Drivers in the area are facing price increases at the pump, which are driven higher by market volatility and ongoing war with Iran.
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Prices for regular gasoline in the Levittown area ranged between $4.19 and $4.59 per gallon as of Tuesday, according to data from the GasBuddy app.
Across the five-county Philadelphia area, drivers are paying an average of $4.54 per gallon, a week-over-week increase of 18 cents.
The national average gas price jumped over the past week to $4.32. It comes after a record high national average for Labor Day.
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“Continued volatility in the Strait of Hormuz has pushed crude oil back in the $100 per barrel range, in turn pushing gas prices to levels not seen before post-Labor Day,” said Jana Tidwell, spokesperson for AAA Club Alliance. “At a time when demand tapers off and the switchover to less expensive, winter blend gasoline in mid-September typically pushed pump prices lower, drivers are seeing prices jumping double digits in the past week.”
Gas prices have been under pressure since late February when the war involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran began.
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Prior to the months-long war, the average gas price in the area stood at $3.02 per gallon.
The fighting has halted most freighter movement through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global choke point for fuel shipments, analysts said.
President Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise to lower fuel costs, said last week that relief may be a ways off, and it will likely take “a little bit longer than the midterms” for prices to fall.
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As area prices at the pump are nearing record highs, they remain under the record set in the summer of 2022 when Bucks County prices hovered slightly above $5 per gallon.
When adjusted for inflation, the all-time county record was set during the 2008 recession, a price that would translate to over $6 per gallon in current dollars.
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Nationwide, diesel fuel reached a record high of $6 per gallon last week.
In Bucks County, diesel prices ranged from $5.49 to $6.39 per gallon, according to GasBuddy data.
“Until the global refining supply picture meaningfully improves, diesel prices face continued upward pressure while gasoline may seasonally slow in the weeks ahead,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.
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Amid the volatility in fuel markets, charging costs for electric vehicles have remained steady in recent weeks, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.
