Heating oil prices in Massachusetts
$6.25per gallon
Average residential price, week of October 26, 2026. Updated weekly by EIA from a survey of Massachusetts dealers.
How the price moved
- Since last week
- up+0.3¢ (±0.0%)
- Since a year ago
- up+$2.64 (+73.1%)
- Since the season’s first survey (Oct 5, 2026)
- up+12¢ (+1.9%)
- New England average
- $6.17
- U.S. average
- $6.23
14th cheapest of the 21 states EIA surveys this week.
Is this a high price for Massachusetts?
Massachusetts heating oil is the most expensive it has been at this point in the season in at least 10 years: +52¢ above the previous high, set in 2022–23.
Up $2.64 (+73.1%) from a year ago, when it was $3.61.
Price in the same week of each of the last 10 seasons. Dot: this week.
- This season (2026–27)
- Last season (2025–26)
- Range of the 10 seasons before
Show the numbers
| Week | This season | Same week last season |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 5, 2026 | $6.137 | $3.548 |
| Oct 12, 2026 | $6.116 | $3.561 |
| Oct 19, 2026 | $6.251 | $3.548 |
| Oct 26, 2026 | $6.254 | $3.612 |
Cost to fill a heating oil tank in Massachusetts
A 275-gallon tank refilled from a quarter to 90% takes about 179 gallons: $1,118 at this week’s average.
Oil tanks are rarely filled to the brim; we assume 90% of the nominal size is usable. Gauges read in quarters.
$1,118
for 179 gallons at $6.25 a gallon in Massachusetts.
- At last year’s price ($3.61): $646
- At the New England average ($6.17): $1,102
| Tank | Gallons delivered | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 275 gal | 179 | $1,118 |
| 330 gal | 215 | $1,341 |
| 500 gal | 325 | $2,033 |
| 550 gal | 358 | $2,236 |
| 1000 gal | 650 | $4,065 |
Cheapest way to heat in Massachusetts
Cost of one million Btu of heat delivered into the house, after furnace or heat pump efficiency.
Right now natural gas is the cheapest heat here. Full winter cost comparison for Massachusetts
When heating oil is cheapest
In 5 of the last 10 heating seasons, October was the cheapest month for heating oil in Massachusetts. The median season ran 13.0% above October by February.
- base Oct 5/10
- +1.6% Nov 1/10
- +2.3% Dec 0/10
- +8.8% Jan 2/10
- +13.0% Feb 0/10
- +10.2% Mar 2/10
Top: median price compared with October across the last 10 complete seasons. Bottom: in how many of those seasons that month had the lowest average price.
Reading the pattern
This is what happened in past winters, not a forecast. Cold snaps, supply problems and crude oil prices can move any single season against the pattern, and heating oil follows diesel and crude oil closely.
Many dealers offer pre-buy or capped-price contracts in late summer. Whether they pay off depends on the winter that follows; the season chart above shows how far prices have moved in past years.
Season average of the weekly survey prices, October–March, in dollars of the day (not adjusted for inflation).
Heating oil across the survey
- Nebraska $5.72
- North Carolina $5.84
- Kentucky $5.87
- Iowa $5.89
- Minnesota $5.95
- Maine $6.04
- Virginia $6.04
- Pennsylvania $6.05
- New Hampshire $6.07
- Vermont $6.10
- Wisconsin $6.14
- Connecticut $6.15
- Michigan $6.19
- Massachusetts $6.25
- New Jersey $6.38
- Rhode Island $6.40
- Ohio $6.41
- Maryland $6.43
- Delaware $6.44
- New York $6.44
- Indiana $6.50
Massachusetts heating oil questions
What is the price of heating oil in Massachusetts right now?
The average residential price was $6.254 a gallon the week of October 26, 2026, from EIA’s weekly survey. That is +0.3¢ from the week before. Prices from individual dealers vary, and many charge less for larger deliveries or cash payment.
How much does it cost to fill a 275-gallon tank in Massachusetts?
About $1,118 for 179 gallons at this week’s average, filling from a quarter tank to 90%. Use the calculator above for your own gauge reading.
Is heating oil cheaper than propane in Massachusetts?
Per unit of heat, propane is cheaper this week: $53.12 versus $47.82 per million Btu delivered, assuming 85% efficient equipment for both. Comparing price per gallon alone is misleading because a gallon of heating oil holds about 51% more heat than a gallon of propane.
When is the best time to buy heating oil in Massachusetts?
In 5 of the last 10 heating seasons, October was the cheapest month for heating oil in Massachusetts. The median season ran 13.0% above October by February. Off-season fills (late spring and summer) are not in EIA’s weekly survey, so they cannot be compared here.
Where does this price come from?
From the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s State Heating Oil and Propane Program, which surveys residential prices every Monday from October through March and publishes them on Wednesday. See methodology.
Source and update
U.S. Energy Information Administration, Heating Oil and Propane Update, series W_EPD2F_PRS_SMA_DPG. Weekly data from Oct 1, 1990; 773 surveys on record. This page was rebuilt on November 4, 2026.
Prices include taxes and are averages of dealer quotes for residential delivery. Nominal dollars. EIA data page · All sources