Heating oil remains a concentrated but measurable part of U.S. home energy use. The latest estimates put primary heating-oil use at about 4.79 million households in winter 2023–2024, while detailed 2020 data show how strongly that use is concentrated in the Northeast and how household costs vary by fuel.
Key Heating Oil Statistics
The most useful headline figures are:
- In winter 2023–2024, about 4.79 million U.S. households used heating oil as their primary heating fuel.
- In winter 2023–2024, about 82% of U.S. heating-oil households were in the Northeast Census Region.
- In the winter 2022–2023 estimate, heating oil was the primary space-heating fuel for about 4% of U.S. households.
- The 2024 ACS counted 4,654,835 occupied U.S. housing units using fuel oil, kerosene, or a similar fuel for home heating.
- In 2020, fuel oil or kerosene was used for space heating in 5.39 million U.S. homes.
- In 2020, fuel oil or kerosene was the main space-heating fuel in 4.93 million U.S. homes.
- In 2020, the Northeast had 4.26 million homes using fuel oil or kerosene for space heating.
- In 2020, New England had 2.01 million homes using fuel oil or kerosene for space heating.
- Average U.S. heating-oil household consumption was 473 gallons in winter 2023–24.
- Average U.S. heating-oil consumption was forecast at 502 gallons per household in winter 2024–25.
- Average U.S. heating-oil price was $2.53 per gallon before tax in winter 2023–24.
- EIA estimated 2022–23 winter heating-oil expenditure at $2,094 per U.S. household.
- In 2020, fuel-oil or kerosene primary-space-heating households spent an average of $1,164 on space heating.
- In 2020, natural-gas primary-space-heating households spent an average of $519 on space heating.
- U.S. average heating degree days were 3,035 in winter 2023–24.
- Northeast heating degree days were 4,537 in winter 2021–22.
- Residential heating-oil consumption peaked in the 1970s and has declined nearly every year since, according to EIA.
- Space heating, cooling, and ventilation accounted for 46% of energy consumed by U.S. residential and commercial buildings in 2021.
Contents
- Household use and national scale
- Northeast heating oil data
- Seasonal consumption, prices, and bills
- Heating oil costs versus other fuels
- Weather and heating oil demand
- Heating oil trends and building energy
Heating Oil Statistics: Household Use and National Scale
EIA estimated that about 4.79 million U.S. households used heating oil as their primary heating fuel in winter 2023–2024. The estimate includes distillate fuel oil, and EIA placed about 82% of those households in the Northeast Census Region. EIA, “Use of heating oil”
A separate Winter Fuels Outlook estimate put heating oil at about 4% of primary space-heating fuel use among U.S. households in winter 2022–2023. The 2024 American Community Survey counted 4,654,835 occupied housing units using fuel oil, kerosene, or a similar fuel for home heating, a broader category than heating oil alone. EIA, “Table WF01. Seasonal Average Household Consumption, Prices, and Expenditures by Heating Fuel”; U.S. Census Bureau, “B25040 House Heating Fuel, 2024 ACS 1-Year Estimates”
The 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey provides a different but useful baseline. It covered 123.53 million primary occupied U.S. homes and found that fuel oil or kerosene was used for space heating in 5.39 million homes, including 4.93 million where it was the main space-heating fuel and 0.48 million where it was secondary.
| 2020 RECS measure | U.S. homes | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Primary occupied homes covered | 123.53 million | Excludes vacant, seasonal, second homes, military housing, and group quarters |
| Fuel oil or kerosene used for space heating | 5.39 million | Main and secondary use |
| Main space-heating fuel | 4.93 million | RECS main-fuel classification |
| Secondary space-heating fuel | 0.48 million | Estimate may not sum exactly because of rounding |
| Fuel oil or kerosene used for water heating | 2.68 million | Can overlap with space-heating use |
These measures should not be treated as interchangeable. EIA uses heating oil, distillate fuel oil, and fuel oil or kerosene in related tables, while the ACS category is broader than heating oil alone; RECS end-use measures can also overlap. EIA, “Table HC1.7 Fuels used and end uses in homes in the Northeast and Midwest regions, 2020”
Northeast Heating Oil Data by Region and End Use
The Northeast is the defining geography for U.S. heating-oil use. In the 2020 RECS table, the region contained 21.92 million primary occupied homes: 5.88 million in New England and 16.04 million in the Middle Atlantic.
| 2020 RECS geography | Primary occupied homes | Fuel oil or kerosene for space heating | Main space-heating fuel | Water heating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 21.92 million | 4.26 million | 4.07 million | 2.43 million |
| New England | 5.88 million | 2.01 million | 1.94 million | 1.16 million |
| Middle Atlantic | 16.04 million | 2.25 million | 2.12 million | 1.26 million |
The same table counted 0.38 million Midwest homes using fuel oil or kerosene for space heating: 0.33 million in the East North Central division and 0.05 million in the West North Central division. Smaller regional estimates have higher relative uncertainty, and the West North Central figure is especially small. EIA, “Table HC1.7 Fuels used and end uses in homes in the Northeast and Midwest regions, 2020”
For any-purpose use, fuel oil or kerosene appeared in 14.96% of Middle Atlantic homes, 16.30% of East North Central homes, and 29.04% of West North Central homes in 2020. These percentages cover any use rather than primary space heating, so they should not be compared directly with the primary-heating shares above.
