How are homes heated in Rio del Mar, CA?

Name: Heating fuel in Rio del Mar, 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 Rio del Mar, used by 73.9% (±5.4 points) of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

20.8% heat with electricity.

0.5% heat with fuel oil or kerosene.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Utility gas: 73.9% (±5.4 points)
Electricity: 20.8%
Fuel oil, kerosene: 0.5%

Heating fuel in Rio del Mar

Occupied housing units by house heating fuel, 2020–2024
Fuel used most	Rio del Mar	Santa Cruz County	California	United States
Utility gas	73.9% (±5.4 points)	57.3%	61.0%	46.5%
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.	0.5% (±0.7 points)	0.2%	0.2%	3.9%
Electricity	20.8% (±4.9 points)	25.9%	29.5%	41.3%
Bottled or tank gas (propane)	3.5% (±1.6 points)	9.9%	3.4%	4.9%
Wood	0.5% (±0.5 points)	3.8%	1.3%	1.4%
Solar energy	0.6% (±0.5 points)	1.0%	1.2%	0.3%
Coal or coke	0.0% (±1.1 points)	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%
Other fuel	0.1% (±0.2 points)	0.6%	0.3%	0.5%
No fuel used	0.0% (±1.1 points)	1.3%	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 Rio del Mar, the share of homes heating with fuel oil is not measurably different from Santa Cruz County (0.2%).

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

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

In Rio del Mar, the share of homes heating with electricity is lower than in Santa Cruz County (25.9%).

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 Rio del Mar

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Rio del Mar
Place	Distance	Homes heated by electricity	Compared with this place
Rio del Mar	—	20.8% (±4.9 points)	—
Seacliff	2.3 mi	19.2% (±7.7 points)	Not measurably different
Aptos	2.3 mi	20.1% (±7.1 points)	Not measurably different
Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley	2.8 mi	23.0% (±9.1 points)	Not measurably different
La Selva Beach	3.1 mi	18.7% (±7.4 points)	Not measurably different
Capitola	4.0 mi	27.1% (±5.9 points)	Not measurably different
Soquel	4.5 mi	14.3% (±3.9 points)	Lower
Pleasure Point	4.7 mi	13.8% (±5.1 points)	Not measurably different
Day Valley	4.9 mi	12.8% (±6.4 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Soquel, CA (14.3%).

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

Homes heated by fuel oil across Santa Cruz County, place by place

Rank	Place	Homes heated by fuel oil
1	Aptos	1.0% (±1.2 points)
2	Live Oak (community)	0.6% (±0.6 points)
3 (tie)	Watsonville	0.5% (±0.6 points)
3 (tie)	Rio del Mar	0.5% (±0.7 points)
5	Scotts Valley	0.4% (±0.6 points)
6	Ben Lomond	0.3% (±0.5 points)
7	Pleasure Point	0.2% (±0.4 points)
8 (tie)	Capitola	0.0% (±0.9 points)
8 (tie)	Santa Cruz	0.0% (±0.2 points)
8 (tie)	Amesti	0.0% (±4.9 points)

Showing 10 of 23 places in Santa Cruz County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Rio del Mar is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.

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 Rio del Mar

What is the most common way to heat a home in Rio del Mar?

Utility gas is the most common heating fuel in Rio del Mar, used by 73.9% of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many homes in Rio del Mar heat with oil?

0.5% (±0.7 points) of occupied homes in Rio del Mar use fuel oil or kerosene as their main heating fuel.

How many homes in Rio del Mar have electric heat?

20.8% (±4.9 points) of occupied homes in Rio del Mar heat mainly with electricity, which includes heat pumps.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Rio del Mar CDP, 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 Rio del Mar CDP, California (place:60928, 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.