Gas prices are eight cents higher in Western Pennsylvania this week at $3.715 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. 

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                         $3.715
Average price during the week of March 11, 2024                                            $3.633
Average price during the week of March 20, 2023                                            $3.733

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

$3.607      Altoona
$3.706      Beaver
$3.692      Bradford
$3.706      Brookville
$3.726      Butler
$3.676      Clarion
$3.743      DuBois
$3.723      Erie
$3.750      Greensburg
$3.747      Indiana
$3.758      Jeannette
$3.697      Kittanning
$3.722      Latrobe
$3.753      Meadville
$3.745      Mercer
$3.549      New Castle
$3.706      New Kensington
$3.759      Oil City
$3.713      Pittsburgh
$3.721      Sharon
$3.748      Uniontown
$3.757      Warren
$3.730      Washington

Trend Analysis: 

The national average for a gallon of gas has been steadily rising over the past week, moving seven cents higher to $3.46.  With the cost of oil crossing the $80 per barrel mark and gas demand popping as spring approaches, these seasonal increases are expected. Another critical factor is the arrival of more expensive summer blend gas in some markets, which tends to increase pump prices by 10 to 15 cents. Today’s national average of $3.46 is 19 cents higher than a month ago and two cents higher than a year ago.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand increased slightly from 9.01 to 9.04 million barrels per day last week. Meanwhile, total domestic gasoline stocks dropped by 5.6 million barrels to 234.1 million barrels. Higher gas demand, amid tightening supply, has pushed pump prices higher.

At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate increased by $2.16 to settle at $79.72. Oil prices jumped after Ukrainian drones hit Russian refineries. The extent of the damage is unclear, but repairs could curtail Russian petroleum product exports, including diesel, and lead Russia importing products it needs. Additionally, the EIA reported that total domestic commercial crude stocks decreased by 1.5 million barrels to 447 million barrels last week.

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.