Count: https://rigcount.bakerhughes.com/ (U.S. total 562 as of June 12, 2026)
- Enverus Daily Rig Count: https://www.enverus.com/dailyrigcount/
- EIA Drilling Productivity Report & DUC data: https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/drilling/ (historical DUC trends and regional breakdowns)
- Supporting analysis: Enverus reports on DUC drawdown (2025); various EIA “Today in Energy” articles on DUC inventory (2021–2024 trends); Baker Hughes historical rig count archives.
All data cross-referenced as of the latest available releases around June 12, 2026.
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