AAA: Pennsylvania Gas Prices Rise as Oil Continues to Climb
The average price of gasoline across Western Pennsylvania is four cents higher this week at $2.810 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                  $2.810
Average price during the week of February 8, 2021                                  $2.774
Average price during the week of February 18, 2020                                $2.724

The average price of unleaded self-serve gasoline in various areas:      

$2.848      Altoona
$2.813      Beaver
$2.864      Bradford
$2.849      Brookville
$2.857      Butler
$2.782      Clarion
$2.836      DuBois
$2.855      Erie
$2.682      Greensburg
$2.874      Indiana
$2.748      Jeannette
$2.873      Kittanning
$2.499      Latrobe
$2.855      Meadville
$2.872      Mercer
$2.641      New Castle
$2.855      New Kensington
$2.859      Oil City
$2.819      Pittsburgh
$2.799      Sharon
$2.873      Uniontown
$2.867      Warren
$2.801      Washington

Trend Analysis:
Pump prices continue to move upward, despite low demand. This is the result of increasing oil prices, which settled at $59.47/barrel at the end of Friday’s formal trading session (West Texas Intermediate). Crude oil accounts for more than 50 cents of every dollar spent at the pump, and prices have been increasing since the beginning of the year. Today’s price for crude is about $4 less than last year’s most expensive price of $63.27/barrel (on January 6, 2020).

Today’s national gas price average is $2.51. Nearly 40 state averages are already more than they were last year, with half of those averages seeing double-digit increases. Demand has averaged 7.7 million b/d since January. The last time it measured below 8 million b/d during the first six weeks of the year was 2001.

Precisely how expensive gas will get this year is largely dependent on crude price and demand. The price of crude is still $10–$12/barrel lower than when the national average neared $3/gallon in 2018. Barring any outstanding or unforeseen circumstances, AAA believes that there would have to be a major spike in demand (returning to normal peak driving season levels) and sustained crude oil prices for gasoline prices to reach that high this year.

Motorists can find current gas prices nationwide, statewide, and countywide at GasPrices.AAA.com.

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 73 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia serving 2.7 million members.  News releases are available at news.eastcentral.aaa.com.  Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.