Dayton ranks third in the U.S. for fluctuations in gas prices, following behind Fort Wayne, IN and Indianapolis, IN. A report by GasBuddy finds that the Midwest in general sees more of these steep price hikes. Dayton recorded a single day average price hike of $0.31.
But it’s not all bad news, according to Greg Laskoski, a petroleum analyst with GasBuddy. For 171 days, the price of gas in Dayton actually decreased by a penny or more per gallon
"It’s a severe roller coaster ride. We have higher highs and lower lows. It averages out to approximately to what we see nationwide," says Laskoski.
Laskoski says there a lot of theories as to why the Midwest sees these extraordinary price swings, but it’s likely that retail chains in the region play a part.
"The dominant chains will spike up the prices dramatically, but then as the prices come down we see a more consistent level of price decreases and a greater number of days where prices are declining more than a penny per gallon,:" says Laskoski.
The average price of gas in Dayton right now is about $0.14 below the national average.