How are homes heated in Penobscot, ME?

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

Fuel oil or kerosene is the most common heating fuel in Penobscot, used by 39.7% (±8.8 points) of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

4.0% heat with utility gas.

13.0% heat with electricity.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Utility gas: 4.0% (±4.1 points)
Electricity: 13.0%
Fuel oil, kerosene: 39.7%

Heating fuel in Penobscot

Occupied housing units by house heating fuel, 2020–2024
Fuel used most	Penobscot	Hancock County	Maine	United States
Utility gas	4.0% (±4.1 points)	1.5%	8.3%	46.5%
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.	39.7% (±8.8 points)	50.5%	55.3%	3.9%
Electricity	13.0% (±7.6 points)	11.4%	11.2%	41.3%
Bottled or tank gas (propane)	10.5% (±5.3 points)	21.9%	13.8%	4.9%
Wood	28.2% (±8.0 points)	12.6%	8.8%	1.4%
Solar energy	0.9% (±1.2 points)	0.4%	0.4%	0.3%
Coal or coke	0.0% (±5.0 points)	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%
Other fuel	3.6% (±4.5 points)	1.4%	1.7%	0.5%
No fuel used	0.0% (±5.0 points)	0.2%	0.4%	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 Penobscot, the share of homes heating with fuel oil is lower than in Hancock County (50.5%).

It is also lower than in Maine (55.3%).

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

In Penobscot, the share of homes heating with electricity is not measurably different from Hancock County (11.4%).

It is not measurably different from Maine (11.2%).

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

Homes heated by electricity in places near Penobscot

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Penobscot
Place	Distance	Homes heated by electricity	Compared with this place
Penobscot	—	13.0% (±7.6 points)	—
Verona Island	5.2 mi	1.7% (±2.0 points)	Lower
Orland	6.7 mi	8.0% (±5.5 points)	Not measurably different
Stockton Springs	6.9 mi	8.1% (±3.4 points)	Not measurably different
Castine	7.4 mi	2.8% (±2.7 points)	Lower
Bucksport (community)	8.6 mi	24.9% (±13.4 points)	Not measurably different
Brooksville	9.5 mi	7.6% (±5.6 points)	Not measurably different
Surry	9.9 mi	6.3% (±3.1 points)	Not measurably different
Prospect	10.0 mi	9.8% (±7.4 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Verona Island, ME (1.7%), Castine, ME (2.8%).

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

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

Rank	Place	Homes heated by fuel oil
28 (tie)	Mariaville	46.3% (±9.4 points)
30	Bar Harbor	45.1% (±10.3 points)
31	Dedham	44.9% (±6.9 points)
32	Sedgwick	43.0% (±10.8 points)
33	Amherst	41.9% (±10.4 points)
34	Bucksport	41.6% (±11.8 points)
35	Penobscot	39.7% (±8.8 points)
36	Cranberry Isles	35.7% (±15.3 points)
37	Blue Hill	32.6% (±12.4 points)

Showing 9 of 37 places in Hancock 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 Penobscot

What is the most common way to heat a home in Penobscot?

Fuel oil or kerosene is the most common heating fuel in Penobscot, used by 39.7% of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many homes in Penobscot heat with oil?

39.7% (±8.8 points) of occupied homes in Penobscot use fuel oil or kerosene as their main heating fuel.

How many homes in Penobscot have electric heat?

13.0% (±7.6 points) of occupied homes in Penobscot heat mainly with electricity, which includes heat pumps.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Penobscot town, Hancock County, Maine

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 Penobscot town, Hancock County, Maine (county subdivision:57920, in state:23 county:009).

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.