Heating oil and propane prices per gallon today, state by state

Heating oil averaged $6.190 a gallon and propane $2.689 in the United States in the week of October 19, 2026, before tax. Choose your state and the gallons you order.

Fuel

Heating oil, Massachusetts, week of October 19, 2026

$6.115/gal

150 gallons at this price$917
Change from the week before-$0.001
Same week a year ago$3.548 (+72.4 %)
Average of last winter (2025-26, November to March)$4.221
Wholesale price the same week$5.340 (dealer spread $0.775)
U.S. average$6.190

EIA weekly survey of October 19, 2026, excluding taxes. Next release October 28, 2026.

How this is computed

EIA weekly survey of , published October 21, 2026, excluding taxes · next release October 28, 2026 · How the figures are made · Who publishes this · page updated

Residential heating oil cost an average of $6.190 a gallon in the United States in the Energy Information Administration's survey of October 19, 2026, up 76 % on the same week of 2025, and residential propane $2.689, up 11 %. State averages ran from $5.630 in Nebraska to $6.431 in Delaware for heating oil, and from $1.651 in North Dakota to $4.928 in Florida for propane. At the national average, 150 gallons of heating oil cost $929, and filling a 500-gallon propane tank from 30 % to the usual 80 % costs $672. The EIA's winter outlook expects the average oil-heated home to spend $2,115 from November to March and the average propane home $1,246. Prices exclude taxes and refresh every Wednesday from October to March; the lookup above gives your state's figure and the cost of your order.

Heating oil and propane prices in every surveyed state

EIA weekly residential prices, week of October 19, 2026, excluding taxes. In brackets: change from the same week a year ago.
StateHeating oil a gallonPropane a gallon
Alabamanot surveyed$3.573 (4 % on a year)
Arkansasnot surveyed$2.596 (19 % on a year)
Coloradonot surveyed$2.362 (12 % on a year)
Connecticut$6.154 (81 % on a year)$4.226 (15 % on a year)
Delaware$6.431 (64 % on a year)$3.755 (10 % on a year)
Floridanot surveyed$4.928 (9 % on a year)
Georgianot surveyed$3.212 (9 % on a year)
Idahonot surveyed$2.586 (13 % on a year)
Illinoisnot surveyed$1.943 (12 % on a year)
Indiana$6.053 (83 % on a year)$2.559 (15 % on a year)
Iowa$5.817 (93 % on a year)$1.704 (12 % on a year)
Kansasnot surveyed$2.074 (17 % on a year)
Kentucky$5.890 (94 % on a year)$2.844 (16 % on a year)
Maine$6.026 (86 % on a year)$3.709 (18 % on a year)
Maryland$6.371 (77 % on a year)$3.799 (8 % on a year)
Massachusetts$6.115 (72 % on a year)$3.659 (7 % on a year)
Michigan$5.808 (86 % on a year)$2.434 (13 % on a year)
Minnesota$5.916 (68 % on a year)$2.014 (12 % on a year)
Mississippinot surveyed$3.137 (5 % on a year)
Missourinot surveyed$2.181 (12 % on a year)
Montananot surveyed$2.168 (16 % on a year)
Nebraska$5.630 (104 % on a year)$1.783 (12 % on a year)
New Hampshire$6.033 (74 % on a year)$3.843 (12 % on a year)
New Jersey$6.382 (69 % on a year)$4.075 (16 % on a year)
New York$6.417 (68 % on a year)$3.727 (10 % on a year)
North Carolina$5.828 (79 % on a year)$3.612 (10 % on a year)
North Dakotanot surveyed$1.651 (9 % on a year)
Ohio$6.031 (75 % on a year)$2.647 (3 % on a year)
Oklahomanot surveyed$2.352 (7 % on a year)
Pennsylvania$6.066 (87 % on a year)$3.163 (12 % on a year)
Rhode Island$6.380 (77 % on a year)$4.167 (16 % on a year)
South Dakotanot surveyed$1.870 (13 % on a year)
Tennesseenot surveyed$3.219 (6 % on a year)
Texasnot surveyed$3.137 (7 % on a year)
Utahnot surveyed$2.329 (3 % on a year)
Vermont$6.097 (79 % on a year)$3.881 (9 % on a year)
Virginia$6.003 (66 % on a year)$3.760 (10 % on a year)
Wisconsin$5.786 (88 % on a year)$1.940 (12 % on a year)
U.S. average$6.190 (76 % on a year)$2.689 (11 % on a year)
$3.50$4.19$4.88$5.56$6.25OctNovDecJanFebMar
Solid line: heating oil in the United States this season, 3weeks to October 19, 2026. Dashed line: last season, October 6, 2025 to March 30, 2026. EIA weekly survey, excluding taxes.

