ON-AIR SEGMENT: Gas officials discuss price gap factors between urban and rural pumps

Gas prices are as low as they've been since spiking in 2022.

The national average cost as of Friday morning rang-in at $3.20, according to the AAA, while New York State's average was slightly higher at $3.24.  

A year ago now, drivers in New York were paying north of $3.80.

Locally, drivers have been paying upwards of $3.50 in the rural North Country region, but if you fill up out in the city of Syracuse, NY, you might find prices as low as $2.99, according to GasBuddy, with several other establishments selling fuel 25-30-cents cheaper than when compared to Boonville or Lowville, NY, for example. 

"If you don't have the competition, they can name the price," said Patti Artessa, AAA spokesperson. 

In addition to competition factoring in for the gap between urban and rural gas prices, Robbin Cooper, Public Relations Manager for Stewart's Shops, says there is also a hauling cost that plays in.

"If you looked in the Utica and Rome area for instance being one where yes it's a little more urban, but you know one of the bigger drivers is hauling costs," Cooper told us/

"The proximity to where we are picking up at the terminal, so the hauling costs for any of those shops around there is going to be much, much lower than, you know, if you have to go up into the hill towns with a tractor trailer load with 12-thousand gallons."

Be sure to listen to our latest on-air segments this week with Robbin Cooper and Patti Artessa:

And with the latest impacts from Hurricane Milton, the AAA says average prices may creep back up before coming back down again. 

“All this terrible weather lately could cause regional prices to rise as drivers flock to the few open stations with gas,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson.

“But as roads are cleared and power is restored, stations will be able to be re-supplied, so any upward pressure on prices should be fleeting.”

AAA image.