Western Pennsylvania Gas Prices Increase; National Average Hits New 2019 High

The average price of gasoline across Western Pennsylvania is six cents more expensive this week at $3.099 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. 

Most Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states are seeing large jumps at the pump week-over-week, including Pennsylvania (+7 cents).  At $3.05, Pennsylvania remains the only state in the region above the $3/gal mark, but a handful of others are just pennies away from being there: Connecticut ($2.99), Washington, D.C. ($2.96) and New York ($2.95).

As the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that regional refinery utilization jumped from 81.1% to 87.6%, gasoline stocks grew by 860,000 barrels – the largest build of any region in the country for the week ending April 19.  Despite the increase, overall stock levels are tight at 60 million barrels with summer right around the corner.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average               $3.099
Average price during the week of April 22, 2019                                    $3.036
Average price during the week of April 30, 2018                                    $3.058

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

$2.993      Altoona
$3.047      Beaver
$3.088      Bradford
$3.076      Brookville
$3.098      Butler
$3.111      Clarion
$3.009      Du Bois
$3.146      Erie
$3.116      Greensburg
$3.098      Indiana
$3.156      Jeannette
$3.158      Kittanning
$3.074      Latrobe
$3.150      Meadville
$3.115      Mercer
$3.041      New Castle
$3.153      New Kensington
$3.124      Pittsburgh
$3.099      Sharon
$3.098      Uniontown
$3.159      Warren
$3.060      Washington

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.