Gas Prices In Ohio Could Be At 2017 Low For July 4th

CLEVELAND, OH — Even as the nation's Independence Day approaches, gas prices throughout the nation remain at their lowest point of the year, according to travel organization AAA. The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is about $2.24. Ohioans are paying even less than that, with a gallon of regular averaging a cost of $2.15 in the Buckeye State.

Despite the national trend downward, Ohioans are actually seeing a slight increase in prices at the pumps this week. Seven days ago, the average cost of a gallon of regular was $2.11. This week, that's up to $2.15.

However, the Cleveland-Lorain-Elyria region is seeing steadily deflating prices. Residents of the region are paying $2.10 on average for a gallon of regular, versus $2.14 a week ago.

Even as prices rise slightly for most Ohioans, the cash being spent at pumps is down significantly from a year ago, when Buckeye Staters were paying $2.33 for a gallon of regular. (To stay up to date on local stories, subscribe to the Patch Cleveland newsletter. As news breaks and the story develops, you will be the first to receive updates from Patch.)

Nationally, gas prices have fallen for 24 straight days, AAA reports. In fact, Ohio is only one of three states that didn't see falling prices at the pump this week. The other two states that saw slight increases are neighboring Indiana and Michigan.

As Independence Day approaches, national gas prices are 4 cents lower than they were a year ago.

As for the Great Lakes region, which includes Ohio, gas inventory saw its first decrease in a long while.

"For the first time in three weeks, gasoline inventory declined," AAA reports. "According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), inventory sits at nearly 55 million bbl, similar to this time last year inventory levels."

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