How are homes heated in Swarthmore, PA?

Name: Heating fuel in Swarthmore, PA, 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 Swarthmore, used by 70.6% (±8.8 points) of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

17.8% heat with electricity.

8.5% heat with fuel oil or kerosene.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Utility gas: 70.6% (±8.8 points)
Electricity: 17.8%
Fuel oil, kerosene: 8.5%

Heating fuel in Swarthmore

Occupied housing units by house heating fuel, 2020–2024
Fuel used most	Swarthmore	Delaware County	Pennsylvania	United States
Utility gas	70.6% (±8.8 points)	60.1%	51.3%	46.5%
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.	8.5% (±4.2 points)	13.2%	14.0%	3.9%
Electricity	17.8% (±6.8 points)	22.9%	25.3%	41.3%
Bottled or tank gas (propane)	0.4% (±0.7 points)	2.5%	5.1%	4.9%
Wood	0.0% (±1.6 points)	0.2%	2.1%	1.4%
Solar energy	0.0% (±1.6 points)	0.1%	0.1%	0.3%
Coal or coke	0.0% (±1.6 points)	0.0%	0.8%	0.1%
Other fuel	1.2% (±1.7 points)	0.6%	0.8%	0.5%
No fuel used	1.5% (±1.9 points)	0.4%	0.5%	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 Swarthmore, the share of homes heating with fuel oil is lower than in Delaware County (13.2%).

It is also lower than in Pennsylvania (14.0%).

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

In Swarthmore, the share of homes heating with electricity is not measurably different from Delaware County (22.9%).

It is also lower than in Pennsylvania (25.3%).

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

Homes heated by electricity in places near Swarthmore

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Swarthmore
Place	Distance	Homes heated by electricity	Compared with this place
Swarthmore	—	17.8% (±6.8 points)	—
Nether Providence Township	0.9 mi	26.7% (±4.6 points)	Higher
Rutledge	1.1 mi	4.3% (±3.1 points)	Lower
Folsom	1.3 mi	21.6% (±6.5 points)	Not measurably different
Morton	1.3 mi	29.4% (±8.2 points)	Higher
Ridley Township	1.6 mi	23.1% (±3.2 points)	Not measurably different
Woodlyn	1.7 mi	28.5% (±7.7 points)	Higher
Springfield Township (Delaware County)	1.9 mi	10.8% (±2.3 points)	Not measurably different
Rose Valley	2.0 mi	8.6% (±4.0 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Rutledge, PA (4.3%), Rose Valley, PA (8.6%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Nether Providence Township, PA (26.7%), Morton, PA (29.4%), Woodlyn, PA (28.5%).

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

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

Rank	Place	Homes heated by fuel oil
32 (tie)	Clifton Heights	9.5% (±5.6 points)
32 (tie)	Springfield Township (Delaware County)	9.5% (±1.9 points)
34 (tie)	Norwood	8.9% (±4.4 points)
34 (tie)	Ridley Township	8.9% (±2.3 points)
36	Haverford Township	8.6% (±1.2 points)
37 (tie)	Lansdowne	8.5% (±3.5 points)
37 (tie)	Swarthmore	8.5% (±4.2 points)
39 (tie)	Glenolden	7.5% (±4.0 points)
39 (tie)	Radnor Township	7.5% (±1.9 points)
41	Upper Darby Township	6.3% (±1.1 points)
42	Sharon Hill	5.1% (±4.4 points)
43 (tie)	Millbourne	4.6% (±6.0 points)
43 (tie)	Yeadon	4.6% (±2.1 points)

Showing 13 of 49 places in Delaware 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 Swarthmore

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

Utility gas is the most common heating fuel in Swarthmore, used by 70.6% of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many homes in Swarthmore heat with oil?

8.5% (±4.2 points) of occupied homes in Swarthmore use fuel oil or kerosene as their main heating fuel.

How many homes in Swarthmore have electric heat?

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

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Swarthmore borough, Pennsylvania

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 Swarthmore borough, Pennsylvania (place:75648, in state:42).

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.