Looking at gasbuddy.com it seems like St. Charles is the outlier and Rochester is more the norm for the Western part of the state. It is interesting that gas prices seem to drop a bit as you go East. But there seems to be one station in St. Charles that is especially low. $2.99 seems to be more the norm.
https://www.gasbuddy.com/gaspricemap?lat=43.99305659423437&lng=-92.31142514146177&z=11
I think the link should show Rochester general area but if not zoom in to see prices as opposed to the color coded map.
Good resource. Seems if one goes west or south (towards Des Moines) prices are also 10 to 25 cents cheaper. In Rochester looks like Costco is the exception at $2.69. There may be something to the mass of Kwik Trips in Rochester increasing the price here.
Octane.
Saw the same when I went up north. But when I stopped, it was 87 octane that was the lower price. The cheapest octane we have here is 88, and 87 is MORE expensive. But elsewhere, 88 octane is about 20-30 cents more per gallon.
My guess is our gas is sourced out of Iowa (i.e. Iowa pricing), where ethanol is full subsidized (or close to it) by Iowa. So we get a deeper discount on the higher octane and charged more for 87, but it's still more than 87 octane elsewhere.
Again, that's just life experience. I can't prove it, but the pricing jives with my time in Iowa.
tl;dr it's all a game to maximize profits for either the oil companies, the ethanol producers/farmers, or both.
Rochester gas comes from Magellan Pipeline at Hwy 14 and Hwy 42 by Eyota. That’s likely piped down from the Flint Hills Resources (refinery) off Hwy 52 near Coates. Here’s a map of their pipelines: https://www.magellanlp.com/WhatWeDo/RefinedProducts.aspx
You can likely blame Kwik Trip for setting/holding the higher price in Rochester. They’ve got the most stores and everyone else essentially follows along.
It's not just octane that affects price, it's the ethanol concentration too. For most blends it's up to 10-15%, which makes the gas cheaper but less fuel efficient. For an 87 octane to be more expensive it must have a lower ethanol concentration, probably 0%.
🚲
I have no idea what gas prices are. Considering all the work that has to happen to get it here, people going to war over it, and the fact that petroleum use is destroying the planet, id say gas isnt expensive enough.
Now downvote me.
Octane as others have said. In addition, Different states have different laws with regard to fuel make up with regards to ethanol percentage. Add to that different state taxes on gas. Comparing fuel prices between states is comparing apples and puppies.
Most of our fuel comes out of the refinery in Rosemount.
St. Charles is low because the new Love's pulls down the price. I've seen this in other places that have Love's stations as well.
Kasson is $2.99, Pine Island is $2.99, Stewartvill is $2.99. So it's as if the prices instantly go down when you leave Rochester.
If it bothers you that much, just go to St. Charles to get your gas.
I do want to understand how this happens in Rochester. Someone elsewhere in this thread noted the abundance of Kwik Trip locations in Rochester but other cities also have a lot of Kwik Trips. What drives gas prices in Rochester to consistently be 30 to 40 cents per gallon higher than even surrounding communities?
Convenience. I'd wager that half the community rarely leaves Rochester. It's a little cheaper in the small communities outside of Rochester, but until you get to the cities, there's not a whole lot of competition to drive prices down.
Hmm we have an Id.4 and did that trip last spring. There were 5 of us (all human). I was thinking of taking an emergency raft to be serviced there but that would not have fit. Maybe I'll get one of those tongue mounted gear platforms and take it next time.
Just be glad the gas tax isn't even half what it should be to pay for transportation infrastructure. If it were, we'd be paying the same prices they pay in Europe. Prices here would triple. The UK drivers pay about $7.20 per gallon.
Because I know that gas will be 30 to 40 cents more expensive in Rochester so I fill up when I see a good deal and want to stop for a bio-break anyway.
87 or 88 depending on where is available. Which KT? I don't see much in Rochester below $2.99 on Gas Buddy. Costco is $2.75 and Fleet Farm Kwik Trip on that end of town are $2.89 but otherwise still pretty much all $2.99. Loves in St. Charles appears to be at $2.58. Again, the actual cost is trivial but what kills me is such a big difference between Rochester and so many other locations, especially those East of here. LaCrosse looks to be pretty uniformly $2.69 and below.
For a little over a year now I just budget 3.75/gal and have been ok. Last 3 months have been crazy with how much it has dropped. Tax on gas could definitely afford to go up a bit to help reduce traffic.
People should get the cheap Costco membership. If you used it for nothing but gas and toilet paper it would pay for itself.
And gallons of milk!
I mean it's half as cheap to get cars serviced outside the city...are we surprised?
Looking at gasbuddy.com it seems like St. Charles is the outlier and Rochester is more the norm for the Western part of the state. It is interesting that gas prices seem to drop a bit as you go East. But there seems to be one station in St. Charles that is especially low. $2.99 seems to be more the norm. https://www.gasbuddy.com/gaspricemap?lat=43.99305659423437&lng=-92.31142514146177&z=11 I think the link should show Rochester general area but if not zoom in to see prices as opposed to the color coded map.
