Christmas 2021 Gas Prices: What You'll Pay At Ohio Pumps

OHIO — If you’ve done any traveling by car in the months leading up to Christmas, you’ve likely noticed higher-than-normal gas prices in and around Ohio.

Are we in for any relief at the pumps this Christmas? A little, but motorists will still be paying an average of $1.19 more per gallon than they did a year ago, according to a recent report by AAA.

At the start of December, the national average price for a gallon of gas was $3.35, down seven cents from November.

While it’s been two months since we’ve seen gas prices this low, the drop has mostly been fueled by fears of a COVID-19-related global economic slowdown, according to AAA.

So how much can you expect to pay at the pump in Ohio this Christmas?

AAA data shows the average price for a gallon of regular gas in Ohio is $3.05. For some perspective, in 2020, that same gallon of gas cost Ohioans $2.09.

Here were the average gas prices, on Monday, in Ohio's largest metro counties:

• Cuyahoga County — $3.13
• Franklin County — $3.01
• Hamilton County — $3.06

“A recovering economy coupled with strong employment is leading to increased demand for gasoline,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “This demand increase should drive pump prices higher, but it’s been blunted by the wavering price of crude oil.”

If you heading to the western United States, you’re likely to pay some of the highest gas prices in the nation. As of Dec. 9, gas prices were as much as $4.68 in California, $3.90 in Nevada, $3.87 in Washington state and $3.78 in Oregon.

Meanwhile, southern Plains states including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri are enjoying the nation’s lowest gas prices, ranging from $2.91 to $2.96 per gallon.