The average price for a gallon of gas is 21 cents higher in Pennsylvania this week at $4.152, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

The national average for a gallon of regular exceeded $4 per gallon this past week for the first time since August 2022.

Monday’s average of $4.11 is 12 cents higher than last week and 80 cents higher than a month ago.

Crude oil prices have been surging, surpassing $100/barrel, as the conflict in the Middle East continued and the Strait of Hormuz remained closed. In 2022, gas prices remained elevated from March through August, peaking in June when the national average reached a record of $5/gallon for one week.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration, gasoline demand decreased last week from 8.92 million barrels per day to 8.68 million. Total domestic gasoline supply decreased from 241.4 million barrels to 240.9 million. Gasoline production decreased last week, averaging 9.6 million barrels per day.

At the start of today’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate opened at $112.32 a barrel. The EIA reports crude oil inventories increased by 5.5 million barrels from the previous week. At 461.6 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 0.1% above the five-year average for this time of year.

The national average per kilowatt hour of electricity at a public EV charging station stayed the same this past week at 41 cents. 

In Pennsylvania, the average is $4.152 per gallon, compared to $3.942 a week ago and $3.406 a year ago.

The record was set on June 12, 2022, when the price was $5.071.

In the Allenown-Bethlehem-Easton area the average Monday was $4.114, up from $3.927 last Monday and $3.292 a year ago.

The nation’s top 10 most expensive gasoline markets are California ($5.89), Hawaii ($5.50), Washington ($5.36), Oregon ($4.96), Nevada ($4.94), Arizona ($4.68), Alaska ($4.59), Idaho ($4.26), Illinois ($4.26) and Florida ($4.23).

The nation’s top 10 least expensive gasoline markets are Oklahoma ($3.27), Kansas ($3.33), Nebraska ($3.42), North Dakota ($3.43), Iowa ($3.48), Missouri ($3.48), South Dakota ($3.52), Arkansas ($3.52), Minnesota ($3.54) and Georgia ($3.70).