The average price for gasoline across Northeast Ohio is a penny higher this week at $2.676 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.
Gas prices are fluctuating across the Great Lakes and Central states. Overall, most states saw moderate changes at a nickel or less, while other states saw larger increases (Ohio, +6 cents to $2.69). Motorists in the region can find gas prices as expensive as $3.01 in Illinois to as cheap as $2.58 in Missouri.
The mostly moderate changes at the pump come as a surprise, given the nearly 1.3 million-barrel drawdown in gasoline supplies and one percent drop in regional refinery utilization. At 50.5 million barrels, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports this to be the lowest level this year and at a 6 million barrel deficit year-over-year.
This week’s average prices: Northeast Ohio Average $2.676
Average price during the week of April 22, 2019 $2.668
Average price during the week of April 30, 2018 $2.678
Average prices of the unleaded self-service gasoline in various areas:
$2.571 Alliance
$2.745 Ashland
$2.571 Ashtabula
$2.731 Aurora
$2.694 Chesterland
$2.698 Cleveland
$2.696 Elyria
$2.700 Independence
$2.655 Lorain
$2.759 Lyndhurst
$2.543 Massillon
$2.607 Mentor
$2.570 New Philadelphia
$2.616 Niles
$2.799 Norwalk
$2.810 Oberlin
$2.622 Parma
$2.696 Ravenna
$2.583 Solon
$2.845 Willard
$2.649 Youngstown
On the National Front
With a four-cent jump on the week, today’s national gas price average sets a new high for the year at $2.88. This average may only be seven cents more than a year ago, but it is nearly 20 cents more than a month ago and 63-cents more expensive than at the beginning of the year. With 17 states within a dime of or already at $3/gal or more, the national average will likely surpass 2018’s high of $2.97 set during Memorial Day weekend.
At the close of Friday’s formal trading session on the NYMEX, West Texas Intermediate fell $1.91 to settle at $63.30. Crude prices dipped after Baker Hughes, Inc. revealed that the number of oil rigs in the U.S. fell by 20, landing at 805 last week. Crude prices increased earlier in the week following the U.S. announcing that it would end the use of waivers for countries to import oil from Iran. Decreases in Iranian oil exports could tighten the supply in the global market, which has already seen decreases because of the ongoing U.S. sanctions against Iran and Venezuela, and OPEC’s reduced production as a result of its agreement with its partners.
Motorists can find current gas prices nationwide, statewide, and countywide at GasPrices.AAA.com.