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Western Pennsylvania Drivers Falling for Autumn Gas Prices

Pennsylvania, Gas Prices
Old gas pump by Andrew Taylor
Photo by Andrew Taylor https://www.flickr.com/photos/profilerehab/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Gas prices in Western Pennsylvania fell by four cents this week to an average of $2.736 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. 

Overall, gas prices in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast region are following the national trend downward and are expected to continue that path throughout the fall.  Even though Pennsylvania’s average is one of the highest in the region ($2.67), the average cost for gasoline is 21 cents cheaper than one month ago. 

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average: $2.736
Average price during the week of October 9, 2017: $2.779
Average price during the week of October 17, 2016: $2.397

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

$2.677      Altoona
$2.776      Beaver
$2.700      Bradford
$2.760      Brookville
$2.770      Butler
$2.747      Clarion
$2.694      Du Bois
$2.695      Erie
$2.769      Greensburg
$2.706      Indiana
$2.779      Jeannette
$2.710      Kittanning
$2.686      Latrobe
$2.747      Meadville
$2.719      Mercer
$2.738      New Castle
$2.756      New Kensington
$2.786      Pittsburgh
$2.720      Sharon
$2.711      Uniontown
$2.768      Warren
$2.776      Washington

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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AAA East Central is a member club affiliated with the American Automobile Association (AAA) national federation and serves members in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.