PITTSBURGH — The average price of gasoline across Western Pennsylvania is a penny lower this week at $2.555 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.
The average price of unleaded self-serve gasoline in Bradford is $2.598; in Brookville, $2.574; in DuBois, $2.561; in Erie, $2.589; and in Warren, $2.599.
Monday’s national gas price average was $2.19, which is three cents less than last week, two cents more than a month ago, and 37 cents cheaper than mid-September last year. On the week, every state saw gas prices decrease or stabilize. States with the largest declines are paying a nickel to a dime less, but most averages pushed cheaper by a few pennies since last Monday.
The latest Energy Information Administration (EIA) report measures gasoline demand at 8.3 million barrels-per-day, which is the lowest level since mid-June. As demand dropped for a second week, so did gasoline supply levels — down nearly 3 million barrels to 231 million. While lower supply would typically translate into higher prices, continued low levels of demand are pushing the national average to one of the lowest prices all year.
As the nation moves into Mid-September, seasonal gasoline trends are starting to take hold. This is the time of the year that ushers in cheaper gas prices due to the switchover at gas stations from summer-blend to winter-blend, which is cheaper to produce. Motorists will likely see some cost savings at the pump with the switchover, but the price difference will be less than other years given how cheap prices are.
