AAA: Gas prices drop in Western Pennsylvania

According to AAA, gas prices in Pennsylvania are lower this week as Thanksgiving draws near. The average price of gasoline across Western Pennsylvania is four cents lower this week at $2.466 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

Nationwide, gas prices over the Thanksgiving holiday could be the lowest since 2015. The national average is $2.10. In 2015 it was $2.05. The average price during the week of November 16, 2020 was $2.504 and during the week of November 25, 2019 was $2.873

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 76 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia serving 2.7 million members.

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At $2.10, this Thanksgiving’s national gas price average is shaping up to be the lowest since 2015. The holiday weekend average that year was a nickel cheaper at $2.05. While in any other year, this would have been incentive for people to travel during the holiday, AAA forecasts a decrease in Thanksgiving travel this year due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic.

Today, nearly half of all states have gas prices that are 50 to 75 cents cheaper than a year ago. West coast states are seeing the biggest year-over-year savings, while the majority of southern states’ averages are $1.99/gallon or less.

Increase in only four states

In its latest report, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) measured demand, for the week ending November 13, at 8.2 million b/d. That is not only a weekly decrease, but the lowest demand reading since mid-June. As demand dipped, U.S. gasoline stocks increased to nearly 228 million barrels. Americans can expect gas prices to continue to push less expensive heading into December.

On the week, only four states saw gas prices increase: Indiana (+6 cents), Ohio (+6 cents) and Illinois (+2 cent) and Washington, D.C. (+1 cent). As has been the trend for weeks now, the majority of states gas price averages continue to push cheaper. Nearly 20 states start the week with an average at least three cents cheaper than last Monday. Today’s national average is seven cents cheaper than last month and 51 cents less expensive than last year.