Seasonal Heating Oil Consumption, Prices, and Household Bills
EIA’s Winter Fuels Outlook covers November 1 through March 31. Its per-household consumption estimates apply to households using the fuel as their primary space-heating fuel, are corrected for heating degree days, and include kerosene in household counts.
| Winter | Average consumption per household | Average price, before tax | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | 501 gallons | $2.15/gallon | Estimate |
| 2021–22 | 507 gallons | $2.79/gallon | Estimate |
| 2022–23 | 493 gallons | $2.69/gallon | Estimate |
| 2023–24 | 473 gallons | $2.53/gallon | Estimate |
| 2024–25 | 502 gallons | $2.64/gallon | Forecast |
The consumption series declined from 507 gallons per household in winter 2021–22 to 473 gallons in winter 2023–24, while the listed average price also fell from $2.79 to $2.53 per gallon. The 2024–25 values are forecasts, not final observed outcomes. EIA, “Table WF01. Seasonal Average Household Consumption, Prices, and Expenditures by Heating Fuel”
EIA’s March update for winter 2022–23 used a different price estimate of $4.45 per gallon and estimated heating-oil expenditure at $2,094 per household. EIA said that expenditure estimate was 13% higher than its 2021–22 winter estimate; the update price should not be combined with the later seasonal table without noting the different source vintage. EIA, “Mild temperatures reduced U.S. household heating fuel consumption last winter”
Heating Oil Costs Compared With Other Primary Heating Fuels
The 2020 RECS gives a direct U.S. household-cost comparison for primary space-heating fuels. Fuel-oil or kerosene households had a higher average space-heating expenditure than propane, natural gas, or electricity households in that survey year.
| Primary space-heating fuel, 2020 | Average space-heating expenditure per household |
|---|---|
| Fuel oil or kerosene | $1,164 |
| Propane | $1,010 |
| Natural gas | $519 |
| Electricity | $396 |
These are observed 2020 RECS averages, not current prices or a forecast. They measure space-heating expenditure for households grouped by primary fuel and do not establish that fuel choice alone caused the difference. EIA, “EIA releases 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey results”
New Hampshire illustrates the regional concentration. Fuel oil was the most common primary heating fuel in 40% of New Hampshire households in 2020 RECS, while average space-heating expenditure across all primary heating fuels was $981 per household in the state. EIA, “EIA releases 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey results”
Weather, Heating Degree Days, and Heating Oil Demand
Heating degree days (HDDs) provide a weather measure for interpreting seasonal heating demand. U.S. average HDDs fell from 3,281 in winter 2020–21 to 3,035 in winter 2023–24, while Northeast HDDs were 4,387 in 2020–21, 4,537 in 2021–22, and 4,098 in 2022–23.
| Winter | U.S. average HDDs | Northeast HDDs |
|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | 3,281 | 4,387 |
| 2021–22 | 3,275 | 4,537 |
| 2022–23 | 3,213 | 4,098 |
| 2023–24 | 3,035 | Not supplied |
The Winter Fuels Outlook adjusts per-household consumption for HDDs, which matters because a colder or warmer winter changes the amount of fuel needed even when the underlying heating system and household are unchanged. EIA, “Table WF01. Seasonal Average Household Consumption, Prices, and Expenditures by Heating Fuel”
Heating Oil Trends and Building-Energy Context
EIA reports that residential heating-oil consumption peaked in the 1970s and has declined nearly every year since. That is a historical trend statement rather than a supplied annual time series, so it does not provide a year-by-year rate of decline. EIA, “Use of heating oil”
Heating oil sits within a much larger building-energy picture. In 2021, space heating, cooling, and ventilation accounted for 46% of energy consumed by U.S. residential and commercial buildings, while space conditioning accounted for 55% of residential delivered energy.
The AEO2022 Reference case projects residential delivered-energy consumption growing 0.2% per year from 2021 to 2050; its Cooler case projects 0.8% annual growth. These are scenario projections, not realized outcomes. EIA, “Annual Energy Outlook 2022: Alternative Weather Assumptions”
| 2050 weather scenario versus Reference case | Heating degree days | Building delivered energy |
|---|---|---|
| Cooler case | 32% higher | 12% higher |
| Warmer case | 25% lower | 5% lower |
The same EIA analysis estimates that New England commercial space heating used 55% distillate fuel oil and 42% natural gas in 2021 in the AEO2022 Reference case. That is a model-based commercial space-heating fuel share, not a household heating-oil share.
Across four heating-dominated Census divisions—West North Central, East North Central, Middle Atlantic, and New England—fossil fuels accounted for 53% to 63% of residential and commercial consumption for all end uses in 2021. This broader measure includes all end uses and should not be read as a heating-oil-only statistic. EIA, “Annual Energy Outlook 2022: Alternative Weather Assumptions”