Heating Oil and Propane Prices by State: Winter 2025–26 Costs and How to Budget
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Homes that heat with oil or propane pay for fuel by the delivery, not by the month, so a single fill can cost several hundred dollars or more. In the 2025–26 heating season, residential heating oil averaged $4.01 a gallon nationally and propane averaged $2.55, according to weekly surveys by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Heating oil ended the season much higher than it started: it was $3.53 in late October 2025 and $5.57 on March 23, 2026.
For the whole winter (November through March), the EIA estimates that households heating mainly with heating oil spent $1,749 on that fuel, 15% more than the previous winter. Households heating mainly with propane spent $1,286, 3% less. This page lists the season averages for every state the EIA surveys and shows how to plan for deliveries.
Winter heating bills by fuel, 2025–26
The EIA’s final estimates for winter 2025–26, published April 7, 2026, are averages for households grouped by their main heating fuel. They cover all uses of that fuel, not only space heating.
| Main heating fuel | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Winter total | Change from 2024–25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heating oil | $250 | $365 | $393 | $382 | $358 | $1,749 | +15% |
| Propane | $194 | $292 | $338 | $264 | $197 | $1,286 | -3% |
| Natural gas | $116 | $156 | $173 | $137 | $104 | $686 | +6% |
| Electricity | $202 | $248 | $275 | $225 | $197 | $1,146 | +5% |
Source: EIA, Winter Fuels Outlook 2025–26, final estimates. Propane figures are a household-weighted average of the Northeast, Midwest and South.
Heating oil households paid far more than the EIA expected in October 2025, when it forecast $1,390. The winter was not unusually cold, with U.S. heating degree days 3% below the previous winter. The weekly prices below show where the difference came from: heating oil climbed from about $3.64 a gallon in early January to $4.10 by late February, then jumped to $5.09 on March 9 and $5.57 on March 23.
The EIA’s monthly figures assume each household pays the going retail price when it uses the fuel. Households that prepaid or locked in a price before winter, or filled their tanks in the fall, may have paid quite different amounts.
Heating oil prices by state, winter 2025–26
The EIA surveys residential heating oil prices weekly from October through March. The table covers the 21 states in the 2025–26 survey, sorted by season average.
| State | Average, Oct 2025–Mar 2026 | Low week | High week | Average, Oct 2024–Mar 2025 | Change | Cost of 100 gallons at the 2025–26 average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. average | $4.01 | $3.53 | $5.57 | $3.66 | +9.5% | $401 |
| Delaware | $4.43 | $3.92 | $5.91 | $3.95 | +12.2% | $443 |
| New Jersey | $4.30 | $3.78 | $5.87 | $3.86 | +11.4% | $430 |
| New York | $4.29 | $3.83 | $5.91 | $3.90 | +9.9% | $429 |
| Massachusetts | $4.12 | $3.55 | $5.77 | $3.71 | +11.0% | $412 |
| Rhode Island | $4.11 | $3.61 | $5.81 | $3.68 | +11.9% | $411 |
| Maryland | $4.04 | $3.59 | $5.38 | $3.79 | +6.6% | $404 |
| Connecticut | $3.95 | $3.39 | $5.60 | $3.54 | +11.5% | $395 |
| Vermont | $3.91 | $3.41 | $5.56 | $3.67 | +6.5% | $391 |
| New Hampshire | $3.90 | $3.47 | $5.41 | $3.87 | +0.7% | $390 |
| Virginia | $3.88 | $3.61 | $5.28 | $3.66 | +6.1% | $388 |
| Ohio | $3.74 | $3.35 | $4.81 | $3.50 | +6.7% | $374 |
| Pennsylvania | $3.73 | $3.24 | $5.20 | $3.37 | +10.8% | $373 |
| Maine | $3.73 | $3.23 | $5.41 | $3.44 | +8.4% | $373 |
| Minnesota | $3.63 | $3.41 | $4.25 | $3.48 | +4.4% | $363 |
| North Carolina | $3.55 | $3.25 | $5.00 | $3.31 | +7.4% | $355 |
| Indiana | $3.53 | $3.05 | $4.77 | $3.29 | +7.5% | $353 |
| Michigan | $3.38 | $2.98 | $4.56 | $3.09 | +9.2% | $338 |
| Wisconsin | $3.31 | $2.84 | $4.50 | $3.02 | +9.6% | $331 |
| Kentucky | $3.28 | $2.86 | $4.87 | $2.95 | +11.3% | $328 |
| Iowa | $3.21 | $2.77 | $4.31 | $2.91 | +10.2% | $321 |
| Nebraska | $2.92 | $2.50 | $3.97 | $2.76 | +5.9% | $292 |
Propane prices by state, winter 2025–26
The propane survey covers 38 states. Prices vary far more by region than heating oil prices do: Florida’s average was nearly three times Iowa’s.
