Average gas prices have gone below $4 per gallon in nearly 20 states, but Pennsylvania is not one of them.

The state’s gas tax — 57.6 cents per gallon — and tight gasoline inventory for much of the Northeast are to blame, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

The average price in Pennsylvania was about $4.47 on Monday, about 9 cents less than a week ago and 46 cents less than a month ago, according to AAA.

Average prices ranged from $4.26 in Perry County to $4.59 in Bradford County.

County averages in the Pittsburgh area, according to AAA:

• Allegheny County: $4.50

• Armstrong County: $4.50

• Beaver County: $4.53

• Butler County: $4.50

• Washington County: $4.55

• Westmoreland County: $4.48

The national average was about $4.21 on Monday, according to AAA, about 26 cents per gallon less than Pennsylvania’s average. The national average is 14 cents per gallon less than a week ago and is 63 cents less than a month ago.

Nationally, average prices range from $3.71 in Texas to $5.61 in California, according to AAA.

“We continue to see average gas prices falling in every state, with the national average down for the seventh straight week,” De Haan said. “Even better, nearly 20 states have also seen their average decline to $3.99 or less, with over 70,000 stations now at that level or below.”

De Haan said the outlook is for a continued drop in most areas, but supply tightness in the Northeast could push prices up slightly until inventories or imports rise.

“For now, Americans are seeing prices nearly 90 cents lower than their mid-June peak and are spending close to $330 million less on gasoline every day as a result,” he said. “As long as oil prices hold at these levels or lower, we’ll see another decline in most areas this week.”

An increase in demand also could end the steady drop in prices, according to AAA.

“We know that most American drivers have made significant changes in their driving habits to cope with high gas prices,” AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said. “But with gas below $4 a gallon at nearly half of the gas stations around the country, it’s possible that gas demand could rise.”

Neighboring areas and their average prices, according to GasBuddy:

• Akron: $3.73 per gallon, down 21 cents from last week.

• Cleveland: $3.89 per gallon, down 21 cents from last week.

• West Virginia: $4.30 per gallon, down 15 cents from last week.

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