PENNSYLVANIA — Pennsylvania drivers caught a rare break at the pump this week, with gas prices holding essentially flat even as memories of record-setting spikes still loom large.
According to new data compiled by Stacker using figures from AAA, the statewide average price for regular gasoline stood at $3.04 per gallon as of January 16. That marks virtually no change from the prior week, edging up by just a fraction of a cent, while remaining sharply lower than a year ago.
Compared with January 2025, gas prices in Pennsylvania are down $0.29 per gallon, a decline of nearly 9 percent. The contrast is even starker against the state’s all-time high of $5.07, recorded in June 2022 during the peak of global energy market turmoil.
Diesel prices also showed modest relief. The statewide average fell to $3.96 per gallon, down a penny from the previous week and six cents lower than a year ago. Diesel’s historic high—$6.33 per gallon—was reached in May 2022.
Regional differences remain pronounced. Western and central Pennsylvania continue to post the highest pump prices in the state, with Johnstown topping the list at $3.22 per gallon, followed closely by Altoona and State College. Pittsburgh-area drivers are paying about $3.12, while prices ease moving east.
Philadelphia posted one of the lowest metro averages in the state at $2.91 per gallon, undercut by East Stroudsburg at $2.89. The Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton region checked in just below $3.00, while Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton hovered at $2.99.
Nationally, Pennsylvania drivers are still paying well above motorists in the country’s cheapest fuel markets. Oklahoma led the nation with an average price of $2.34 per gallon, followed by Texas at $2.42 and Kansas at $2.43.
Energy analysts say the relative calm reflects a balance of steady winter demand, ample fuel supplies, and muted crude oil price movements. But they caution that volatility can return quickly, particularly as seasonal demand rises later in the year.
For now, Pennsylvania motorists are enjoying a moment of stability—an outcome that would have seemed unthinkable during the price shocks of 2022, when filling a tank became a painful reminder of global forces far beyond the turnpike.
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