EIA residential propane, Iowa
Iowa propane prices: $1.66 a gallon
Latest EIA residential survey, week ending 30 March 2026, the final release of the 2025-26 heating season. Weekly updates resume in October; the wholesale benchmark below is live.
One of the longer heating seasons in the Corn Belt, bought at close to the cheapest rate in the country. Iowa is a heavy agricultural user, so timing around the grain-drying harvest matters as much as the sticker price.
Latest EIA residential propane price
Source: EIA State Heating Oil and Propane Program, Iowa residential series. Refreshed automatically every Tuesday in season; wholesale daily.
Iowa at a glance
Latest survey$1.66/gal
vs week before+0.8c
vs 4 weeks before+2.6c
vs same week last yearlevel
vs US ($2.67)38% below
Among 38 surveyed states2nd cheapest
500-gal fill (400 usable)$664
Week by week, 2025-26 season
Iowa against the US average
Every point is an EIA survey week. This season Iowa ran from a low of $1.52 (13 Oct) to a high of $1.66 (30 Mar), with the US average finishing at $2.67. Against the same week a year earlier it is level.
$1.52
Season low
13 October 2025
$1.66
Season high
30 March 2026
$1.66
Same week last year
31 March 2025, now level
$0.85
Wholesale today
Mont Belvieu spot, 15 September 2026, +17c vs a month ago
Source: EIA State Heating Oil and Propane Program, residential propane, full-service delivery, published October to March. Wholesale is the Mont Belvieu, TX spot price; retail usually follows it by four to eight weeks, which makes it the best off-season signal of where Iowa prices are heading.
What a fill costs in Iowa at $1.66
Tanks fill to 80% of their stated size to leave room for expansion, so a 500-gallon tank takes about 400 gallons. The right-hand column is the difference against the same fill at the US average.
| Tank | Usable gallons | Fill at $1.66 | vs US ($2.67) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 gal | 80 gal | $133 | -$81 |
| 250 gal | 200 gal | $332 | -$203 |
| 500 gal | 400 gal | $664 | -$406 |
| 1000 gal | 800 gal | $1328 | -$811 |
A Iowa home heating on propane through a typical winter burns 1,000 to 1,500 gallons, so fuel alone runs about $1660 to $2490 at this price, before tank rent or a service plan. The average is a benchmark, not a quote: enter your ZIP to ask up to three local dealers what they would charge you.
Iowa against its Midwest neighbours
Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas anchor the cheap end of the Midwest cluster, all three in the western Corn Belt with short logistics from Conway storage and dense agricultural demand. Illinois and the Great Lakes states run higher, further from Conway and carrying longer last-mile routes.
| State | Price/gal | 500-gal fill | vs US ($2.67) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | $1.64 | $657 | -39% |
| Iowa | $1.66 | $664 | -38% |
| North Dakota | $1.70 | $680 | -36% |
| South Dakota | $1.84 | $736 | -31% |
| Kansas | $1.98 | $791 | -26% |
| Illinois | $2.03 | $810 | -24% |
| Minnesota | $2.06 | $822 | -23% |
| Wisconsin | $2.07 | $826 | -23% |
| Missouri | $2.21 | $884 | -17% |
| Michigan | $2.37 | $948 | -11% |
| Indiana | $2.63 | $1054 | -1% |
| Ohio | $2.69 | $1078 | +1% |
| Midwest average | $2.07 | $828 | -23% |
States marked regional est. are not surveyed individually by EIA and carry their PADD regional figure. Full table on prices by state.
Why Iowa runs 38% under the national average
The reasons are structural, storage geography and demand density, but the same farm demand that keeps prices low can briefly bite in a wet harvest.
Short haul from PADD 2 storage.
Iowa draws from PADD 2 (Midwest) inventories anchored at the Conway, Kansas underground storage hub and the central-plains fractionator network. The whole state, under 56,000 square miles, is reachable inside a one-day bobtail haul from in-state and border terminals, well short of the multi-state truck routes that bake cost into Northeast and West Coast supply.
Year-round agricultural demand.
Iowa is the top US corn producer and top hog state. Fall grain drying, hog and poultry barn heat, and crop and field operations run propane through the spring and summer trough that depresses demand elsewhere. That steadiness keeps supplier routes full and margins tight, and it supports the dense field of local dealers and cooperatives that compete on price.
Dense competition statewide.
