Ohio drivers were paying less than the national average for regular gasoline as a temporary state tax rollback continued, but AAA figures showed pump prices remained close to $4.
AAA put Ohio's average on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at $3.83 per gallon, compared with $4.33 nationally. The temporary reduction of Ohio's 38.5-cent-per-gallon state gas tax took effect Oct. 4 and was scheduled to last through Jan. 2, according to the source.
Even with that cut, one motorist at a Marathon station in Franklin said the price still felt high and she had not noticed a change. The station's price was $3.79, according to the source. Statewide prices were about a dollar per gallon above the same point a year earlier, though lower than a month before.
In the Dayton metro area, AAA reported an average of $3.79. That was up from $3.63 a week earlier and down from $4.06 a month earlier. A year earlier, before the conflict in Iran, the metro average was $2.63.
County averages varied: Butler had the lowest at $3.74, while Clark had the highest at $3.83. Greene, Montgomery and Warren averaged $3.77, $3.79 and $3.81, respectively, all below the national figure.
GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan said more states saw declines than increases and national diesel fell about 5 cents. He said a proposed Trump administration diesel deal raised questions, and that updates on two refineries in Hurricane Isaias's path could affect supply. He called the trend cautiously positive but said it was too early to say fuel-price pressure had resolved.
The switch to winter-blend gasoline added instability because stations are working through more expensive summer stock. The source says winter blend is cheaper to produce and buy.