How are homes heated in Bethesda, MD?

Name: Heating fuel in Bethesda, MD, 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 Bethesda, used by 61.6% (±2.0 points) of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

35.2% heat with electricity.

0.8% heat with fuel oil or kerosene.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Utility gas: 61.6% (±2.0 points)
Electricity: 35.2%
Fuel oil, kerosene: 0.8%

Heating fuel in Bethesda

Occupied housing units by house heating fuel, 2020–2024
Fuel used most	Bethesda	Montgomery County	Maryland	United States
Utility gas	61.6% (±2.0 points)	53.1%	43.1%	46.5%
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.	0.8% (±0.3 points)	2.4%	6.6%	3.9%
Electricity	35.2% (±1.8 points)	41.2%	44.1%	41.3%
Bottled or tank gas (propane)	1.3% (±0.5 points)	1.8%	3.8%	4.9%
Wood	0.0% (±0.1 points)	0.1%	1.0%	1.4%
Solar energy	0.2% (±0.1 points)	0.4%	0.4%	0.3%
Coal or coke	0.0% (±0.1 points)	0.0%	0.1%	0.1%
Other fuel	0.2% (±0.2 points)	0.3%	0.5%	0.5%
No fuel used	0.7% (±0.4 points)	0.6%	0.6%	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 Bethesda, the share of homes heating with fuel oil is lower than in Montgomery County (2.4%).

It is also lower than in Maryland (6.6%).

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

In Bethesda, the share of homes heating with electricity is lower than in Montgomery County (41.2%).

It is also lower than in Maryland (44.1%).

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

Homes heated by electricity in places near Bethesda

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Bethesda
Place	Distance	Homes heated by electricity	Compared with this place
Bethesda	—	35.2% (±1.8 points)	—
Glen Echo	1.8 mi	38.4% (±16.7 points)	Not measurably different
Somerset	1.9 mi	12.5% (±4.7 points)	Lower
Chevy Chase	1.9 mi	10.8% (±4.0 points)	Lower
Friendship Heights Village	2.3 mi	42.4% (±6.1 points)	Higher
Chevy Chase (community)	2.4 mi	21.3% (±3.8 points)	Lower
Brookmont	2.4 mi	19.1% (±9.0 points)	Lower
Chevy Chase Section Five	2.4 mi	8.8% (±4.6 points)	Lower
Chevy Chase Village	2.4 mi	12.7% (±4.0 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Somerset, MD (12.5%), Chevy Chase, MD (10.8%), Chevy Chase (community), MD (21.3%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Friendship Heights Village, MD (42.4%).

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

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

Rank	Place	Homes heated by fuel oil
30 (tie)	North Chevy Chase	1.4% (±2.1 points)
35 (tie)	Gaithersburg	1.3% (±0.4 points)
35 (tie)	Poolesville	1.3% (±2.1 points)
37 (tie)	Chevy Chase	1.1% (±1.3 points)
37 (tie)	Kensington	1.1% (±1.0 points)
39	Flower Hill	0.9% (±0.8 points)
40 (tie)	Bethesda	0.8% (±0.3 points)
40 (tie)	Chevy Chase (community)	0.8% (±0.8 points)
40 (tie)	Chevy Chase Section Three	0.8% (±1.2 points)
40 (tie)	Layhill	0.8% (±1.3 points)
44 (tie)	Aspen Hill	0.7% (±0.3 points)
44 (tie)	North Kensington	0.7% (±0.8 points)
44 (tie)	Silver Spring	0.7% (±0.5 points)

Showing 13 of 59 places in Montgomery County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Bethesda 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 Bethesda

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

Utility gas is the most common heating fuel in Bethesda, used by 61.6% of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many homes in Bethesda heat with oil?

0.8% (±0.3 points) of occupied homes in Bethesda use fuel oil or kerosene as their main heating fuel.

How many homes in Bethesda have electric heat?

35.2% (±1.8 points) of occupied homes in Bethesda heat mainly with electricity, which includes heat pumps.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Bethesda CDP, Maryland

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 Bethesda CDP, Maryland (place:07125, in state:24).

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.