Rochester’s gas prices fall by 10 cents or more for past four weeks

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Gas prices in Rochester have fallen by 10 cents or more for four straight weeks. This week, prices fell by 12 cents, which beats last week’s drop of 11 cents.

Rochester’s current average gas price is $3.91 per gallon, according to AAA. That’s down from a local record high of $4.99 per gallon, set on June 15. However, this week’s average price is still $0.63 higher than this time last year.

Overall, gas prices in Rochester have fallen by $0.48 in the course of four weeks. Prices have fallen by at least four cents for every week since mid-July.

New York State’s average prices fell by $0.50 per gallon this month, which is a faster drop than the national average. That’s different from July and August, when the national average dropped quicker than the statewide average.

New York State’s weekly average is $3.68 per gallon, which is higher than most states. News10NBC reported that prices in New York are higher because the northeast depends on imported oil, which has been in short supply. On the other hand, regions that can refine oil locally, like the midwest, have a greater supply leading to lower prices. The lowest gas price of any state this week is Nebraska at $3.50 per gallon.

The city in western New York where gas prices are the lowest is Elmira. After a 12-cent drop this week, prices fell to $3.69. Ithaca has the highest gas prices at $3.93.

Rochester ranked near the top for most expensive gas in western New York this week. Prices are 5 cents lower in Syracuse and 2 cents lower in Buffalo.

The cheapest gas in Rochester was $3.29 per gallon on Sunday while the most expensive was 90 cents higher, found a GasBuddy’s survey. You can find the cheapest local stations through a link to GasBuddy.

New York’s high prices are despite the state and Monroe County gas tax relief, which aims to save consumers $0.28 per gallon at the pump. The tax relief has been ongoing since June 1.

News10NBC reported on a study that suggests that, while consumers benefited initially from the NY gas tax relief, middlemen and retailers eventually absorbed the gas tax. That leads to less savings for consumers.

RELATED: So where did the gas tax savings go? The data may have the answers

Gas prices have skyrocketed over the past year because of rapid recovery from the pandemic increased the demand so high that supply couldn’t keep up. Europe’s restrictions on importing Russian oil also scrambled world oil prices, affecting the U.S. even though the U.S. imports very little Russian oil. 

The national average for gas prices has fallen for 14 straight weeks, which is on pace for the longest downward streak since 2015.

You can explore gas price trends on the website for AAA.