Gas prices are two cents lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at $3.735 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                         $3.735
Average price during the week of March 25, 2024                                            $3.752
Average price during the week of April 3, 2023                                                $3.683

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

$3.722      Altoona
$3.763      Beaver
$3.734      Bradford
$3.695      Brookville
$3.752      Butler
$3.478      Clarion
$3.736      DuBois
$3.759      Erie
$3.773      Greensburg
$3.791      Indiana
$3.793      Jeannette
$3.727      Kittanning
$3.744      Latrobe
$3.764      Meadville
$3.799      Mercer
$3.659      New Castle
$3.693      New Kensington
$3.799      Oil City
$3.746      Pittsburgh
$3.737      Sharon
$3.694      Uniontown
$3.796      Warren
$3.754      Washington

Trend Analysis: 

After an early spring surge, the national average for a gallon of gas has remained steady over the past week at $3.53. Gas prices are settling into a pattern like last year when the usual seasonal increases were slow and steady. Today’s national average is 20 cents more than a month ago and three cents more than a year ago.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand dipped slightly from 8.81 to 8.72 million barrels per day last week. Meanwhile, total domestic gasoline stocks increased by 1.3 million barrels to 232.1 million barrels. Lower demand would typically contribute to pushing pump prices lower or slowing increases, but rising oil prices have kept them elevated instead.

At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate decreased by 27 cents to settle at $81.35. Oil prices fell after the EIA reported that total domestic commercial crude stocks increased by 3.2 million barrels to 448.2 million barrels last week. The current stock level is still 25.5 million barrels lower than at the end of March 2023. 

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.