How are homes heated in the Town of Nelson, NY?

Name: Heating fuel in the Town of Nelson, NY, 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 the Town of Nelson, used by 39.3% (±9.1 points) of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

4.8% heat with utility gas.

17.8% heat with electricity.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Utility gas: 4.8% (±3.0 points)
Electricity: 17.8%
Fuel oil, kerosene: 39.3%

Heating fuel in the Town of Nelson

Occupied housing units by house heating fuel, 2020–2024
Fuel used most	Town of Nelson	Madison County	New York	United States
Utility gas	4.8% (±3.0 points)	41.2%	59.1%	46.5%
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.	39.3% (±9.1 points)	18.6%	16.1%	3.9%
Electricity	17.8% (±6.8 points)	14.5%	15.4%	41.3%
Bottled or tank gas (propane)	21.5% (±6.4 points)	16.6%	4.9%	4.9%
Wood	6.5% (±3.3 points)	5.6%	1.3%	1.4%
Solar energy	2.0% (±3.1 points)	0.1%	0.1%	0.3%
Coal or coke	4.6% (±3.6 points)	1.5%	0.2%	0.1%
Other fuel	3.6% (±4.4 points)	1.3%	1.3%	0.5%
No fuel used	0.0% (±5.3 points)	0.7%	1.6%	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 the Town of Nelson, the share of homes heating with fuel oil is higher than in Madison County (18.6%).

It is also higher than in New York (16.1%).

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

In the Town of Nelson, the share of homes heating with electricity is not measurably different from Madison County (14.5%).

It is not measurably different from New York (15.4%).

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

Homes heated by electricity in places near the Town of Nelson

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with the Town of Nelson
Place	Distance	Homes heated by electricity	Compared with this place
Town of Nelson	—	17.8% (±6.8 points)	—
Village of Morrisville	5.2 mi	20.7% (±11.8 points)	Not measurably different
Town of Eaton	5.8 mi	11.4% (±5.8 points)	Not measurably different
Village of Cazenovia	6.1 mi	22.0% (±4.9 points)	Not measurably different
Town of Cazenovia	6.3 mi	11.1% (±2.8 points)	Not measurably different
Town of Fenner	6.3 mi	7.6% (±3.0 points)	Lower
Town of Smithfield	6.8 mi	2.2% (±1.9 points)	Lower
Town of Georgetown	6.8 mi	2.8% (±2.3 points)	Lower
Town of Lebanon	9.5 mi	14.4% (±5.2 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Town of Fenner, NY (7.6%), Town of Smithfield, NY (2.2%), Town of Georgetown, NY (2.8%).

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

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

Rank	Place	Homes heated by fuel oil
1	Town of Brookfield	50.1% (±8.4 points)
2	Town of Stockbridge	44.0% (±7.7 points)
3	Town of Nelson	39.3% (±9.1 points)
4	Town of Smithfield	37.4% (±8.2 points)
5	Town of Madison	36.0% (±12.7 points)
6	Town of Eaton	35.1% (±10.8 points)
7	Town of Fenner	34.3% (±6.9 points)
8	Town of Georgetown	34.0% (±8.0 points)
9	Town of Hamilton	30.2% (±7.5 points)

Showing 9 of 16 places in Madison County, ranked from highest to lowest.

A New York town includes the villages and hamlets inside it, so the figures for the Town of Nelson include them.

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 Town of Nelson

What is the most common way to heat a home in the Town of Nelson?

Fuel oil or kerosene is the most common heating fuel in the Town of Nelson, used by 39.3% of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many homes in the Town of Nelson heat with oil?

39.3% (±9.1 points) of occupied homes in the Town of Nelson use fuel oil or kerosene as their main heating fuel.

How many homes in the Town of Nelson have electric heat?

17.8% (±6.8 points) of occupied homes in the Town of Nelson heat mainly with electricity, which includes heat pumps.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Nelson town, Madison County, New York

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 Nelson town, Madison County, New York (county subdivision:49770, in state:36 county:053).

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.