Pain at the pump: Where Pennsylvania ranks in US for average gas prices
It's likely to cost you a little more to fill your tank in Pennsylvania than most other states in the country. According to data from Gasprices.aaa.com, the Keystone State ranks seventh in the nation for highest average gas prices.
The data shows that as of Jan. 16, Pennsylvania averages $3.333 per gallon for unleaded gas. This is compared to the national average of $3.072.
However, gas prices have been on the decline and Pennsylvania is still far from the state record unleaded price of $5.071 which occurred in June of 2022. Diesel was at a record of $6.328 on May of 2022 and is now at $4.468.
Gas prices in Pennsylvania counties
In Erie County, the average is listed at $3.259 per gallon for regular gas, mid gas costs an average of $3.599, premium is listed at $3.921 and diesel is $4.504. Erie County's average price ranks 17th highest among the state's counties.
The highest gas prices on record in Erie County occurred in June of 2022 when unleaded gas was listed at $5.035 per gallon and diesel was $6.138.
The highest listed average gas price per gallon this week in Pennsylvania is $3.588 per gallon in Potter County. The lowest gas price in the state is $3.120 in Union County.
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Here are some of Erie’s neighboring counties' current gas price averages:
Crawford County: $3.290
Warren County: $3.585
Mercer County: $3.268
Venango County: $3.384
Forrest County: $3.421
Lawrence County: $3.150
Pennsylvania gas prices compared to other states
Compared with other states, Pennsylvania follows Hawaii ($4.670), California ($4.556), Washington ($4.012), Nevada ($3.814), Oregon ($3.670) and Alaska ($3.538) in highest average price per gallon.
Falling prices: Central Atlantic region gas prices fall 3 cents
You could head west to Ohio for cheaper gas, as the Buckeye State is ranked 20th in the nation with an average at $2.852.
New York is right below Pennsylvania in rankings as the eighth highest-priced state with an average of $3.279.
Other neighboring states and average price per gallon:
Maryland: $3.074
Delaware: $2.946
New Jersey: $3.057
West Virginia: $2.909
How much is PA gas tax and how does it compare to other states?
According to the Tax Foundation's report from July 2023, Pennsylvania ranked as the third-highest state in gasoline tax.
Pennsylvania's gas tax is at a rate of 62.2 cents per gallon. This is reportedly higher than the national average of 36.8 cents per gallon.
The highest gasoline tax rate in the U.S. belongs to California which is at 77.9 cents per gallon.
The lowest gasoline tax rate in the country belongs to Alaska which is set at 9.0 cents per gallon.
Contact Nicholas Sorensen at Nsorensen@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Pennsylvania gas prices among most expensive on average in country
