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Gas prices up nationally, but down locally
Stacy Wescoe//August 17, 2026//
While gas prices were up in other parts of the country, locally prices at the pump dropped slightly.
The average price for a gallon of gas in Pennsylvania is four cents lower this week at $4.071, according to AAA East Central‘s Gas Price Report.
In the Lehigh Valley, the average price for a gallon of gas was $3.949 on Aug. 17, down from $3.981 the week prior.
At the same time, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is back on the rise after a week of falling prices.
This week’s national average of $4.06 is five cents more than last week. Crude oil prices are once again in the $80 per barrel range amid continued uncertainty along the Strait of Hormuz. While gasoline demand is down, AAA said crude oil prices are keeping pump prices higher than normal for this time of year. So far, this is the highest August on record when it comes to the national gasoline average.
According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand decreased last week from 9.03 million barrels per day to 8.96 million. Total domestic gasoline supply decreased from 209.7 million barrels to 208.7 million.
Gasoline production also decreased, averaging 9.6 million barrels per day.
At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate rose 7 cents to settle at $83.27 a barrel. The EIA reports that crude oil inventories increased by 17.4 million barrels from the previous week. At 424.4 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 2% below the five-year average for this time of year.
