The U.S. rig count was little changed this week, with the total number of active rigs rising by 1 to 588. Oil rigs increased by 1, while natural gas and miscellaneous rigs were unchanged. Compared with a year ago, the total rig count is 48 rigs higher, led by a **41-rig increase in oil drilling.Key takeaways:Total U.S. rig count: 588 (+1 vs. last week; +48 vs. a year ago)Oil rigs: 451 (+1 w/w; +41 y/y)Gas rigs: 127 (unchanged w/w; +3 y/y)Miscellaneous rigs: 10 (unchanged w/w; +4 y/y) This article was written by Greg Michalowski at investinglive.com.