February 7, 2025

US natural gas drilling rig count by trajectory, horizontal and vertical, for 4 major basins gas; Haynesville, Marcellus, Eagle Ford, and Utica.

• Horizontal drilling offers higher production efficiency through longer laterals and more frac stages. The overall trend shows a preference for horizontal drilling due to efficiency and production advantages over vertical wells. Both trajectories were significantly affected by major economic events, such as the gas price crash in 2015/2016 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
• Average Horizontal Drilling was about 229 rigs in early 2012. A consistent decline followed reaching a trough of around 63 rigs by mid-2016, primarily due to the gas price crash. Rig counts recovered from 2017 to 2019, with rig counts peaking at around 132. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused another steep decline to approximately 76 rigs in 2020. Horizontal drilling rebounded ending H1 2022 at roughly 120 and dropped to 77 rigs in H1 2024.
• Average Vertical Drilling was about 15 rigs in early 2012. By 2017, the vertical rig count dropped to fewer than 1 rig due to shifting industry priorities and lower profitability of vertical wells. Data shows 2 Vertical rigs operating in 2018-2019, dropping in H1 2024 to only 1 rig.

See Also:
US Natural Gas Rig Count by Basin 2012-2024
Initial Productivity (IP) for Major US Gas Basins 2023
Estimated Ultimate Recovery (EUR) for Major US Gas Basins 2023
Well Depth of Major US Gas Basins 2023
US Dry Natural Gas Production Forecast to 2040

References:
Baker Hughes North America Rig Count, 2024