Gas prices are eight cents higher in Western Pennsylvania this week at $3.521 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. 

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                         $3.521
Average price during the week of February 5, 2024                                         $3.444
Average price during the week of February 13, 2023                                       $3.833

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

$3.522      Altoona
$3.494      Beaver
$3.598      Bradford
$3.363      Brookville
$3.542      Butler
$3.404      Clarion
$3.537      DuBois
$3.525      Erie
$3.548      Greensburg
$3.534      Indiana
$3.535      Jeannette
$3.556      Kittanning
$3.545      Latrobe
$3.547      Meadville
$3.589      Mercer
$3.432      New Castle
$3.516      New Kensington
$3.540      Oil City
$3.505      Pittsburgh
$3.466      Sharon
$3.514      Uniontown
$3.598      Warren
$3.520      Washington

Trend Analysis: 

The national average for a gallon of gas has risen five cents over the past week to $3.19. Seasonal demand increases, higher costs for oil, and routine refinery maintenance have pushed pump prices higher. Today’s national average is 12 cents higher than a month ago but 22 cents less than a year ago.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand increased from 8.14 to 8.81 million barrels per day last week. Meanwhile, total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by 3.1 million barrels to 251 million barrels. Higher gas demand and tighter supply have contributed to elevated pump prices.

At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate increased by 55 cents to settle at $73.86. Oil prices rose after the EIA reported that refinery oil processing was down slightly from 82.9 to 82.4 percent, signaling that winter maintenance increases ahead of the spring driving season continues. Additionally, the EIA reported that total domestic commercial crude stocks increased by 5.5 million barrels to 427.4 million barrels.

Motorists can find current gas prices nationwide, statewide, and countywide at gasprices.aaa.com.

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 70 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.