Residential Heating Propane Price Per Gallon
What a US homeowner actually pays per gallon for propane delivered to a primary heating tank, by region, with the full EIA weekly residential price context.
What the EIA residential price covers
The U.S. Energy Information Administration publishes a single weekly national residential propane price each Wednesday during the heating season. The headline number is a volume-weighted average across the surveyed states of the price a typical residential customer pays for propane delivered to their tank on the day of survey. The survey covers customers on standard residential pricing, not customers on special agricultural, commercial, or large-volume contracts. For the week ending 30 March 2026, that figure was $2.674 per gallon.
The number is a real number, not a quoted ask price. EIA surveys dealers (more than 500 surveyed nationally) and asks for the actual price charged to a residential customer delivered in the survey week. The published figure is a national volume-weighted average across regions. State-level breakdowns are available for the larger residential-propane states (Texas, Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Wisconsin, plus the regional PADD aggregates for everything else). The state-level breakdowns are at our by-state pages.
Regional residential bands
The residential heating propane price varies more by region than any other consumer fuel because the delivery economics differ so much. The cheapest state in the EIA survey for this season is Iowa at $1.660 per gallon, and the most expensive is North Carolina at $3.450 per gallon. That is a spread of $1.79 per gallon between two states in the same country in the same week, which is roughly 108% higher in the high-cost state than the low-cost state.
The drivers of the regional spread are dealer density, distance from the Mont Belvieu and Conway hubs, pipeline access, and the share of residential customers that use propane for primary heating (which affects route economics). Iowa and Wisconsin sit at the low end because PADD 2 has Conway hub access, dense rural cooperatives, and high-volume customers per route mile. North Carolina and Pennsylvania sit at the high end because PADD 1 has pipeline-end supply, longer hauling distances from refining centres, and lower dealer density.
Typical residential annual usage by climate
A US household heating with propane uses roughly:
| Climate zone | Example states | Typical annual gallons (1,800 sqft) |
|---|---|---|
| Cold (zones 6-7) | Minnesota, Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, Maine, Vermont | 900 to 1,400 |
| Cool (zone 5) | Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire | 700 to 1,100 |
| Mixed (zone 4) | Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Maryland | 500 to 900 |
| Warm (zone 3) | North Carolina, Arkansas, Northern Georgia | 350 to 700 |
| Hot (zones 1-2) | Florida, Southern Texas, Hawaii | 100 to 300 (water heating, cooking) |
Estimated from EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) regional propane usage and US DOE climate zones. Actual household usage varies widely with home size, insulation, thermostat set point, and water heating fuel.
A propane-heated 1,800 square foot home in cool zone 5 at 900 gallons per year, billed at the current EIA national residential price of $2.674 per gallon, runs roughly $2407 per year for heating fuel. The sister site propanecostpergallon.com runs the full annual cost calculator with climate zone, tank size, and water heating fuel as inputs.
What drives a residential propane bill
Three things determine the annual residential propane bill: the per-gallon price (this page), the gallons consumed, and the contract type. The per-gallon price the customer pays is most directly affected by the contract:
- Will-call walk-in: the dealer is referenced to fill the tank, the price quoted on the day of delivery. Walk-in customers typically pay the EIA published price band (no discount, no penalty).
- Automatic delivery: the dealer monitors tank levels (via heating degree day estimation or remote monitor) and delivers on a schedule that fills the tank before it runs out. Typically 3 to 7 cents per gallon below will-call because the dealer's route economics are better.
- Annual contract: the customer commits to a defined annual volume in writing in exchange for a margin discount. Typically 5 to 15 cents per gallon below will-call for a 800-gallon-per-year residential customer.
- Pre-buy contract: the customer pays up front for the season's expected gallons at a locked price. Common in PADD 2 (Midwest). Saves 10 to 25 cents per gallon in normal years, more in tight-supply winters.
- Cap contract: the customer pays current price up to a ceiling. The cap premium is usually 8 to 15 cents per gallon, paid for the price-spike protection.
Residential price vs commercial price
A residential customer cannot directly access the commercial price tier, but the comparison is instructive. A medium-commercial account (5,000 to 20,000 gallons per year) typically pays 12 to 20% below the residential walk-in price. The reasons (volume, single-stop delivery, signed contracts) are detailed at the commercial vs residential page. What a residential customer can do is move toward the commercial structure: sign an annual contract, switch to automatic delivery, and join a state buying group where one exists.
Seasonal pattern for residential customers
Residential propane prices follow a fairly predictable seasonal pattern: trough in August-September, climb through October as inventory drawdowns start (often accelerated by autumn corn-drying demand, see the agricultural page), peak in mid-January to early February, ease through February-March, then accelerate the decline in April-May. The amplitude varies year to year with winter severity. For a homeowner deciding when to fill, the optimal window is typically late July through early September. The seasonal patterns page charts five years of the pattern.
How residential propane compares to natural gas
Propane consistently costs more per BTU than natural gas across nearly all US markets, primarily because of the delivery infrastructure: natural gas arrives via underground pipeline at virtually no per-delivery cost, while propane arrives via tanker truck with all the delivery economics that implies. The trade-off is that propane is available where natural gas pipelines do not reach, which is roughly half of the US land area and a meaningful share of rural households. For households that do have a choice, the propane vs natural gas per BTU comparison covers the math.
Related
- By-state residential prices
- Wholesale vs retail spread
- Winter propane price per gallon
- Summer propane price per gallon
- Fill cost calculator
FAQ
How much propane does a typical US household use per year?
For a primary-heating household, 700 to 1,200 gallons per year in cool-to-cold climate zones (Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania). Less in mild climates, more in cold-zone states (Wisconsin, Maine, Vermont can reach 1,400+).
Is the EIA residential price what I will actually pay?
It is a national volume-weighted average of what residential customers paid in the survey week. Your actual price depends on your state, your contract type, your delivery volume, and your local dealer's margin. Use the regional state pages for the closer reference.
What is the best contract structure for a residential customer?
For most households, automatic delivery plus an annual volume commitment captures most of the available discount without adding price-risk complexity. Pre-buy and cap contracts add complexity that is worth it for larger-volume households or volatile-market years but typically not for a 500-gallon-per-year cooking-and- water-heating customer.
Why is the propane price so different state to state?
Distance from the Mont Belvieu and Conway hubs, dealer density, residential customer density per route mile, and PADD-level supply economics. PADD 2 (Midwest) is typically lowest; PADD 1 East Coast is typically highest. The state spread across the EIA survey can be more than $1.50 per gallon in any given week.