Heating Oil and Propane Prices by State
Home heating oil averaged $3.74 a gallon across the 2025 to 2026 heating season and propane $2.55, in the survey the EIA runs every week from October to March. Here is what each fuel cost in all 50 states, which month of a winter has run cheapest, and which of the two is actually the cheaper heat.
What heating oil and propane cost this winter
The EIA asks dealers what households are actually paying, every week of the heating season, and publishes the answer as a residential price per gallon. That is the number every figure here is built from. It is not the rack price a dealer pays at the terminal, and it is not a contract or pre buy rate, so a household on a locked price will see something else on its own bill.
The EIA surveys dealers October through March. The 2025 to 2026 season closed on Mar 30, 2026 and weekly prices resume in October 2026, so the season is shown in full rather than one stale week.
Heating oil
weeks surveyed, from a low of $3.53 to a high of $5.57. The last week, ending Mar 30, 2026, came in at $5.54, 48 percent above the season's own average.
Against last winterThe 2024 to 2025 season averaged $3.61 a gallon nationally.
Propane
weeks surveyed, from a low of $2.42 to a high of $2.68. The last week, ending Mar 30, 2026, came in at $2.67, 5 percent above the season's own average.
Against last winterThe 2024 to 2025 season averaged $2.56 a gallon nationally.
Weekly residential prices from the State Heating Oil and Propane Program, U.S. Energy Information Administration (heating oil series, propane series). A season average is the middle of the weeks the EIA surveyed that winter. Compiled 2026-09-22.
Heating fuel prices by state
Each state is listed under the fuel its homes burn most, because that is the number a household there is looking for. The EIA surveys 21 states for heating oil and 38 for propane, which is where the fuel is actually burned in quantity. A state without its own survey is shown at its EIA region, and one without a region at the national price; the table says which, and so does the state page.
| State | Fuel most burned | Season average a gallon | Against last winter | Gallons a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Propane | $3.45 | Up +$0.02 | 39 million gallons |
| AlaskaNational price | Heating oil | $3.74 | Up +$0.13 | 60 million gallons |
| ArizonaNational price | Propane | $2.55 | Level | 50 million gallons |
| Arkansas | Propane | $2.35 | Down -$0.09 | 48 million gallons |
| CaliforniaNational price | Propane | $2.55 | Level | 239 million gallons |
| Colorado | Propane | $2.26 | Up +$0.01 | 133 million gallons |
| Connecticut | Heating oil | $3.65 | Up +$0.17 | 372 million gallons |
| Delaware | Propane | $3.56 | Down -$0.20 | 24 million gallons |
| Florida | Propane | $4.68 | Down -$0.06 | 62 million gallons |
| Georgia | Propane | $3.07 | Down -$0.02 | 89 million gallons |
| HawaiiNational price | Propane | $2.55 | Level | 5 million gallons |
| Idaho | Propane | $2.38 | Down -$0.11 | 67 million gallons |
| Illinois | Propane | $1.89 | Up +$0.01 | 292 million gallons |
| Indiana | Propane | $2.47 | Up +$0.08 | 140 million gallons |
| Iowa | Propane | $1.59 | Level | 214 million gallons |
| Kansas | Propane | $1.92 | Up +$0.10 | 77 million gallons |
| Kentucky | Propane | $2.62 | Down -$0.04 | 75 million gallons |
| LouisianaRegional price, no state survey | Propane | $2.89 | Level | 20 million gallons |
| Maine | Heating oil | $3.43 | Up +$0.09 | 192 million gallons |
| Maryland | Heating oil | $3.85 | Up +$0.12 | 97 million gallons |
| Massachusetts | Heating oil | $3.81 | Up +$0.14 | 515 million gallons |
| Michigan | Propane | $2.25 | Up +$0.02 | 331 million gallons |
| Minnesota | Propane | $1.95 | Up +$0.03 | 276 million gallons |
| Mississippi | Propane | $3.02 | Up +$0.04 | 52 million gallons |
| Missouri | Propane | $2.09 | Up +$0.01 | 178 million gallons |
| Montana | Propane | $2.04 | Down -$0.07 | 75 million gallons |
| Nebraska | Propane | $1.60 | Down -$0.01 | 44 million gallons |
| NevadaNational price | Propane | $2.55 | Level | 21 million gallons |
| New Hampshire | Heating oil | $3.67 | Down -$0.13 | 136 million gallons |
| New Jersey | Heating oil | $4.00 | Up +$0.19 | 167 million gallons |
| New MexicoRegional price, no state survey | Propane | $2.89 | Level | 48 million gallons |
| New York | Heating oil | $4.03 | Up +$0.17 | 705 million gallons |
| North Carolina | Propane | $3.35 | Down -$0.01 | 175 million gallons |
| North Dakota | Propane | $1.65 | Down -$0.02 | 61 million gallons |
| Ohio | Propane | $2.56 | Down -$0.09 | 183 million gallons |
| Oklahoma | Propane | $2.23 | Down -$0.02 | 60 million gallons |
| OregonNational price | Propane | $2.55 | Level | 24 million gallons |
| Pennsylvania | Heating oil | $3.44 | Up +$0.16 | 519 million gallons |
| Rhode Island | Heating oil | $3.83 | Up +$0.19 | 99 million gallons |
| South CarolinaRegional price, no state survey | Propane | $3.41 | Down -$0.02 | 42 million gallons |
| South Dakota | Propane | $1.83 | Down -$0.02 | 37 million gallons |
| Tennessee | Propane | $3.15 | Down -$0.06 | 63 million gallons |
| Texas | Propane | $2.94 | Up +$0.02 | 166 million gallons |
| Utah | Propane | $2.29 | Down -$0.10 | 25 million gallons |
| Vermont | Heating oil | $3.67 | Level | 66 million gallons |
| Virginia | Propane | $3.44 | Down -$0.04 | 130 million gallons |
| WashingtonNational price | Propane | $2.55 | Level | 96 million gallons |
| West VirginiaRegional price, no state survey | Propane | $3.41 | Down -$0.02 | 31 million gallons |
| Wisconsin | Propane | $1.96 | Up +$0.06 | 278 million gallons |
| WyomingRegional price, no state survey | Propane | $2.21 | Down -$0.05 | 33 million gallons |
Heating fuel prices in every state
Prices: State Heating Oil and Propane Program, U.S. Energy Information Administration. Gallons a year: State Energy Data System, U.S. Energy Information Administration, residential sector, 2024.
