Williston Basin Rig Count Holds at 27 Active Rigs
The Williston Basin maintains 27 active drilling rigs. The basin accounts for 3.4% of total US drilling activity. Oil-directed rigs: null. Gas-directed rigs: null.
Active Rigs
As of August 7, 2026
Oil Rigs
Gas Rigs
of US Total
About the Williston Basin
Large sedimentary basin home to the Bakken and Three Forks formations
US Rig Count Trend (Reference)
* Chart shows total US rig count for context. Basin-specific historical data available via API.
Access This Data via API
Access Williston Basin rig count data programmatically. Weekly updates with oil/gas breakdown.
/v1/ei/rig_counts/by_basincurl -X GET "https://api.oilpriceapi.com/v1/ei/rig_counts/by_basin"
Sample Response
{
"data": {
"basin": "Williston",
"count": 27,
"oil_rigs": null,
"gas_rigs": null,
"week_over_week_change": 0,
"percent_of_total": 3.4
},
"meta": {
"source": "Baker Hughes",
"report_date": "2026-08-07"
}
}Williston Basin FAQ
The Williston Basin currently has 27 active drilling rigs, representing 3.4% of total US drilling activity. This includes null oil-directed rigs and null gas-directed rigs.
The Williston Basin spans North Dakota and Montana and South Dakota. Large sedimentary basin home to the Bakken and Three Forks formations
Baker Hughes releases updated rig count data every Friday at 1:00 PM Eastern Time. The Williston Basin count is included as part of this weekly census of active drilling rigs.