Gas Prices Falling Slower In Rural Communities

By Stina Sieg
Published: Monday, December 8, 2014 - 4:00pm

Gas is continuing to get cheaper across Arizona, but how much cheaper depends on where you live. Prices in some rural spots are dropping much slower than metro areas.

Fill up anywhere in the Valley, and AAA said you can expect to pay about 25 cents less than last month. But travel down to Yuma or up to Prescott and that difference is only 18 cents or less.

Other areas, like Payson, are too small to be calculated by AAA. But Payson’s newspaper is filled with letters to the editor grumbling that gas prices are falling at a trickle. AAA spokesperson Stephanie Dembowski said that far-flung stations sell much less fuel than big-city ones, meaning it takes a while for cheaper prices to catch up.

"So, they need to recover the money that they paid for the fuel, even if it was two, three weeks ago," Debowksi said. "So, we will see prices higher in rural areas."

Other factors affecting gas prices include transportation costs and competition, she said. Right now, the city with the cheapest average price is Tucson, at $2.50 per gallon. Flagstaff is the most expensive at $2.92.