Gas still a bargain in Washington, as prices hold steady
Gasoline prices held steady in Western Pennsylvania this week.
The average price of a gallon of unleaded self-serve is $2.555, two-tenths of a cent lower than a week ago, AAA East Central reported. This week’s average is 29.9 cents lower than it was a year ago, at $2.854.
AAA monitors weekly prices in 23 cities and towns across the region, and the latest index shows that fuel prices in the greater Washington area remain among the region’s cheapest. The average there is $2.393, a 1.1-cent increase over the week, but the third-lowest figure in Western Pennsylvania – behind only New Castle (2.297) and Sharon ($2.317).
Washington’s price has been among the three lowest in Western Pennsylvania for six consecutive weeks. A gallon of petrol there is 29.5 cents below where it stood on Jan. 1.
Uniontown, once again, is in the middle of the pack, ranking 12th regionally at $2.597. That is 2.7 cents higher than last week, and is 20.4 cents per gallon above Washington’s average.
At $2.659, Indiana, Oil City and Warren have the most expensive petrol.
Pennsylvania’s average is $2.535, a slight increase of 0.6 cents. The national figure, in the meantime, rose four cents to $2.16, which is still 42 cents lower than a year ago.
Prices jumped despite a drop in demand to below eight million barrels per day, the lowest weekly reading since June, according to the Energy Information Administration. That is the lowest Thanksgiving week level since 1997.