This gas station price board on Thursday shows the per-gallon fuel price breaking through the $3 mark in Butler. The approaching Memorial Day weekend should pressure prices to climb.

Gas prices in Butler County are above $3 per gallon for the first time in more than four years.

The average price for self-serve unleaded gasoline in the county was $3.061 Thursday, according to AAA's website. The statewide average was $3.012 per gallon.

Gasbuddy.com on Thursday listed most gas stations in the Butler area at $3.09. The Exxon station in Harmony was listed at $2.95 per gallon.

Gas prices in Pennsylvania have peaked in recent years at $2.90 in both June 2015 and September 2017, according to AAA.

Nationally and locally, prices are at their highest since 2014, said Jim Garrity, spokesman for AAA East Central.

Expensive crude oil prices, unrest in the Middle East and strong domestic demand are factors that have been driving spring gas prices higher recently, according to AAA.

With Memorial Day weekend one month away, prices may continue to increase, as many people will be hitting the road for holiday trips.

“It looks like prices will climb. Toward the end of May is when the summer driving season unofficially starts, which brings higher demand and higher prices,” Garrity said.

An extra $10 or $20 in gasoline costs will likely not cause people to cancel their summer vacations, but they should plan accordingly when making a budget, he said.

Pennsylvanians pay $0.767 cents per gallon in state and federal taxes, the highest in the nation. In Ohio, the average price for regular unleaded gas is $2.65 per gallon.