The Real Reason New York Is Seeing A Drop In Gas Prices

Gas prices are going down in New York State, and everybody wants to know why. 

It seems like once things started to get back to “normal” following the pandemic, everything began to skyrocket in price. 

And across the nation, we’re still seeing a jump in gas prices, but for some reason, New York state has been on the decline when it comes to price per gallon. 

The average price of gas per gallon in New York is $3.66, according to AAA.

 Meanwhile, the national average is steady at $3.75/gallon, almost a 10 cent difference. 

The main reason behind this is simple, yet confusing: the winter blend fuel is back.

Now, there’s other factors that help drop the price of gas, such as demand is down and oil prices remaining low, but it’s really the winter blend fuel that is keeping the gas prices down. 

Winter blend fuel has a higher Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) which causes the gas to evaporate more, according to Guttman Energy. This allows gas to ignite more easily to start your vehicle in those colder temperatures. It is cheaper to produce, which is why fuel can drop close to 25 cents in price between the months of September and April. 

Prices are still up though as a result of the nature of the economy. A year ago today, gas prices were sitting at about $3.19 per gallon. 

But gas prices will go down nationwide as more states switch to the winter blend fuel. California is expected to be the last state to switch to winter blend, with an anticipation date of November 1. 

In Western New York, though, you will find that the lowest average price per gallon of gas can be found in Niagara County, with price approximations close to $3.60 per gallon.