The Lower 48 U.S. land rig count reached 630 in September 2026, an increase of 80 rigs, or approximately 14.5%, from one year earlier. The more important shift is who controls that growth: private operators now run 336 rigs, compared with 294 for publicly traded producers, giving private companies 53% of the active fleet.
Private operators contributed 77 of the 80 rigs added during the past year, representing 96% of net growth. Continental Resources added eight rigs in one quarter, while ExxonMobil’s fleet was slightly lower year over year. EOG Resources and Permian Resources reduced their rig counts by 12% and 17%, respectively. Helmerich & Payne also reported that private and smaller independent operators generated most of its recent rig additions.
OilGasLeads’ private-operator rig report contains 345 activity records across 200 companies. Continental Resources and Mewbourne Oil Company lead the report with 20 records each.
Leading Private Operators
| Operator | Records |
|---|---|
| Continental Resources | 20 |
| Mewbourne Oil Company | 20 |
| ADAMAS ENERGY LLC | 8 |
| Apex Natural Gas, LLC | 7 |
| Flywheel Energy (Baytex) | 7 |
| Silver Hill Energy Partners | 5 |
| TG Natural Resources | 5 |
| Validus Energy | 5 |
| Warwick Energy Group | 5 |
| BTA Oil Producers | 4 |
The Permian Basin accounts for 106 records, or 30.7% of the report. Haynesville/East Texas, the Anadarko Basin and Eagle Ford/South Texas collectively contribute another 110 records.
Private-Operator Activity by Play/Basin
| Play/Basin | Records |
|---|---|
| Permian Basin | 106 |
| Haynesville/East Texas | 42 |
| Anadarko Basin | 36 |
| Eagle Ford/South Texas | 32 |
| Appalachian Basin | 14 |
| Williston Basin | 14 |
| Kansas/Mid-Continent | 13 |
| Uinta Basin | 12 |
| Powder River Basin | 11 |
| Other regions | 65 |
| Total | 345 |
Reeves County, Texas, leads with 20 records, followed by Eddy County, New Mexico, with 12 and Lea County, New Mexico, with 10. Roger Mills County, Oklahoma, and Uintah County, Utah, each contribute nine records.
Leading Counties
| County | State | Play/Basin | Records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reeves | TX | Permian | 20 |
| Eddy | NM | Permian | 12 |
| Lea | NM | Permian | 10 |
| Roger Mills | OK | Anadarko | 9 |
| Uintah | UT | Uinta | 9 |
| Converse | WY | Powder River | 8 |
| Grady | OK | Anadarko/SCOOP | 8 |
| Andrews | TX | Permian | 7 |
| San Augustine | TX | Haynesville/East Texas | 7 |
| Webb | TX | Eagle Ford | 7 |
Industry Impact
Private operators can respond faster to commodity prices than public companies governed by annual budgets and shareholder-return commitments. The United States’ position as a “Safe Barrel” supplier—supported by established infrastructure, mineral ownership, technical expertise and reliable market access—allows these companies to increase drilling quickly when economics improve. That creates near-term demand but also a shorter and potentially more reversible activity cycle.
OFS Sales Strategy
Oilfield service companies should prioritize private operators adding rigs, entering new counties or building permit inventories. Monitor permit sequences, rig assignments and contractor changes weekly, then target drilling, completion and procurement contacts before new activity becomes visible in the national rig count. Flexible pricing, regional capacity and rapid mobilization will be important differentiators.
Author: phinds