UTICA — It may not be much, but at least it’s progress for local motorists, industry experts say, as the state and local average gas price dropped 4 cents from last week.

The new average, of $5 per gallon, was announced Tuesday, and it is 8 cents higher than a month ago and $1.87 higher than a year ago. The state’s average gas price is 4 cents higher than the national average.

“Demand for gasoline has declined, perhaps in response to record-breaking high gas prices — and that has helped push down prices at the pump,” said Patti Artessa, AAA Northeast regional director of public and government affairs.“This dip in demand, coupled with a drop in oil prices, has taken some of the steam out of surging gasoline prices. But consumers are still paying historically high prices.”

Locally, the average cost of a gallon of gas was slightly below the state average. Drivers in the Utica/Rome/Oneida area could expect to pay $4.97 for a gallon of regular gas. While most local stations were at or slightly below that figure, there were still several stations with a gallon of gasoline costing more than $5, according to a survey of several gasoline apps.