From regional operators around Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Sioux City out to single-county family bulk plants and farm co-ops, most Iowa county seats have several competing dealers in range. That competition is why in-county per-gallon spreads are wide enough to reward getting three quotes.
The harvest crunch is the real risk.
The same farm demand that holds prices down can tighten rural inventories fast when a wet harvest, an early cold snap, grain-drying load and livestock load all land at once. The 2019 wet harvest is the textbook case, with delivery delays and short-term rural price spikes across the state. Topping up a residential tank in late August or September is the simplest hedge.
Four moves that decide what an Iowa propane account costs
A good dealer is step one. The gap between a careless will-call account and a well-run one in Iowa is usually a few hundred dollars a winter, and most of it is won here.
01
Vet the dealer without a state lookup
Iowa has no public per-dealer license search. The Iowa Department of Agriculture Weights and Measures Bureau does license and inspect the delivery meters and runs the Fuel Quality Assurance Program, so ask that the truck meter is certified. Then confirm liability insurance, check Iowa Propane Gas Association membership at iapropane.org, and read recent reviews. Installation and storage follow NFPA 58.
02
Lock summer, before harvest
Iowa wholesale bottoms in June and July. Most dealers run pre-buy enrollment from May and close it in late August or early September, before grain drying pulls inventories down. A summer contract has recently locked 20 to 40 cents a gallon under winter spot, about $200 to $400 on a 1,000-gallon household. Prefer a cap-price contract, which keeps your saving if wholesale falls, over a flat pre-buy, and ask whether unused gallons roll forward.
03
Quote all three supplier tiers
Iowa has a real three-tier market: national carriers (AmeriGas, Ferrellgas), local family operators, and the farm cooperatives that dominate rural counties. In-county spreads of 30 to 50 cents a gallon are routine, so pull one written quote from each tier. If you own your tank, say so up front, it removes the switching penalty that leased-tank customers face, and ask each dealer to itemise delivery fee, minimum-delivery surcharge and any monthly tank fee.
04
Know who else to call in your region
Beyond the rated shortlist, these are real, established Iowa operators worth phoning for a quote, a starting call-list rather than a ranking. Des Moines metro and central: Diamond Oil and Patriot Propane (Des Moines and Neola), Consumers Energy Cooperative (Marshalltown). Eastern Iowa and the Mississippi corridor: Mulgrew Oil & Propane (Dubuque), River Valley Cooperative (Quad Cities region). Iowa City and the corridor: A-1 Propane & Services. Northeast Iowa and the Driftless: Hovey LP Gas (Decorah), Innovative Ag Services. North-central and northern Iowa: Five Star Cooperative. Pella, Jasper and Mahaska: Two Rivers Cooperative.
05
Check Iowa LIHEAP eligibility
Iowa runs the federal energy-assistance program through the Department of Health and Human Services and county Community Action Agencies. Eligibility for 2025-2026 is at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, about $31,300 for one person and $64,300 for four. It covers propane deliveries. Apply at liheap-apply.hhs.iowa.gov or dial 211. Applications open October 1 for households 60-plus, disabled, or facing disconnection, and November 1 for everyone else, through April 30.
Rated by customers
Iowa propane dealers worth calling first
A short, hand-checked list with strong public review scores, spread across the state. Ratings were read from the platforms named in August 2026 and move over time; a high score is where to start, not a guarantee. Get three written quotes whoever you call.
Northwest Iowa (Clay County)
Cooperative Energy Company
Spencer, Iowa
4.84 reviews, Birdeye
Farmer-owned energy cooperative serving the lakes region and the northwest corn belt. Small review base, but uniformly strong.
See the reviews ›South-central Iowa (Marion County)
Stubbs Petroleum
Pleasantville, Iowa
4.715 reviews, Birdeye
Family-run fuel and propane delivery across central and southern Iowa since 1993. Consistently cited for reliability and honest billing.
See the reviews ›Southwest and southern Iowa (Madison County)
Agriland FS
Winterset, Iowa
4.423 reviews, Birdeye
Ninety-year-old cooperative running propane, fuels and agronomy from roughly 28 locations across southern Iowa and into northwest Missouri.
See the reviews ›Iowa propane, the questions people ask
How much does propane cost per gallon in Iowa right now?
