Northeast Ohio gas prices increased by four cents this week to an average of $2.325 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.
Defying the national trend, five states in the Great Lakes and Central region are paying more at the pump than a week ago, including Ohio (+13 cents). Gas prices in the region have been volatile throughout the year due to varying factors: demand, hurricane impact, inventory levels, etc.
This week’s average prices: Northeast Ohio Average: $2.325
Average price during the week of October 9, 2017: $2.286
Average price during the week of October 17, 2016: $2.173
Average prices of the unleaded self-service gasoline in various areas:
$2.220 Alliance
$2.446 Ashland
$2.298 Ashtabula
$2.367 Aurora
$2.352 Chesterland
$2.303 Cleveland
$2.274 Elyria
$2.265 Independence
$2.296 Lorain
$2.303 Lyndhurst
$2.333 Massillon
$2.280 Mentor
$2.294 New Philadelphia
$2.240 Niles
$2.497 Norwalk
$2.487 Oberlin
$2.301 Parma
$2.257 Ravenna
$2.364 Solon
$2.331 Willard
$2.327 Youngstown
On the National Front
As the national gas price average drops just two cents on the week to $2.47, many states east of the Mississippi are paying as much as eight cents less at the start of this week. While gas prices are more expensive than a year ago, the past five weeks of sustained weekly declines indicate that demand may be leveling out alongside refineries and pipelines returning to pre-hurricane operations.
In September, Hurricane Harvey drove gas prices to the highest price of the year - $2.67. That was a 32-cent increase inside of 12 days. Now nearly seven weeks post hurricane, gas prices have shown steady decline dropping a total of 20 cents since September 11, 2017.
At the close of Friday’s formal trading session on the NYMEX, West Texas Intermediate increased 85 cents to settle at $51.45. Moving into Monday and the rest of the week, oil prices may continue their upward trend. EIA’s latest report showed a 2.7 million barrel decline in crude oil stocks, which correlates with seeing an increase in gasoline stocks around the country. On the U.S. crude oil production side, the EIA report noted that there was an 87,000 b/d decline in production rates in the lower 48 states. That news followed Baker Hughes, Inc. reporting that the U.S. dropped 5 oil rigs last week, landing at a total of 743. When combined, both data points (crude production and oil rigs) may point toward reduced U.S. crude production and its potentially reduced contribution to global supply, which may help bolster the price per barrel of oil as the fall continues.
Motorists can find current gas prices along their route with the free AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android. The app can also be used to map a route, find discounts, book a hotel and access AAA roadside assistance. Learn more at AAA.com/mobile.
AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 81 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.
For More Information, Contact:
Jim Garrity, Public & Community Relations Manager
Desk: 412-365-7274 / Cell: 412-905-9021 / Email: Garrity.James@aaaec.com
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