Southwestern Pennsylvania counties to reach $5-per-gallon gas price within week or 2, analyst says

Average gasoline prices in several southeast and northeast Pennsylvania counties already have exceeded $5 per gallon, and the rest of the state isn’t far behind, according to industry analysts.

The state’s average price of a gallon of gas Monday was $4.95, AAA reported. That’s up 19 cents from last week, 49 cents from last month and $1.78 from last year.

The average in the Pittsburgh area was about 9 cents lower at $4.86 per gallon, according to GasBuddy. However, prices ranged from $4.59 to $5.29, a difference of 70 cents per gallon.

According to AAA, Pennsylvania counties already more than $5 per gallon on average are Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia and Montgomery in the southeast corner of the state. Northeast counties over that mark are Bradford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming.

In Southwestern Pennsylvania, Armstrong County has the highest average at about $4.93, according to AAA.

Southwestern Pennsylvania counties can expect to reach or exceed the $5 per gallon average within the next week or two, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

The national average is $4.87, up 25 cents from last week, 59 cents from last month and about $1.81 from last year, according to AAA.

“After a blistering week of gas prices jumping in nearly every town, city, state and area possible, more bad news is on the horizon. It now appears not if, but when, we’ll hit that psychologically critical $5 national average,” De Haan said. “Nine states have average gas prices that stand beyond the $5 per gallon mark, with more set to join in the days and weeks ahead.”

Those nine states topping $5 are Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. The average in Washington, D.C., also is more than $5, and Indiana was at $5 on Monday, according to AAA data.

AAA reported Monday that the price of a barrel of oil is nearing $120, nearly double the price from last August, as increased demand is outpacing tight global supply. Domestic gasoline demand was up last week in the wake of robust Memorial Day weekend travel.

“People are still fueling up despite these high prices,” AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said. “At some point, drivers may change their daily driving habits or lifestyle due to these high prices, but we are not there yet.”

The price of diesel also continues to rise. GasBuddy reported the national average at $5.62 per gallon, up 11.5 cents in the past week.

De Haan said the record-high price of diesel will be “a second gut-punch to consumers, which pushes prices of most goods higher.”