How are homes heated in Blacksburg, VA?

Name: Heating fuel in Blacksburg, VA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

Electricity is the most common heating fuel in Blacksburg, used by 69.5% (±3.4 points) of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

26.0% heat with utility gas.

1.1% heat with fuel oil or kerosene.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Utility gas: 26.0% (±3.4 points)
Electricity: 69.5%
Fuel oil, kerosene: 1.1%

Heating fuel in Blacksburg

Occupied housing units by house heating fuel, 2020–2024
Fuel used most	Blacksburg	Montgomery County	Virginia	United States
Utility gas	26.0% (±3.4 points)	16.1%	32.3%	46.5%
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.	1.1% (±0.7 points)	2.1%	3.2%	3.9%
Electricity	69.5% (±3.4 points)	75.7%	57.5%	41.3%
Bottled or tank gas (propane)	2.1% (±0.8 points)	2.5%	4.3%	4.9%
Wood	0.3% (±0.3 points)	2.6%	1.6%	1.4%
Solar energy	0.2% (±0.3 points)	0.2%	0.2%	0.3%
Coal or coke	0.0% (±0.1 points)	0.0%	0.0%	0.1%
Other fuel	0.0% (±0.3 points)	0.2%	0.3%	0.5%
No fuel used	0.8% (±0.6 points)	0.7%	0.6%	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 Blacksburg, the share of homes heating with fuel oil is lower than in Montgomery County (2.1%).

It is also lower than in Virginia (3.2%).

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

In Blacksburg, the share of homes heating with electricity is lower than in Montgomery County (75.7%).

It is also higher than in Virginia (57.5%).

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

Homes heated by electricity in places near Blacksburg

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Blacksburg
Place	Distance	Homes heated by electricity	Compared with this place
Blacksburg	—	69.5% (±3.4 points)	—
Merrimac	2.5 mi	84.2% (±5.5 points)	Higher
Christiansburg	6.4 mi	77.3% (±3.8 points)	Higher
Plum Creek	8.3 mi	95.7% (±5.7 points)	Higher
Fairlawn	8.8 mi	48.0% (±11.3 points)	Lower
Shawsville	10 mi	92.0% (±11.2 points)	Higher
Radford	11 mi	71.4% (±3.8 points)	Not measurably different
Riner	11 mi	81.4% (±13.2 points)	Not measurably different
Pembroke	13 mi	88.4% (±5.6 points)	Higher

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Fairlawn, VA (48.0%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Merrimac, VA (84.2%), Christiansburg, VA (77.3%), Plum Creek, VA (95.7%).

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

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

Rank	Place	Homes heated by fuel oil
1	Plum Creek	4.3% (±5.7 points)
2	Christiansburg	3.3% (±1.4 points)
3	Riner	2.2% (±4.1 points)
4	Merrimac	1.6% (±2.7 points)
5	Blacksburg	1.1% (±0.7 points)
6	Shawsville	0.0% (±7.4 points)

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 Blacksburg

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

Electricity is the most common heating fuel in Blacksburg, used by 69.5% of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many homes in Blacksburg heat with oil?

1.1% (±0.7 points) of occupied homes in Blacksburg use fuel oil or kerosene as their main heating fuel.

How many homes in Blacksburg have electric heat?

69.5% (±3.4 points) of occupied homes in Blacksburg heat mainly with electricity, which includes heat pumps.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Blacksburg town, Virginia

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 Blacksburg town, Virginia (place:07784, in state:51).

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.