Ohio & Mahoning Valley - Gas demand may be higher and supply may be tighter, but AAA East Central is still reporting a decrease in gas prices in the Mahoning Valley this week.

This week, the average price for a gallon of gasoline in Northeast Ohio is 11 cents cheaper at $3.532 compared to last week's $3.644 and last year's $3.601.

AAA says this type of decrease is normal for this time of year, as much of the country makes the switch to the winter blend of gasoline, which is less expensive. However, this decline is being slowed by higher oil costs hovering around $90 per barrel.

Oil prices dropped by 92 cents last Wednesday to $90.28 per barrel, with the decrease attributed to ongoing market concerns that energy demand could be lowered if future interest rates tip the economy into a recession.

According to the latest data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand slightly rose from 8.31 to 8.41 million barrels per day last week while total domestic gasoline stocks declined slightly from 220.3 to 219.5 million barrels.

Higher gas demand amid a tighter supply contributed to elevated pump prices, but oil remaining above $90 per barrel continues to steer price increases.

Additionally, prices declined despite the EIA reporting that total commercial crude stocks decreased by 2.1 million barrels to 418.5 million barrels last week.