How are homes heated in Waltham, MA?

Name: Heating fuel in Waltham, 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 Waltham, used by 53.4% (±2.3 points) of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

23.5% heat with electricity.

18.9% heat with fuel oil or kerosene.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Utility gas: 53.4% (±2.3 points)
Electricity: 23.5%
Fuel oil, kerosene: 18.9%

Heating fuel in Waltham

Occupied housing units by house heating fuel, 2020–2024
Fuel used most	Waltham	Middlesex County	Massachusetts	United States
Utility gas	53.4% (±2.3 points)	59.3%	51.6%	46.5%
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.	18.9% (±1.9 points)	17.9%	22.4%	3.9%
Electricity	23.5% (±2.2 points)	17.7%	18.6%	41.3%
Bottled or tank gas (propane)	2.9% (±0.7 points)	3.3%	4.5%	4.9%
Wood	0.1% (±0.1 points)	0.3%	1.1%	1.4%
Solar energy	0.0% (±0.2 points)	0.2%	0.2%	0.3%
Coal or coke	0.0% (±0.2 points)	0.1%	0.0%	0.1%
Other fuel	0.4% (±0.3 points)	0.6%	0.8%	0.5%
No fuel used	0.8% (±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 Waltham, the share of homes heating with fuel oil is not measurably different from Middlesex County (17.9%).

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

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

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

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

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

Homes heated by electricity in places near Waltham

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Waltham
Place	Distance	Homes heated by electricity	Compared with this place
Waltham	—	23.5% (±2.2 points)	—
Belmont (community)	3.2 mi	10.1% (±1.8 points)	Lower
Belmont	3.2 mi	10.1% (±1.8 points)	Lower
Watertown	3.5 mi	14.7% (±2.0 points)	Lower
Weston	3.7 mi	10.4% (±3.6 points)	Lower
Lexington (community)	3.9 mi	14.1% (±1.8 points)	Lower
Lexington	3.9 mi	14.1% (±1.8 points)	Lower
Newton	4.3 mi	13.4% (±1.4 points)	Lower
Lincoln	4.3 mi	26.6% (±7.7 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Belmont (community), MA (10.1%), Belmont, MA (10.1%), Watertown, MA (14.7%).

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
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)
38	Arlington	18.2% (±2.2 points)
39	Ayer	17.6% (±5.6 points)
40	Westford	16.1% (±3.0 points)
41	Billerica	15.8% (±2.4 points)
42	Tyngsborough	15.4% (±4.4 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 Waltham

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

Utility gas is the most common heating fuel in Waltham, used by 53.4% of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many homes in Waltham heat with oil?

18.9% (±1.9 points) of occupied homes in Waltham use fuel oil or kerosene as their main heating fuel.

How many homes in Waltham have electric heat?

23.5% (±2.2 points) of occupied homes in Waltham heat mainly with electricity, which includes heat pumps.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Waltham 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 Waltham city, Massachusetts (place:72600, 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.