How are homes heated in Reading, MA?

Name: Heating fuel in Reading, 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 Reading, used by 43.5% (±3.4 points) of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

9.6% heat with electricity.

42.0% heat with fuel oil or kerosene.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Utility gas: 43.5% (±3.4 points)
Electricity: 9.6%
Fuel oil, kerosene: 42.0%

Heating fuel in Reading

Occupied housing units by house heating fuel, 2020–2024
Fuel used most	Reading	Middlesex County	Massachusetts	United States
Utility gas	43.5% (±3.4 points)	59.3%	51.6%	46.5%
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.	42.0% (±3.9 points)	17.9%	22.4%	3.9%
Electricity	9.6% (±2.3 points)	17.7%	18.6%	41.3%
Bottled or tank gas (propane)	4.3% (±1.9 points)	3.3%	4.5%	4.9%
Wood	0.0% (±0.4 points)	0.3%	1.1%	1.4%
Solar energy	0.0% (±0.4 points)	0.2%	0.2%	0.3%
Coal or coke	0.0% (±0.4 points)	0.1%	0.0%	0.1%
Other fuel	0.0% (±0.4 points)	0.6%	0.8%	0.5%
No fuel used	0.7% (±0.7 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 Reading, the share of homes heating with fuel oil is higher than in Middlesex County (17.9%).

It is also higher than in Massachusetts (22.4%).

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

In Reading, 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 Reading

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Reading
Place	Distance	Homes heated by electricity	Compared with this place
Reading	—	9.6% (±2.3 points)	—
Wakefield (community)	3.0 mi	14.9% (±2.5 points)	Higher
Wakefield	3.0 mi	14.9% (±2.5 points)	Higher
North Reading	3.2 mi	7.5% (±2.7 points)	Not measurably different
Lynnfield (community)	3.4 mi	6.0% (±2.9 points)	Not measurably different
Lynnfield	3.4 mi	6.0% (±2.9 points)	Not measurably different
Wilmington (community)	3.6 mi	4.9% (±2.1 points)	Lower
Wilmington	3.6 mi	4.9% (±2.1 points)	Lower
Woburn	4.1 mi	16.6% (±2.3 points)	Higher

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Wilmington (community), MA (4.9%), Wilmington, MA (4.9%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Wakefield (community), MA (14.9%), Wakefield, MA (14.9%), Woburn, MA (16.6%).

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
3	Dunstable	53.6% (±6.4 points)
4	Groton	53.5% (±5.5 points)
5	Wilmington	53.1% (±4.2 points)
6	Stow	49.6% (±6.8 points)
7	Shirley	49.3% (±10.2 points)
8	Carlisle	43.5% (±7.6 points)
9	Reading	42.0% (±3.9 points)
10	Boxborough	39.5% (±8.7 points)
11	North Reading	34.7% (±4.8 points)
12	Wakefield	33.3% (±3.0 points)
13	Hopkinton	32.5% (±4.2 points)
14	Pepperell	31.9% (±4.4 points)
15	Burlington	31.8% (±4.2 points)

Showing 13 of 54 places in Middlesex County, ranked from highest to lowest.

The figures for Reading include the places inside it that have pages of their own: Reading (community).

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 Reading

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

Utility gas is the most common heating fuel in Reading, used by 43.5% of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many homes in Reading heat with oil?

42.0% (±3.9 points) of occupied homes in Reading use fuel oil or kerosene as their main heating fuel.

How many homes in Reading have electric heat?

9.6% (±2.3 points) of occupied homes in Reading heat mainly with electricity, which includes heat pumps.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Reading town, Middlesex County, 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 Reading town, Middlesex County, Massachusetts (county subdivision:56130, in state:25 county:017).

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.