How are homes heated in Stow, MA?

Name: Heating fuel in Stow, MA, 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 Stow, used by 49.6% (±6.8 points) of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

22.0% heat with utility gas.

16.0% heat with electricity.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Utility gas: 22.0% (±5.5 points)
Electricity: 16.0%
Fuel oil, kerosene: 49.6%

Heating fuel in Stow

Occupied housing units by house heating fuel, 2020–2024
Fuel used most	Stow	Middlesex County	Massachusetts	United States
Utility gas	22.0% (±5.5 points)	59.3%	51.6%	46.5%
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.	49.6% (±6.8 points)	17.9%	22.4%	3.9%
Electricity	16.0% (±6.9 points)	17.7%	18.6%	41.3%
Bottled or tank gas (propane)	10.7% (±3.7 points)	3.3%	4.5%	4.9%
Wood	0.7% (±0.8 points)	0.3%	1.1%	1.4%
Solar energy	0.0% (±1.5 points)	0.2%	0.2%	0.3%
Coal or coke	0.0% (±1.5 points)	0.1%	0.0%	0.1%
Other fuel	1.0% (±0.9 points)	0.6%	0.8%	0.5%
No fuel used	0.0% (±1.5 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 Stow, 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 Stow, the share of homes heating with electricity is not measurably different from Middlesex County (17.7%).

It is not measurably different from Massachusetts (18.6%).

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

Homes heated by electricity in places near Stow

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Stow
Place	Distance	Homes heated by electricity	Compared with this place
Stow	—	16.0% (±6.9 points)	—
Maynard (community)	2.9 mi	13.8% (±4.2 points)	Not measurably different
Maynard	2.9 mi	13.8% (±4.2 points)	Not measurably different
Hudson	3.3 mi	21.7% (±3.4 points)	Not measurably different
Hudson (community)	3.7 mi	24.7% (±3.8 points)	Higher
Boxborough	3.9 mi	31.2% (±7.7 points)	Higher
Bolton	4.6 mi	14.3% (±5.0 points)	Not measurably different
Acton	5.3 mi	19.3% (±3.4 points)	Not measurably different
Sudbury	5.7 mi	8.4% (±2.5 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Sudbury, MA (8.4%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Hudson (community), MA (24.7%), Boxborough, MA (31.2%).

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
1	Ashby	63.8% (±7.4 points)
2	Sherborn	59.4% (±6.7 points)
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)

Showing 12 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 Stow

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

Fuel oil or kerosene is the most common heating fuel in Stow, used by 49.6% of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many homes in Stow heat with oil?

49.6% (±6.8 points) of occupied homes in Stow use fuel oil or kerosene as their main heating fuel.

How many homes in Stow have electric heat?

16.0% (±6.9 points) of occupied homes in Stow heat mainly with electricity, which includes heat pumps.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Stow 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 Stow town, Middlesex County, Massachusetts (county subdivision:68050, 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.