The sign at Sunoco, 701 Main Street, Hellertown, Pa., advertises gas for less than $2 a gallon. The cost of gas in the Allentown area has not been lower than it is now since March 2015, according to charts available on GasBuddy.com.
Across the country gas prices have been falling due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced most Americans to stay home and drastically reduced demand for gasoline.
Locally gas prices remain relatively high compared with prices in some other states. For example, in Wisconsin the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded has fallen to a historic low of $1.18, and in some parts of the state gas costs as little as 75 cents a gallon.
Still, when compared with what gas cost just a few months ago the current price is a bargain.
In Hellertown Sunday, the Sunoco station at 701 Main Street was selling regular unleaded for $1.99 a gallon, and just north of town Turkey Hill was selling it for $1.96.
One year ago, the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded in Pennsylvania was $3.05 according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), which tracks and reports on gas prices throughout the United States.
According to AAA, the current average price for a gallon of gas in Pennsylvania is $2.04, which represents a decline of approximately 33 percent from what the price was in late April 2019.
The average current price per gallon nationwide is $1.77.
Pennsylvania along with New York, New Jersey and a number of other northeastern states has some of the highest gas prices in the nation, along with states in the southwest and along the west coast. California currently has the highest-priced gas, according to AAA, which reported that as of Sunday a gallon of regular in the Golden State cost an average of $2.76.
Wisconsin currently has the lowest average price, per AAA.
One way to save on gas without driving to the Midwest is to join a wholesale club like BJ’s, Sam’s Club or Costco. Currently all three are selling gas for $1.59 a gallon, according to GasBuddy.com, a user-based site that monitors and reports on local gas prices.
Or, you could drive less by staying home more, which is what most people continue to do.
Gov. Tom Wolf has said that some parts of Pennsylvania will begin to reopen May 8, however it is unlikely that any local counties will be taken off the stay-at-home list until the rate of new cases of COVID-19 significantly decreases.
