COLUMBUS, Ohio – Columbus and the rest of Ohio are bucking the nationwide trend by seeing a decline in gas prices to start the work week after five straight weeks of increases.
The average for a gallon of regular gas in Columbus Monday morning was $2.35, according to a daily survey from auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and WEX Inc. That is 13 cents less than a week ago and $1.27 cheaper than the price last year.
Ohio’s statewide average price was $2.33, down a dime from a week ago.
Ohio prices had dropped below the $2 mark at the beginning of the year then went up again in February. Analysts say an increase in crude oil prices and labor strikes at several refineries had pushed gas prices higher.
Nationwide, the average price of a regular gallon of gas jumped 21 cents in the past two weeks to $2.54, according to oil industry analyst Trilby Lundberg’s biweekly survey. The price in Columbus is 3 cents lower than on Feb. 23.
Lundberg said Sunday that the average price nationwide is still 97 cents per gallon less than a year ago, according to her survey.