What the weekly survey measures

Every Monday from October through March, the EIA's State Heating Oil and Propane Program asks a sample of fuel dealers what they charge households for No. 2 heating oil and for propane. The averages come out on Wednesday, by state, by petroleum district and for the nation (EIA Heating Oil and Propane Update). They are prices per gallon, excluding taxes, and the EIA can revise the previous week when late reports arrive. This season the program covers 21 states for heating oil and 38 for propane: the oil states of the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic and the upper Midwest, and a wider set for propane that reaches from Florida and Texas to the Rocky Mountains.

A state average is a yardstick, not your price. Your dealer's quote depends on the size of the order, the type of account (automatic delivery, will-call, cash on delivery), any service plan and, for propane, whether you own or lease the tank. What the average does tell you is where the market is this week, how it has moved, and whether a quote is in the normal range.

This week in context

The national heating oil price rose $0.052 from the week before. Last winter it averaged $4.094 from November to March, with a high of $5.566 on March 23, 2026. The highest week since October 2013 is $6.190, in the week of October 19, 2026. The EIA's outlook of October 2026 forecasts $5.265 a gallon on average for this winter (the forecast in detail).

Propane moves on a different rhythm. The national propane average this week is $2.689, against a winter average of $2.575 last season. Its wholesale price was $1.242, so most of what a household pays goes to delivery and the dealer's costs rather than to the gas itself. That is also why propane prices differ so much between states, and heating oil so little.

Cost to fill your tank at this week's price

Cost to fill your heating oil tank

$1,324

Gallons the delivery adds206 gallons
New York average, October 19, 2026$6.417/gal
Same fill at last year's price ($3.830)$790
Full tank from empty, same price$1,765
Open the tank fill calculator →

From a price per gallon to a winter's bill

Most people who search for heating oil prices want one of three numbers. The first is the cost of the next delivery: gallons needed times the price, which depends on your tank and your gauge. The oil tank calculator and the propane tank calculator do it; the propane one applies the federal limit on how full a tank may be (29 CFR 1910.110), which several price pages ignore.

The second is the cost of the winter. Fuel use follows heating degree days, and the EIA publishes the gallons an average household burns in each region over a normal winter: 402 gallons of heating oil, 494 gallons of propane. The winter budget scales them to your state with NOAA's normals (NOAA degree days) and multiplies by this week's price, or uses your own gallons from last winter.

The third is a decision: sign the fixed-price or prebuy contract a dealer offers, or pay the weekly price. Over the 13 winters on file, the national heating oil price averaged above its mid-October level from November to March in 7. The lock-in check replays every winter of your state against the price you are offered and gives the break-even.

Where oil and propane heat American homes

The EIA counts 4,134,422 households heating mainly with heating oil or kerosene this winter, 3,388,280 of them in the Northeast, and 6,360,826 heating with propane, spread far more evenly: 2,190,772 in the Midwest, 1,900,914 in the South, 1,295,270 in the Northeast and 973,870 in the West. The Census Bureau's count by state (American Community Survey, Table B25040) shows the same map: oil concentrated in the Northeast, propane present in every region. Each state page gives the number of homes on each fuel next to the prices.

New York has a second source. NYSERDA publishes weekly averages for Long Island, New York City, the Hudson Valley and the upstate regions on the state's open data portal (NYSERDA heating oil prices), and the Long Island page compares them.

Calculators and guides

Weekly prices

  1. Heating oil prices by stateThe 21 states of the federal survey, this week, with the change on a year.
  2. Propane prices by stateResidential propane in every surveyed state this week, from Florida to North Dakota.
  3. Long Island and New York regionsNYSERDA's weekly heating oil and propane prices for Long Island, NYC and upstate regions.
  4. Heating oil price historyEvery winter since 2013-14: October price, winter average, high and low, by state.
  5. Price forecast for this winterThe EIA's forecast for heating oil and propane this winter, and what it means for a bill.

Delivery and winter cost

  1. Heating oil tank fill costWhat your next delivery costs, from the gauge reading and this week's price.
  2. Propane tank fill costGallons and dollars for a 120 to 1,000 gallon tank, with the 80 % rule applied.
  3. Winter heating budgetGallons and dollars for November to March, scaled to your state's degree days.
  4. How long will my oil lastDays left in your tank at your state's normal weather, month by month.
  5. Heating oil vs propaneCost of the same heat from oil, propane and electricity, state by state.

Contracts and help

  1. Lock in a price or waitA fixed or capped price against every winter since 2013-14 in your state.
  2. LIHEAP income limitsThe federal income ceiling for heating help, for each state and household size.

