How are homes heated in Melrose, MA?

Name: Heating fuel in Melrose, MA, 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 Melrose, used by 63.2% (±3.2 points) of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

14.2% heat with electricity.

20.1% heat with fuel oil or kerosene.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Utility gas: 63.2% (±3.2 points)
Electricity: 14.2%
Fuel oil, kerosene: 20.1%

Heating fuel in Melrose

Occupied housing units by house heating fuel, 2020–2024
Fuel used most	Melrose	Middlesex County	Massachusetts	United States
Utility gas	63.2% (±3.2 points)	59.3%	51.6%	46.5%
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.	20.1% (±2.7 points)	17.9%	22.4%	3.9%
Electricity	14.2% (±2.3 points)	17.7%	18.6%	41.3%
Bottled or tank gas (propane)	1.0% (±0.6 points)	3.3%	4.5%	4.9%
Wood	0.1% (±0.1 points)	0.3%	1.1%	1.4%
Solar energy	0.0% (±0.3 points)	0.2%	0.2%	0.3%
Coal or coke	0.0% (±0.3 points)	0.1%	0.0%	0.1%
Other fuel	0.7% (±0.9 points)	0.6%	0.8%	0.5%
No fuel used	0.9% (±0.5 points)	0.6%	0.7%	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 Melrose, the share of homes heating with fuel oil is not measurably different from Middlesex County (17.9%).

It is not measurably different from Massachusetts (22.4%).

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

In Melrose, the share of homes heating with electricity is lower than in Middlesex County (17.7%).

It is also lower than in Massachusetts (18.6%).

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

Homes heated by electricity in places near Melrose

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Melrose
Place	Distance	Homes heated by electricity	Compared with this place
Melrose	—	14.2% (±2.3 points)	—
Malden	1.8 mi	23.3% (±2.7 points)	Higher
Stoneham (community)	2.3 mi	21.1% (±3.2 points)	Higher
Stoneham	2.3 mi	21.1% (±3.2 points)	Higher
Saugus (community)	2.5 mi	19.3% (±3.0 points)	Higher
Saugus	2.5 mi	19.3% (±3.0 points)	Higher
Wakefield (community)	3.4 mi	14.9% (±2.5 points)	Not measurably different
Wakefield	3.4 mi	14.9% (±2.5 points)	Not measurably different
Medford	3.4 mi	19.4% (±2.3 points)	Higher

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Malden, MA (23.3%), Stoneham (community), MA (21.1%), Stoneham, MA (21.1%).

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

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

Rank	Place	Homes heated by fuel oil
25	Acton	23.7% (±2.8 points)
26	Wayland	23.5% (±3.6 points)
27	Natick	22.7% (±2.8 points)
28	Sudbury	22.2% (±3.4 points)
29	Bedford	21.9% (±4.6 points)
30	Framingham	21.2% (±2.0 points)
31	Melrose	20.1% (±2.7 points)
32	Ashland	19.9% (±2.8 points)
33	Weston	19.6% (±5.1 points)
34 (tie)	Maynard	19.1% (±5.5 points)
34 (tie)	Tewksbury	19.1% (±2.6 points)
36	Waltham	18.9% (±1.9 points)
37	Belmont	18.4% (±2.3 points)

Showing 13 of 54 places in Middlesex 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 Melrose

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

Utility gas is the most common heating fuel in Melrose, used by 63.2% of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many homes in Melrose heat with oil?

20.1% (±2.7 points) of occupied homes in Melrose use fuel oil or kerosene as their main heating fuel.

How many homes in Melrose have electric heat?

14.2% (±2.3 points) of occupied homes in Melrose heat mainly with electricity, which includes heat pumps.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Melrose city, Massachusetts

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 Melrose city, Massachusetts (place:40115, in state:25).

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.