| State | Average, Oct 2025–Mar 2026 | Low week | High week | Average, Oct 2024–Mar 2025 | Change | Cost of 100 gallons at the 2025–26 average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. average | $2.55 | $2.42 | $2.68 | $2.59 | -1.5% | $255 |
| Florida | $4.67 | $4.47 | $4.76 | $4.72 | -1.1% | $467 |
| Connecticut | $3.83 | $3.69 | $4.12 | $3.92 | -2.4% | $383 |
| Vermont | $3.69 | $3.49 | $3.81 | $3.68 | +0.2% | $369 |
| Rhode Island | $3.63 | $3.51 | $3.79 | $3.67 | -1.1% | $363 |
| New Jersey | $3.63 | $3.51 | $3.82 | $3.66 | -0.8% | $363 |
| Maryland | $3.58 | $3.46 | $3.74 | $3.62 | -1.1% | $358 |
| New Hampshire | $3.58 | $3.43 | $3.78 | $3.65 | -1.8% | $358 |
| Delaware | $3.57 | $3.35 | $3.74 | $3.79 | -5.8% | $357 |
| New York | $3.53 | $3.36 | $3.76 | $3.44 | +2.5% | $353 |
| Alabama | $3.46 | $3.42 | $3.52 | $3.42 | +1.3% | $346 |
| Virginia | $3.46 | $3.41 | $3.56 | $3.52 | -1.7% | $346 |
| Massachusetts | $3.41 | $3.31 | $3.65 | $3.59 | -5.0% | $341 |
| North Carolina | $3.36 | $3.29 | $3.45 | $3.39 | -1.0% | $336 |
| Maine | $3.29 | $3.12 | $3.54 | $3.39 | -2.9% | $329 |
| Tennessee | $3.15 | $2.98 | $3.25 | $3.21 | -2.0% | $315 |
| Georgia | $3.08 | $2.94 | $3.21 | $3.13 | -1.8% | $308 |
| Mississippi | $3.02 | $2.95 | $3.06 | $3.01 | +0.3% | $302 |
| Texas | $2.94 | $2.91 | $2.99 | $2.94 | -0.1% | $294 |
| Pennsylvania | $2.93 | $2.81 | $3.10 | $2.96 | -0.8% | $293 |
| Kentucky | $2.67 | $2.45 | $3.06 | $2.69 | -0.6% | $267 |
| Ohio | $2.58 | $2.41 | $2.75 | $2.67 | -3.6% | $258 |
| Indiana | $2.47 | $2.18 | $2.79 | $2.41 | +2.4% | $247 |
| Idaho | $2.36 | $2.29 | $2.43 | $2.50 | -5.3% | $236 |
| Arkansas | $2.34 | $2.19 | $2.51 | $2.44 | -4.1% | $234 |
| Utah | $2.29 | $2.24 | $2.34 | $2.40 | -4.5% | $229 |
| Michigan | $2.26 | $2.16 | $2.37 | $2.27 | -0.3% | $226 |
| Oklahoma | $2.22 | $2.15 | $2.30 | $2.28 | -2.6% | $222 |
| Colorado | $2.22 | $2.08 | $2.30 | $2.26 | -1.5% | $222 |
| Missouri | $2.10 | $1.94 | $2.27 | $2.12 | -1.1% | $210 |
| Montana | $2.02 | $1.84 | $2.20 | $2.17 | -6.6% | $202 |
| Minnesota | $1.95 | $1.78 | $2.11 | $1.97 | -1.0% | $195 |
| Wisconsin | $1.91 | $1.71 | $2.07 | $1.94 | -1.4% | $191 |
| Illinois | $1.91 | $1.72 | $2.20 | $1.91 | +0.0% | $191 |
| Kansas | $1.90 | $1.77 | $2.00 | $1.86 | +2.1% | $190 |
| South Dakota | $1.79 | $1.64 | $1.86 | $1.88 | -4.5% | $179 |
| North Dakota | $1.63 | $1.44 | $1.71 | $1.71 | -4.9% | $163 |
| Nebraska | $1.61 | $1.57 | $1.64 | $1.66 | -3.3% | $161 |
| Iowa | $1.59 | $1.52 | $1.66 | $1.62 | -1.5% | $159 |
Source for both tables: EIA, weekly heating oil and propane residential prices, series PET_PRI_WFR_A_EPD2F_PRS_DPGAL_W and PET_PRI_WFR_A_EPLLPA_PRS_DPGAL_W. Prices exclude taxes. The season average is the simple average of the 26 weekly prices from October 6, 2025, through March 30, 2026, calculated on this page. The prior-season average uses the 26 weeks from October 7, 2024, through March 31, 2025. “Cost of 100 gallons” multiplies the rounded season average by 100 and also excludes taxes and delivery fees.