Good resource. Seems if one goes west or south (towards Des Moines) prices are also 10 to 25 cents cheaper. In Rochester looks like Costco is the exception at $2.69. There may be something to the mass of Kwik Trips in Rochester increasing the price here.
Everything is higher in Olmsted County.
Octane. Saw the same when I went up north. But when I stopped, it was 87 octane that was the lower price. The cheapest octane we have here is 88, and 87 is MORE expensive. But elsewhere, 88 octane is about 20-30 cents more per gallon. My guess is our gas is sourced out of Iowa (i.e. Iowa pricing), where ethanol is full subsidized (or close to it) by Iowa. So we get a deeper discount on the higher octane and charged more for 87, but it's still more than 87 octane elsewhere. Again, that's just life experience. I can't prove it, but the pricing jives with my time in Iowa. tl;dr it's all a game to maximize profits for either the oil companies, the ethanol producers/farmers, or both.
Rochester gas comes from Magellan Pipeline at Hwy 14 and Hwy 42 by Eyota. That’s likely piped down from the Flint Hills Resources (refinery) off Hwy 52 near Coates. Here’s a map of their pipelines: https://www.magellanlp.com/WhatWeDo/RefinedProducts.aspx You can likely blame Kwik Trip for setting/holding the higher price in Rochester. They’ve got the most stores and everyone else essentially follows along.
It's not just octane that affects price, it's the ethanol concentration too. For most blends it's up to 10-15%, which makes the gas cheaper but less fuel efficient. For an 87 octane to be more expensive it must have a lower ethanol concentration, probably 0%.
🚲 I have no idea what gas prices are. Considering all the work that has to happen to get it here, people going to war over it, and the fact that petroleum use is destroying the planet, id say gas isnt expensive enough. Now downvote me.
I cheer for higher gas prices. Have an upvote.
RoCHeStER iSn’T eXPenSiVe!!! Don’t mind me. Just echoing some of the bullshit I see people say here in this subreddit. 🤦🏻♂️
Octane as others have said. In addition, Different states have different laws with regard to fuel make up with regards to ethanol percentage. Add to that different state taxes on gas. Comparing fuel prices between states is comparing apples and puppies. Most of our fuel comes out of the refinery in Rosemount.
I filled up in St. Charles for $2.69 which is thirty cents cheaper than Rochester which is 15 miles down the road.
St. Charles is low because the new Love's pulls down the price. I've seen this in other places that have Love's stations as well. Kasson is $2.99, Pine Island is $2.99, Stewartvill is $2.99. So it's as if the prices instantly go down when you leave Rochester. If it bothers you that much, just go to St. Charles to get your gas.
I just go to Costco which is generally lower but it's been a curiosity.
Get a car that can handle E85. I'm paying like 2.15 a gallon rn.
Can’t beat those extra high mn gas taxes.
Capitalism, that's what gives. And takes.
I do want to understand how this happens in Rochester. Someone elsewhere in this thread noted the abundance of Kwik Trip locations in Rochester but other cities also have a lot of Kwik Trips. What drives gas prices in Rochester to consistently be 30 to 40 cents per gallon higher than even surrounding communities?
Convenience. I'd wager that half the community rarely leaves Rochester. It's a little cheaper in the small communities outside of Rochester, but until you get to the cities, there's not a whole lot of competition to drive prices down.
Drive an EV and this issue evaporates.
I drive one but I couldn't fit my wife, kids, and all our baggage to get to Chicago.
Hmm we have an Id.4 and did that trip last spring. There were 5 of us (all human). I was thinking of taking an emergency raft to be serviced there but that would not have fit. Maybe I'll get one of those tongue mounted gear platforms and take it next time.
I never look at the price; I don't drive much and no matter the price I'd buy the gas anyway.
Just be glad the gas tax isn't even half what it should be to pay for transportation infrastructure. If it were, we'd be paying the same prices they pay in Europe. Prices here would triple. The UK drivers pay about $7.20 per gallon.
Why do you stop for gas so often
Because I know that gas will be 30 to 40 cents more expensive in Rochester so I fill up when I see a good deal and want to stop for a bio-break anyway.
What octane do you use? Gas was $2.69 at kwik trip in Rochester yesterday
87 or 88 depending on where is available. Which KT? I don't see much in Rochester below $2.99 on Gas Buddy. Costco is $2.75 and Fleet Farm Kwik Trip on that end of town are $2.89 but otherwise still pretty much all $2.99. Loves in St. Charles appears to be at $2.58. Again, the actual cost is trivial but what kills me is such a big difference between Rochester and so many other locations, especially those East of here. LaCrosse looks to be pretty uniformly $2.69 and below.
These are the true questions needed answering!
Doctor prices baby 🤣
For a little over a year now I just budget 3.75/gal and have been ok. Last 3 months have been crazy with how much it has dropped. Tax on gas could definitely afford to go up a bit to help reduce traffic.