Oil, gasoline prices rising on boost in demand as states reopen

Average gasoline prices in the Pittsburgh area rose this week for the first time in more than two months, according to the price-tracking service GasBuddy.

Demand for gasoline is rebounding across the United States as more states begin to loosen restrictions and reopen their economies amid the coronavirus pandemic, said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.

“The boost in demand has led oil and gasoline prices to rally, and as long as states continue to loosen restrictions, it’ll mean more motorists on the roads and filling their tank,” he said.

“For now, the continued recovery in gas prices will nearly completely depend on improvement in the coronavirus situation,” DeHaan said.

In the Pittsburgh area, the average gas price stood at $2.16 a gallon, up 1.2 cents in the past week, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 731 stations. Prices stood at $2.69 on Feb. 17.

Prices in the Pittsburgh area range from $1.85 up to $2.79.

The national average is $1.83 a gallon, up 6.4 cents in the past week, GasBuddy reported. That’s 1.1 cents a gallon less than a month ago, and about $1.03 less than a year ago.

Neighboring areas and their current gas prices:

• Akron — $1.87, up 28.4 cents per gallon from last week;

• Cleveland — $1.85, up 26.8 cents per gallon from last week;

• West Virginia — $1.78, up 7.3 cents per gallon from last week.