How are homes heated in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA?

Name: Heating fuel in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

Utility gas is the most common heating fuel in Rancho Santa Margarita, used by 73.1% (±2.9 points) of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

23.0% heat with electricity.

0.0% heat with fuel oil or kerosene.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Utility gas: 73.1% (±2.9 points)
Electricity: 23.0%
Fuel oil, kerosene: 0.0%

Heating fuel in Rancho Santa Margarita

Occupied housing units by house heating fuel, 2020–2024
Fuel used most	Rancho Santa Margarita	Orange County	California	United States
Utility gas	73.1% (±2.9 points)	67.2%	61.0%	46.5%
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.	0.0% (±0.2 points)	0.1%	0.2%	3.9%
Electricity	23.0% (±3.0 points)	26.8%	29.5%	41.3%
Bottled or tank gas (propane)	1.2% (±0.7 points)	1.5%	3.4%	4.9%
Wood	0.0% (±0.2 points)	0.1%	1.3%	1.4%
Solar energy	1.1% (±0.5 points)	0.8%	1.2%	0.3%
Coal or coke	0.0% (±0.2 points)	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%
Other fuel	0.2% (±0.2 points)	0.1%	0.3%	0.5%
No fuel used	1.4% (±0.8 points)	3.3%	3.0%	1.2%

The survey asks which fuel is used most to heat the home, so a home with a heat pump and an oil backup is counted once, under the one it uses most.

In Rancho Santa Margarita, the share of homes heating with fuel oil is not measurably different from Orange County (0.1%).

It is not measurably different from California (0.2%).

It is lower than the national figure (3.9%).

In Rancho Santa Margarita, the share of homes heating with electricity is lower than in Orange County (26.8%).

It is also lower than in California (29.5%).

It is lower than the national figure (41.3%).

Homes heated by electricity in places near Rancho Santa Margarita

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Rancho Santa Margarita
Place	Distance	Homes heated by electricity	Compared with this place
Rancho Santa Margarita	—	23.0% (±3.0 points)	—
Coto de Caza	2.5 mi	12.7% (±2.6 points)	Lower
Trabuco Canyon	3.2 mi	27.6% (±13.8 points)	Not measurably different
Las Flores	3.6 mi	22.6% (±8.9 points)	Not measurably different
Mission Viejo	3.7 mi	19.2% (±1.7 points)	Lower
Lake Forest	4.7 mi	28.9% (±2.1 points)	Higher
Ladera Ranch	6.3 mi	27.8% (±4.2 points)	Not measurably different
Laguna Hills	6.3 mi	31.3% (±4.6 points)	Higher
Laguna Woods	7.7 mi	91.3% (±2.2 points)	Higher

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Coto de Caza, CA (12.7%), Mission Viejo, CA (19.2%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Lake Forest, CA (28.9%), Laguna Hills, CA (31.3%), Laguna Woods, CA (91.3%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Homes heated by fuel oil across Orange County, place by place

Rank	Place	Homes heated by fuel oil
21 (tie)	Garden Grove	0.0% (±0.1 points)
21 (tie)	Huntington Beach	0.0% (±0.1 points)
21 (tie)	La Palma	0.0% (±0.8 points)
21 (tie)	Los Alamitos	0.0% (±1.0 points)
21 (tie)	Newport Beach	0.0% (±0.1 points)
21 (tie)	Placentia	0.0% (±0.2 points)
21 (tie)	Rancho Santa Margarita	0.0% (±0.2 points)
21 (tie)	San Clemente	0.0% (±0.1 points)
21 (tie)	San Juan Capistrano	0.0% (±0.3 points)
21 (tie)	Stanton	0.0% (±0.3 points)
21 (tie)	Villa Park	0.0% (±2.2 points)
21 (tie)	Westminster	0.0% (±0.1 points)
21 (tie)	Coto de Caza	0.0% (±0.8 points)

Showing 13 of 42 places in Orange County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates).

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Rancho Santa Margarita

What is the most common way to heat a home in Rancho Santa Margarita?

Utility gas is the most common heating fuel in Rancho Santa Margarita, used by 73.1% of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many homes in Rancho Santa Margarita heat with oil?

0.0% (±0.2 points) of occupied homes in Rancho Santa Margarita use fuel oil or kerosene as their main heating fuel.

How many homes in Rancho Santa Margarita have electric heat?

23.0% (±3.0 points) of occupied homes in Rancho Santa Margarita heat mainly with electricity, which includes heat pumps.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Rancho Santa Margarita city, California

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Rancho Santa Margarita city, California (place:59587, in state:06).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0063PE, DP04_0063PM, DP04_0066PE, DP04_0066PM, DP04_0065PE, DP04_0065PM, DP04_0064PE, DP04_0064PM, DP04_0068PE, DP04_0068PM, DP04_0069PE, DP04_0069PM, DP04_0067PE, DP04_0067PM, DP04_0070PE, DP04_0070PM, DP04_0071PE, DP04_0071PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.