HOUSTON (AP) — Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. declined by nine this week to 1,922.

The Houston firm said Friday in its weekly report that 1,591 rigs were exploring for oil and 330 for gas. One was listed as miscellaneous. A year ago there were 1,756 active rigs.

Of the major oil- and gas-producing states, West Virginia gained three rigs and California increased by one.

Alaska, New Mexico, Ohio and Texas each declined by two rigs while Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma dropped one apiece.

Arkansas, Louisiana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Utah and Wyoming all were unchanged.

The U.S. rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981 and bottomed at 488 in 1999.

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