Before you call for a delivery

Why heating oil prices differ between states

Heating oil reaches each state from coastal and inland terminals at a wholesale price that differs little across a region. Dealers then add the cost of storage, trucks, drivers, credit, service plans and their margin. The EIA publishes both prices for most oil states, so the dealer spread can be measured: this week it runs from $0.363 to $1.165 a gallon. The order of the states changes slowly from week to week; the level of the whole table moves with the wholesale market for distillates, which also drives diesel (EIA, heating oil explained). The state table for heating oil ranks them with the spread.

Why propane can cost twice as much one state over

Wholesale propane costs about the same everywhere in a region. The retail price adds delivery to scattered tanks, tank rental or maintenance and the dealer's margin, and that added part ranges widely: this week the state averages run from $1.651 to $4.928. A household in a dear state gains most from knowing the state average, because the quotes it receives can be far from it in either direction. The state table for propane gives every surveyed state with last winter's average.

Taxes, fees and what the average leaves out

The EIA excludes taxes so that states compare on the same basis. Your bill can add a state or local tax, an environmental fee, a small-delivery charge, an after-hours charge, a tank rental or a service plan. Heating oil carries no road fuel tax: it is dyed red to show that it is exempt from the federal, state and local taxes on fuel for vehicles. Every calculator on this site has an option to add a tax rate and, for the price, to type the one your dealer quotes.

When the numbers change

The EIA released the current figures on October 21, 2026 and plans the next release for October 28, 2026. A script reads the files on the day of release and rebuilds the site; if the EIA's server does not answer, the previous week stays online with its own date, and nothing is estimated in its place. From April to September the survey stops: the pages then show the last week of March until the first October release. The winter forecast follows the EIA's monthly outlook, the degree days and the household counts change once a year.

Help with heating bills

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps households pay for heating, including oil and propane deliveries. Federal law caps the income a state may use at the greater of 150 % of the poverty guideline and 60 % of the state median income (42 U.S.C. 8624); for a household of three that ceiling is $65,359 a year in Pennsylvania and $61,498 in Maine for fiscal year 2027. States may set lower limits. The LIHEAP calculator gives the ceiling for every state and household size.

Oil or propane: comparing the heat, not the gallon

A gallon of heating oil holds 138,500 Btu and a gallon of propane 91,452, according to the EIA (Btu explained). Comparing prices per gallon therefore flatters propane. The fair comparison is the cost of a million Btu delivered into the home after the efficiency of the boiler or furnace. At this week's national averages and ENERGY STAR minimum efficiencies, oil heat costs $51 and propane heat $33 per million Btu. The comparison page does it state by state, with electric resistance heat for reference.

Questions buyers of heating fuel ask

What is the price of heating oil per gallon today?

The latest federal survey, for the week of October 19, 2026, puts the U.S. residential average at $6.190 a gallon excluding taxes. State averages ranged from $5.630 to $6.431. Prices are surveyed each Monday and published each Wednesday from October to March; the lookup at the top gives your state's figure.

Why are heating oil prices so high this year?

The retail price follows the wholesale price of distillate fuel, which this week stood at $5.323 a gallon nationally against $6.190 at retail. The national retail price is up 76 % on a year. The EIA's outlook explains its forecast in its monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook; the forecast page summarizes it.

Is propane cheaper than heating oil?

Per gallon it usually is, but a gallon of propane carries 66 % of the heat of a gallon of oil. Per unit of heat delivered, the answer depends on the state and the week. The comparison page computes the cost of a million Btu from both fuels in every state surveyed for both, with your equipment's efficiency.

When does the EIA publish heating oil prices?

On Wednesday of each week from October through March, for prices collected on the Monday. The current release is dated October 21, 2026 and the next one is planned for October 28, 2026. Between April and September the survey stops, and this site keeps the last published week on display with its date.

Does this site sell heating oil or pass my details to dealers?

No. Heat Fuel Prices is an independent publisher of price data and calculators. It sells no fuel, lists no dealer, takes no commission and asks for no ZIP code, address, phone number or e-mail. The calculators run in your browser; what you type is not sent anywhere.

How much does it cost to heat a house with oil for a winter?

The EIA's outlook puts the average oil-heated household at 402 gallons and $2,115 from November to March in a normal winter. A home in a cold state or with poor insulation burns more. The winter budget calculator scales the gallons to your state's degree days and applies this week's state price.

Files and texts this page relies on

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Independent publisher of weekly heating oil and propane price calculators for the 38 states the federal survey covers

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State averages from a weekly federal survey, excluding taxes: your dealer's price can be higher or lower. Winter budgets and forecasts are estimates for information only, not an offer and not financial advice.

Heating season 2026, federal price survey last read on