How America heats its homes
The fuel in your basement says more about your state than your politics. Natural gas rules the Midwest and West. Electricity blankets the South. A stubborn pocket of the Northeast still burns fuel oil.
Hover any state to see its full fuel mix. Click to highlight it in the table below.
Full fuel mix by state
Every state's complete heating-fuel breakdown, sorted by natural-gas share. Click any row to highlight it on the map above.
Methodology
This map shows the primary fuel used to heat occupied housing units in each U.S. state, based on the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Every state is colored by its dominant fuel — the single fuel used by the largest share of households — and the full breakdown appears in the table below.
Data Source
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates 2019–2023
- Table B25040 — House Heating Fuel
- Universe: occupied housing units (both owner- and renter-occupied)
Fuel Categories
The Census questionnaire asks "Which fuel is used most for heating this house?" and records nine categories: utility (natural) gas, bottled / tank / LP gas (propane), electricity, fuel oil or kerosene, coal or coke, wood, solar energy, other fuel, and "no fuel used." We preserve all nine in the state-level stacked bars and collapse to the dominant fuel for the choropleth.
Limitations
- The electricity category does not distinguish between electric resistance heat and heat pumps, even though the two differ dramatically in running cost and efficiency.
- State-level averages can mask big regional variation inside a state — urban natural gas lines vs. rural propane, for instance.
- ACS measures the fuel used most, so homes with a hybrid system (heat pump + gas backup) are counted under their primary fuel only.
- 5-year estimates lag current market conditions by roughly two years; rapid shifts such as heat pump adoption will show up in later vintages.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common way to heat a home in the US?
Natural gas (utility gas) is the most common home heating fuel in the United States. It is the dominant fuel in 29 states, primarily across the Midwest, mountain West, mid-Atlantic, and California. Electricity is dominant in 17 states — almost the entire South plus Oregon and Washington. Fuel oil still dominates in 4 Northeast states (Maine leads at 57.3%).
Which state has the highest share of electric heating?
Florida has the highest share of homes heated with electricity in the continental US — 90.9% of occupied housing units. Mild winters and low historical electricity costs drove the South to electrify heating long before heat pumps became efficient, leaving the region exposed to electric resistance heat during cold snaps.
Why is fuel oil still common in the Northeast?
Fuel oil heating persists in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut for historical reasons: natural gas distribution infrastructure never reached rural New England, homeowners invested in oil-fired boilers decades ago, and replacement costs keep installed systems running. The share of oil-heated homes is declining year over year as homeowners switch to heat pumps, propane, or natural gas where available.
How is this data collected?
This map uses the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, table B25040 (House Heating Fuel). Census asks every surveyed household which fuel is used most for heating. The 5-year estimate pools responses from 2019–2023, providing a reliable snapshot even for smaller states.
What counts as "Electricity" in these numbers?
The electricity category includes all forms of electric heat: electric resistance (baseboards, wall heaters, furnaces) and electric heat pumps (air-source and geothermal). ACS does not distinguish between these, which matters for efficiency analysis — a heat pump uses roughly a third of the electricity of resistance heat for the same output.
How does my heating fuel affect my costs?
Cost per BTU varies substantially by fuel: natural gas is typically the cheapest delivered energy for heating, followed by heat pumps, then propane and fuel oil, with electric resistance heat usually the most expensive. Local utility rates, home efficiency, and climate matter too. Our furnace and heat pump calculators can estimate annual heating costs for your specific situation.
Can I use this data in my article or research?
Yes — we encourage journalists, researchers, and bloggers to cite this data. It is sourced directly from the U.S. Census Bureau and is in the public domain. Please link back to this page as the source.
Curious what your heating system costs to run?
Whether you burn gas, oil, or run a heat pump, our calculators estimate installation and annual operating costs for your specific home and climate.