Rochester’s gas prices rose by 6 cents while national average rose higher

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Gas prices in Rochester increased by 6 cents this week according to AAA. However, gas prices in Rochester are getting closer to falling below the national average.

This week, the average price in Rochester closed at $3.53 per gallon, two cents higher than the national average. A month ago Rochester’s average was $3.49 per gallon, 31 cents higher than the national average.

Even though local gas prices rose slightly this month, Rochester has seen a trend of falling gas prices since mid-June after prices hit an all-time record of $4.99 per gallon.

Prices were expected to jump up significantly, $0.22 per gallon or more, after Dec. 31 because the gas tax relief ended. The relief aimed to save consumers $0.06 at the Monroe County level and $0.16 at the state level.

However, prices kept falling for the first two weeks in January and only increased slightly in the third week. That could indicate that middlemen absorbed the benefits of the tax relief instead of consumers, which a study Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy warned about.

New York State’s average has followed a similar trend. Prices have fallen overall since the summer but rose 17 cents this month. This week, the state’s average landed at $5.57 per gallon, higher than the average in Rochester and the nation.

Rochester’s gas prices this week were two cents higher than in Syracuse and eight cents higher than in Buffalo. Rome had the most expensive gas in upstate New York at $3.63 while Batavia took the prize for the lowest at $3.44 per gallon.

The cheapest gas in Rochester this week was $3.26 per gallon on Sunday while the most expensive was 53 cents higher, found a GasBuddy’s survey. You can find the cheapest local stations through a link to GasBuddy.

Gas prices skyrocketed in the spring and summer of 2021 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.

However, prices have dropped since then because of a more stable demand.  The average for gas is now cheaper for the nation, the state, and Rochester compared to January 1 of 2022. You can explore gas price trends on the website for AAA.