Iowa residential propane averages $1.66 a gallon in the latest EIA State Heating Oil and Propane Program (SHOPP) survey, against a $2.67 national average and a $2.07 Midwest regional average. That is a statewide retail mean. What you pay turns on route density (the Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Davenport metros tend to run cheapest), contract type (will-call versus auto-fill versus pre-buy versus cap-price), and whether you own or rent your tank. Per-gallon spreads of 30 to 50 cents between dealers in the same county are common, so pull two or three written quotes before you sign.
Does Iowa publish a list of licensed propane dealers I can search?
Not in the way some states do. Iowa does not operate a single public, searchable per-dealer propane license lookup. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Weights and Measures Bureau licenses and inspects the commercial metering devices dealers deliver through and runs the Fuel Quality Assurance Program, so the meter on the truck is checked for accuracy, but that is device oversight, not a consumer-facing dealer registry. LP-gas installation and storage follow NFPA 58, the national code. To vet a dealer, confirm they carry liability insurance, ask for local references, check membership of the Iowa Propane Gas Association at iapropane.org, and read recent reviews. Route any billing or contract dispute to the Iowa Attorney General Consumer Protection Division.
Am I eligible for LIHEAP heating help in Iowa, and does it cover propane?
Yes, propane is covered. Iowa runs the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program through the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, administered locally by Community Action Agencies. For the 2025-2026 season, eligibility is set at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, roughly $31,300 in annual gross income for a single-person household and about $64,300 for a household of four. The benefit is paid toward your heating cost, and if you heat with propane the program can arrange a delivery. Applications open October 1 for households with a member age 60 or older, a disability, or a disconnection notice, and November 1 for everyone else, running through April 30. Apply at liheap-apply.hhs.iowa.gov or dial 211 to reach your local Community Action Agency.
When does propane peak in Iowa, winter or harvest?
Both, and in a wet year harvest can hit harder than the deep-winter peak. October and November are grain-drying season: wet corn coming off the field runs about 18 to 22% moisture and has to drop to 13 to 15% before it can be binned, and propane-fired dryers do that work on most Iowa acres. The second peak is January and February residential heating. The practical move for a residential customer is to top up the tank in late August or September, before harvest demand pulls regional inventories down and before the summer pre-buy window closes.
When is the cheapest time to buy propane in Iowa?
Late spring through midsummer, roughly May through August. Iowa wholesale rack pricing typically bottoms in June and July, when refinery output is high, residential demand is near zero, and grain drying is still months out. Most Iowa dealers open pre-buy and cap-price enrollment in May and close it in late August or early September before the harvest surge. A summer contract in recent years has locked rates 20 to 40 cents a gallon below winter spot, which on a 1,000-gallon-a-year household is $200 to $400 saved. Read the fine print: a flat pre-buy commits you to the locked rate in either direction, while a cap-price contract sets a ceiling but lets you benefit if the market falls.
How much does it cost to fill a propane tank in Iowa?
At Iowa's $1.66 a gallon residential rate, filling a 500-gallon tank to its 80%-rule capacity (400 usable gallons) costs about $664.00. A 250-gallon tank fills for about $332.00, a 1,000-gallon farm or large-home tank for about $1328.00, and a 100-gallon cylinder for about $132.80. Tanks fill to 80% rather than 100% to leave headroom for thermal expansion in summer heat. That 80% rule is NFPA 58 safety code, not a supplier markup.
Why is Iowa propane cheaper than most US states?
Iowa sits inside PADD 2, the Midwest distribution district, with short logistics from the Conway, Kansas underground storage hub and the central-plains fractionator network. It also has unusually deep, year-round propane demand: grain drying in the fall, livestock barn heat through winter, residential space heat from November into March, and rural water heating. Dense, steady demand keeps supplier routes efficient, supports a large field of competing local dealers, and pulls per-gallon margins down. Add the short haul relative to the Northeast or West Coast, and Iowa lands at $1.66 a gallon against the $2.67 national mean, a discount that has held for well over a decade.
Keep reading
All Iowa dealers
Iowa propane dealers by city and ZIP.
Dealers near you
Enter a ZIP to see the closest dealers and ask up to three for a price.
Propane prices today
The daily wholesale benchmark and the live state summer surveys.
Prices by state
All 50 states side by side, with regional context.
What a fill costs
Tank sizes, the 80% rule and the national refill guide.
How to pay less
Pre-buy timing, switching, owned versus leased tanks.
Propane vs natural gas
Per-BTU economics for rural Iowa homes outside the natural-gas grid.