What the state numbers show
Heating oil rose in every surveyed state. The season average was higher than in 2024–25 in all 21 states, by between 0.7% (New Hampshire) and 12.2% (Delaware). Delaware, New Jersey and New York had the highest averages, each $4.29 a gallon or more. Nebraska had the lowest, $2.92. Every state’s highest weekly price came in the last two weeks of March.
Propane was steady and mostly cheaper. The U.S. average fell 1.5%, and 31 of the 38 states were lower than the year before. Weekly prices moved much less than heating oil prices did. The national range for the whole season was $2.42 to $2.68.
Propane is cheapest where it is used most. The five lowest propane prices were all in the Plains and upper Midwest: Iowa ($1.59), Nebraska ($1.61), North Dakota ($1.63), South Dakota ($1.79) and Kansas ($1.90). The Midwest also has more propane-heated homes than any other region, about 2.2 million in 2024 by the EIA’s count. Florida had the highest price, $4.67.
Heating oil is concentrated in the Northeast. Of the 4.35 million U.S. homes that the EIA counts as heating mainly with oil, 3.56 million are in the Northeast.
How much fuel a winter takes
In its October 2025 outlook, the EIA estimated that a household heating with oil would use about 399 gallons from November through March. For propane it estimated 512 gallons in the Northeast, 639 in the Midwest and 365 in the South. These are averages. A larger, older or less insulated home, or a colder winter, uses more. A home that also uses the fuel for hot water or cooking uses more than one that heats with it alone.
At those amounts, price differences add up quickly. At New York’s 2025–26 heating oil average of $4.29, 399 gallons costs $1,712 before taxes. At Nebraska’s $2.92, the same amount costs $1,165. For propane, 639 gallons at Iowa’s $1.59 is $1,016. In the Northeast, 512 gallons at Connecticut’s $3.83 is $1,961.
Budgeting for heating deliveries
Fuel delivery bills cluster in the coldest months. In the EIA’s estimates, January alone was 22% of the winter’s heating oil spending and 26% of propane spending. A budget that only averages the cost over 12 months can still come up short in January.
- Estimate your winter gallons. Your past delivery receipts or your supplier’s account history are the best guide. Add up the gallons for a full season.
- Price them at a realistic rate. Use your supplier’s current price, or a recent average from the tables above, and add sales tax if your state charges it. Heating oil showed how fast prices can change: the March 2026 peak was 58% above the October 2025 low.
- Save across the whole year. If your deliveries total about $1,700 a winter, saving $142 a month from April through March covers it. Starting in October leaves only six months, so the same total needs about $283 a month.
- Consider the supplier’s payment options. Many dealers offer budget plans that spread payments over 10 or 12 months, or prepaid and fixed-price contracts set before winter. These change when you pay and can limit price risk, but terms vary. Read the contract for fees, the price cap or fixed price and what happens to unused gallons.
- Check for help early. The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps eligible households pay heating bills. States run the program and set their own deadlines.
The annual bill calendar can hold each expected delivery as its own bill with an amount and a month. It then shows the monthly set-aside and the opening balance needed to cover a heavy January. For the general method, see how to budget for irregular expenses and why to plan for your worst month, not your average one.
This page is general information, not energy or financial advice. Your fuel supplier’s price, your tank size and your own usage determine your actual bills.
About the EIA price data
The EIA collects residential heating oil and propane prices through its State Heating Oil and Propane Program, with residential prices reported by state energy offices. It describes the residential heating oil price as the price for home delivery of No. 2 heating oil, “exclusive of any discounts such as those for prompt cash payment,” and notes that prices do not include taxes paid by the consumer. Weekly prices are collected from October through March and are released on Wednesdays. From April through September, prices are collected monthly. The EIA says residential and wholesale prices for the 2026–27 season will resume in October 2026, and it usually publishes a new Winter Fuels Outlook in October.
Data were retrieved on October 3, 2026. The weekly prices come from the EIA’s downloadable spreadsheets. The season averages, ranges and changes were calculated on this page from those weekly values.
Sources
- EIA: Heating Oil and Propane Update
- EIA: Weekly No. 2 heating oil residential prices by state
- EIA: Weekly propane residential prices by state
- EIA: Definitions, sources and explanatory notes for weekly heating oil and propane prices
- EIA: Winter Fuels Outlook 2025–26, with final estimates published April 7, 2026
- EIA: Winter Fuels Outlook 2025–26 presentation (PDF)
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)