36 cents separates high, low gas prices

VW independent/submitted information

Local gasoline prices vary widely this week, from 25 cents below the state average of $2.78 to 11 cents more than the state average.

The low price of $2.53 per gallon is shared by Murphy USA in the Towne Center shopping center and Lassus Handy Dandy in the 800 block of North Washington Street.

Both Pak-A-Sak Marathon stations on North Washington and South Shannon and the One Stop Shop station in the 200 block of North Washington are at $2.59 per gallon, while the Shell station on South Washington Street has gasoline at $2.63 a gallon.

The Marathon station adjacent to the Brookside Convenience Store on West Main Street and the Short Stop Sunoco station on East Main Street are selling gasoline at $2.89 per gallon.

Statewide, gasoline prices have risen 2.9 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.78 per gallon on Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 5,345 stations in Ohio. This compares with the national average that is unchanged versus last week to $2.86 per gallon, according to GasBuddy.

Including the change locally during the past week, prices Sunday were 52.8 cents per gallon higher than a year ago and are 2.3 cents per gallon lower than a month ago. The national average has dropped 7 tenths of a cent per gallon during the last month and stands 52.1 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.

“The national average price of gasoline jumped to start last week before slowly tapering off during the latter half, but remains very close to their week ago levels,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “Oil prices have held under $70 per barrel, giving promise to gas prices that will continue to hold south of $3 per gallon and near where they have spent much of the summer so far.

“With several bullish and bearish factors weighing on oil prices, you may see gas prices stuck in some sort of late summer blues before motorists see more sizable relief coming after Labor Day,” DeHaan added. “Refiners continue to hum along meeting high demand with few kinks, leading to gas prices that have remained between $2.80-$2.89 per gallon the entire summer thus far.”