Rochester’s average gas price is now lower than the national average

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — While Rochester’s average gas price has been higher than the national average for most of this winter, that changed this week.

Gas prices in Rochester rose by only one cent in the past week while the national average rose by eight cents. While Rochester’s average for gas was $3.27 per gallon on Monday, the national average reached $3.28 per gallon.

The gap between Rochester’s average and the national average has been closing for quite some time. In the past four weeks, Rochester average fell by three cents while the national average rose by 19 cents.

AAA says that one reason why prices have surged nationally is because of a power outage at a large BP-Whiting refinery in Indiana, which has lasted for more than two weeks. The refinery processes 435,000 barrels of crude oil per day and the shutdown has particularly impacted prices in the Midwest. AAA says Prices are typically lowest in December and January, then increase until they reach their peak in June and July.

The cheapest gas station in Rochester on Sunday was $2.94 per gallon while the most expensive was $0.95 higher, found a GasBuddy’s survey. You can find the cheapest local stations through a link to GasBuddy.

Rochester’s average for gas is three cents lower than in Buffalo and one cent higher than in Syracuse. Elmira has the cheapest gas out of cities in upstate New York at $3.07 per gallon. You can explore gas price trends on the website for AAA.