Andy Close
Gas prices are steady in Western Pennsylvania this week at $3.767 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.
This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average: $3.767
Average price during the week of February 27, 2023: $3.766
Average price during the week of March 7, 2022: $4.132
Warren County drivers are paying an average of $3.859 a gallon for regular unleaded gasoline. Forest County drivers are paying an average of $3.769 a gallon.
The average price of unleaded self-serve gasoline in various areas:
$3.798 Altoona
$3.762 Beaver
$3.845 Bradford
$3.791 Brookville
$3.711 Butler
$3.677 Clarion
$3.792 DuBois
$3.773 Erie
$3.789 Greensburg
$3.793 Indiana
$3.816 Jeannette
$3.797 Kittanning
$3.797 Latrobe
$3.789 Meadville
$3.869 Mercer
$3.682 New Castle
$3.768 New Kensington
$3.796 Oil City
$3.758 Pittsburgh
$3.646 Sharon
$3.672 Uniontown
$3.859 Warren
$3.666 Washington
Trend Analysis:
Since last Monday, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline has increased by four cents to $3.40, which is still 12 cents less than a month ago and 28 cents less than a year ago. One reason for this week’s increase could be higher demand, as the cost of oil has barely budged for the past few weeks.
According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand jumped from 8.91 million to 9.11 million barrels per day last week. Meanwhile, total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by nearly 1 million barrels to 239.2 million barrels last week. The increase in gas demand, amid tighter supplies, has contributed to rising pump prices.
Another reason for higher gas prices is that the seasonal switch to summer blend gasoline is underway. This blend lowers emissions but is more expensive to refine. Switching to summer blend can add about five to ten cents to the price of gasoline.
At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate increased by 64 cents to settle at $77.69. Crude prices increased after the market saw that manufacturing activity rose in China last month, signaling that global oil demand may be more robust than anticipated this year. Additionally, the EIA reported that total domestic commercial crude inventories increased by 1.2 million barrels to 480.2 million barrels last week.
Motorists can find current gas prices nationwide, statewide, and countywide at gasprices.aaa.com.
