I would think near the refineries in TX is where one might find the cheapest gas.
Does the state of NM have no or very low state taxes on gasoline?
Are you sure it’s the cheapest? NM does have one of the lowest gasoline tax rates in the country, although not the lowest.
There are several calcultors on line. According to gasbuddy, at the moment, Santa Fe has the lowest, followed by Lubbock and Albuqauerque. The state with the lowest average is Missouri, South Carolina and Mississippi. The lowest price moves around quite a bit, if you follow the maps over a period of time.
State and local taxes are a significant factor. So is the relative shipping distance of gas. Refineries shut down from time to time, either for periodic maintanance or emergency event repairs. When that happens, a locality might have to ship their gas in from hundreds of miles further away, which temporarily raises the price.
My town in the Upstate of South Carolina sometimes has the lowest gas price in the country. South Carolina has a low gas tax (hasn’t been raised since 1987) and the town has a “refined products terminal” right on a major pipeline.
I would think it’s a combination of a very low state gasoline tax and geography that encourages stronger than average competition. I mean, if you’re driving through the desert and there are no exits at all for maybe a hundred miles, then you suddenly come to a big town which has fifty gas stations, maybe each of those stations would get into a bidding war with the other forty-nine. It could drive the price down to the point that the stations are actually taking a loss on the gasoline itself, hoping to draw people in and make a profit selling things like motor oil, soft drinks, and snacks.
Another factor - the presence of large discount gas station and truck stop chains can spark price wars. Conversely, it’s thought to be one of the reasons Western New York has the highest gas prices in the US - no Costco, no Speedway, no Sheetz, no other discounters, and only a couple of small truck stops. In some areas, it’s just mom-and-pops, and traditionally high-price dealers like Mobil, Gulf, and Sunoco.
Hey, I believe you.
Today, St. Louis has the cheapest average price, at 2.33. But here in Victoria, Texas, there are several stations at 2.31, although the average is higher than 2.33.
I thought I heard on the nightly news last night that Oklahoma City would likely be the first place to have gas go below $2/gal in the current trend. Not sure where they got that prediction.
Le Sigh. We’re paying almost $2 a litre. $7.40 a US gallon.
From what I can tell, there’s only a transport difference in gas prices when the place is particularly remote. Proximity to the refineries doesn’t seem to make a lot of difference; my grandmother lives in a town (La Marque) right next to Texas City, home of the Marathon Texas City Refinery, which is the 3rd largest in the US. My parents live in suburban Houston, and I live in Dallas. Generally speaking, the price is comparable in all 3 places- 2.5 miles away, 50 miles away and about 300 miles away.
I just drove through WNY on my way to Rochester, and it was true growing up but I thought it must have changed in the intervening 20-30 years. But no. All very tiny stores. With no bathrooms. I saw a 7-11 on 5 and if any place would have a bathroom it would be a 7-11 but no!
At least I filled my tank up in Irving pretty cheaply (but didn’t even try to use the bathroom as it didn’t look like it even had a convenience store much less bathrooms.)
A shortage of customers, because everyone always misses the left turn to get there.