Permian Basin rig count on the upswing

​​​MIDLAND – Baker Hughes’ latest rig count, released last Friday afternoon, shows the Permian Basin recovering at a much faster rate than other shale basins.

The Permian Basin now has 202 active drilling sites and is back at January 2016 drilling levels.

Meanwhile, the Eagle Ford Shale reported 38 active drilling sites.

The Texas Railroad Commission issued 479 drilling ​permits for the Permian Basin last month, with companies such as Diamondback Energy Inc., Parsley Energy Inc., and Pioneer Natural Resources leading the way.

According to data from Baker Hughes, there are 375 active rigs across Texas and a total of 864 nationally. Austin-based oil field data company DrillingInfo puts the number of active rigs in the United States at 556.

A study from the University of Houston found that each drilling rig represents 224 jobs on and off the drilling pad.