Where heating fuel costs the most
Only the states with their own surveyed series can be ranked against each other, so these two lists cover the 21 states EIA surveys for heating oil and the 38 it surveys for propane. Delivery distance, dealer density and state taxes all move the number, which is why the spread inside one region can be wide.
Heating oil, dearest states
- Delaware$4.14
- New York$4.03
- New Jersey$4.00
- Maryland$3.85
- Rhode Island$3.83
- Massachusetts$3.81
- Vermont$3.67
- New Hampshire$3.67
- Virginia$3.67
- Connecticut$3.65
2025 to 2026 season average a gallon. Nebraska was the cheapest of the 21 surveyed states at $2.81.
Propane, dearest states
- Florida$4.68
- Connecticut$3.78
- Vermont$3.70
- New Jersey$3.61
- Rhode Island$3.61
- Delaware$3.56
- New Hampshire$3.56
- Maryland$3.54
- New York$3.50
- Alabama$3.45
2025 to 2026 season average a gallon. Iowa was the cheapest at $1.59, a gap of $3.09 a gallon across the country.
Is propane cheaper than heating oil?
Per gallon, propane is usually the lower number, and that is the comparison most people make. It is the wrong one. A gallon of propane carries 91,452 Btu against 138,500 for heating oil, about two thirds as much heat in the same gallon, so the fair comparison is what a million Btu costs. Nationally, on this winter's averages, that comes out as follows.
| Fuel | A gallon | Btu in a gallon | Per million Btu |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heating oilCheaper heat | $3.74 | 138,500 | $26.99 |
| Propane | $2.55 | 91,452 | $27.89 |
Propane is the lower number a gallon and the dearer heat: a gallon of it carries about two thirds the energy. Heating oil came out 3 percent cheaper per unit of heat, a gap of $0.90 per million Btu. Conversion factors from the British thermal units, U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Two things this arithmetic does not settle. A furnace or boiler has an efficiency, and the same fuel in a newer appliance buys more heat from the same gallon. And the appliance is the real constraint: switching fuels means a new burner or a new unit, which is a different decision from what a gallon costs this week. Every state page runs the same comparison on that state's own two prices.
When is heating fuel cheapest?
Across the seasons on record, the cheapest month of a heating season is the one at the front of it. Of the 38 states with their own surveyed series, 35 ran cheapest in October, 2 ran cheapest in November and 1 ran cheapest in December. That is an average of real weeks rather than a forecast, and any single winter can run the other way: a cold December or a distillate market that moves in February will rearrange it.
October35 states ran cheapest in October on average across the seasons surveyed.
November2 states ran cheapest in November on average across the seasons surveyed.
December1 state ran cheapest in December on average across the seasons surveyed.
Counted across the states EIA surveys directly, using each state's own lead fuel. Every state page shows its own month by month shape, which is the one that matters for a delivery there.
Which states burn the most heating oil and propane
Heating oil is a regional fuel and propane is a rural one. In 2024, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maine accounted for 70 percent of all the heating oil burned in American homes, while propane use spreads much wider: the top 5 propane states (Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and New York) came to 29 percent. That is why a propane page matters in states that have never seen an oil truck.
Heating oil leadersNew York (705 million gallons), Pennsylvania (519 million gallons), Massachusetts (515 million gallons), Connecticut (372 million gallons) and Maine (192 million gallons).
Propane leadersMichigan (331 million gallons), Illinois (292 million gallons), Wisconsin (278 million gallons), Minnesota (276 million gallons) and New York (265 million gallons).
States burning each48 states' homes burn heating oil and 50 burn propane, out of 50.
Residential consumption from the State Energy Data System, U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2024, the most recent year published. Heating oil is the distillate fuel oil series and propane the LPG series, both residential sector only.
Questions people ask about heating fuel prices
The rest of the heating season
Prices are the EIA's weekly residential survey, October through March, compiled 2026-09-22; the last week shown ends Mar 30, 2026. Consumption is the State Energy Data System for 2024. Btu per gallon from the British thermal units, U.S. Energy Information Administration. A season is a lot of weeks and a delivery is one day, so a dealer's own quote is the number to act on. Every state has its own page in the table above.