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Local gas prices back up over $4 a gallon
Stacy Wescoe//August 24, 2026//
Prices at the pump are heading up again, locally, with the average price for a gallon of gas in Pennsylvania nine cents higher this week at $4.162, according to AAA East Central‘s Gas Price Report.
In the Lehigh Valley, the average price of gas was back up above $4 on Aug. 24 at $4.018. That compares to $3.949 the week prior and $3.123 one year ago.
The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is up 3 cents from last week to $4.09, which marks the highest it’s ever been on this date, said AAA.
It said this August is shaping up to be the highest on record.
So far, the monthly average is $4.06, currently surpassing 2022 when the monthly average for August was $3.97. Even though gasoline demand is down, which is typical for this time of year, crude oil is pushing up the national average.
Crude oil prices remain in the $80 per barrel range amid continued instability in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand decreased last week from 8.96 million barrels per day to 8.68 million.
Total domestic gasoline supply increased from 208.7 million barrels to 209.4 million. Gasoline production also increased last week, averaging 9.7 million barrels per day.
At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate rose 89 cents to settle at $85.83 a barrel. The EIA reports that crude oil inventories increased by 4.4 million barrels from the previous week. At 428.8 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are matching the five-year average for this time of year.
