EIA residential propane, New Jersey
New Jersey propane prices: $3.82 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.
Propane here is a rural fuel inside one of the most heavily piped states in the country: the mains cover the suburbs, so tanks serve the northwest hill counties, the Pine Barrens and the Shore. The state licenses its LP-gas marketers, which makes the licence check the first thing a buyer should do.
Latest EIA residential propane price
Source: EIA State Heating Oil and Propane Program, New Jersey residential series. Refreshed automatically every Tuesday in season; wholesale daily.
New Jersey at a glance
Latest survey$3.82/gal
vs week before+1.3c
vs 4 weeks before+9.2c
vs same week last yearlevel
vs US ($2.67)43% above
Among 38 surveyed states36th cheapest
500-gal fill (400 usable)$1528
Week by week, 2025-26 season
New Jersey against the US average
Every point is an EIA survey week. This season New Jersey ran from a low of $3.51 (27 Oct) to a high of $3.82 (30 Mar), with the US average finishing at $2.67. Against the same week a year earlier it is level.
$3.51
Season low
27 October 2025
$3.82
Season high
30 March 2026
$3.81
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 New Jersey prices are heading.
What a fill costs in New Jersey at $3.82
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 $3.82 | vs US ($2.67) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 gal | 80 gal | $306 | +$92 |
| 250 gal | 200 gal | $764 | +$229 |
| 500 gal | 400 gal | $1528 | +$459 |
| 1000 gal | 800 gal | $3057 | +$918 |
A New Jersey home heating on propane through a typical winter burns 1,000 to 1,500 gallons, so fuel alone runs about $3821 to $5732 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.
New Jersey against its Northeast neighbours
Tight East-Coast supply and long winters keep the whole Northeast above the national mark. New Jersey lands near the top of the region, above the regional average, with only a couple of New England states higher. Pennsylvania sits at the bottom of the Northeast, closer to Marcellus and Utica supply.
| State | Price/gal | 500-gal fill | vs US ($2.67) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | $3.08 | $1233 | +15% |
| Maine | $3.52 | $1409 | +32% |
| Massachusetts | $3.65 | $1460 | +36% |
| Delaware | $3.73 | $1492 | +40% |
| Vermont | $3.73 | $1493 | +40% |
| New York | $3.75 | $1499 | +40% |
| Rhode Island | $3.76 | $1503 | +41% |
| New Hampshire | $3.78 | $1512 | +41% |
| New Jersey | $3.82 | $1528 | +43% |
| Connecticut | $4.12 | $1646 | +54% |
| Northeast average | $3.69 | $1476 | +38% |
States marked regional est. are not surveyed individually by EIA and carry their PADD regional figure. Full table on prices by state.
Why New Jersey runs 43% over the national average
New Jersey is expensive next to the national number and near the top of its own region. The reasons are structural: where propane actually gets burned in the state, the East-Coast supply picture, and a residential fuel mix split three ways.
Propane is a rural fuel in a mostly-piped state.
New Jersey has one of the densest natural-gas grids in the country, so propane is concentrated where the mains do not reach: the rural northwest (Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon), the Pine Barrens across Burlington and Ocean, and the Shore. Low household density and longer bobtail routes in those zones carry more fixed cost per gallon than a piped-gas suburb ever would, which pulls the statewide average up.
PADD 1 East-Coast supply, not the Gulf or Midwest.
New Jersey draws on PADD 1 (East Coast) supply rather than the deep, cheap storage of the Gulf (PADD 3) or the Midwest hub at Conway (PADD 2). Terminals at Marcus Hook, Linden and Camden are close by, which should compress freight, but East-Coast propane inventories are tighter and more weather-exposed than the interior hubs, so the region as a whole prices above the national mark even where a terminal is an hour away.
A three-way fuel split thins every route.
Residential heat in New Jersey is split across natural gas, heating oil and propane, with older Shore and South Jersey towns still carrying a large heating-oil base. That fragmentation leaves propane suppliers with fewer gallons per mile than peers in propane-dominant states like Maine or Vermont, so per-route overhead is spread thinner. It also means propane competes head-to-head with oil and with heat pumps, which shapes how aggressively dealers discount.
High cost base, and a Shore generator floor.
New Jersey's labour, insurance and real-estate costs sit near the top of the country, and delivery, storage and compliance all carry that weight into the per-gallon price. On the coast, propane standby generators became standard after Sandy, so Cape May, Long Beach Island and the Ocean and Monmouth shore hold a baseline year-round demand for generator readiness that keeps tanker capacity tight in storm windows and supports premium pricing on emergency fills.
Buying propane well in New Jersey: four moves that change the bill
A licensed dealer is step one. The gap between a careless fill and a well-run propane account in New Jersey is usually a few hundred dollars a winter. Here is where that money is won.
01
Confirm the DCA licence
The licensing authority is the DCA Division of Codes and Standards LP-Gas Safety Unit, enforcing NJAC 5:18 and NFPA 58. Cross-check your dealer against the state's Licensed LP-Gas Marketers list, reach the unit at nj.gov/dca/codes or 609-984-4257, and do not sign with an operator that is not on the roster.
02
Lock summer, not autumn
New Jersey wholesale bottoms in late spring and summer when heating demand is near zero, and most dealers run pre-buy or cap-price enrolment from roughly May through August. A cap-price contract lets you keep the saving if winter wholesale falls, while a flat pre-buy fixes the rate either way, so ask which you are signing and whether unused pre-paid gallons roll forward.
03
Quote across the supplier tiers
New Jersey has national carriers, regional independents such as Blue Flame, Allen's and Steenland's, and small welding-and-gas outfits. In the rural northwest and Pine Barrens the spread between the cheapest local and the priciest national quote is real, 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.
04
Check LIHEAP eligibility
NJ LIHEAP, run by the DCA Division of Housing and Community Resources, covers deliverable propane for households at or below 60% of State Median Income (2025-2026 season, October 1 to June 30), with crisis help up to $800 for empty tanks. The Universal Service Fund is a separate utility-bill credit for electric and gas service. Apply for both at dcaid.dca.nj.gov or on 1-800-510-3102.
Rated by customers
New Jersey 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.
South Jersey / Shore
Blue Flame
Newfield, New Jersey
5.079 reviews, Birdeye
Independent with 50-plus years of propane delivery across Cape May, Atlantic City, Toms River, Cherry Hill and Trenton. Reviews consistently cite fast service and competitive pricing.
See the reviews ›Cape May / the Shore
Steenland's Gas Service
Belleplain (Woodbine), New Jersey
4.611 reviews, Porch
Family-owned since 1961, covering greater Cape May County and southern Cumberland and Atlantic. A small but strongly positive review base (also 5.0 on Angi).
See the reviews ›Pine Barrens / Burlington County
Allen's Oil & Propane
Vincentown, New Jersey
4.554 reviews, Chamber of Commerce
Long-established Pine Barrens delivery operator (now a Meenan Oil unit). Ratings vary by platform, 4.8 on Angi, 4.5 on Chamber of Commerce, 3.9 on Birdeye, so read across sources.
See the reviews ›Verified on the state registry
8 of the 60 New Jersey dealers on the DCA register
| Dealer | City | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Aeropres Corporation | Hillsborough | (908) 292-1240 |
| Agl Welding | Clifton | (973) 478-5000 |
| Allens Oil & Propane Inc. | Vincentown | (609) 859-2334 |
| American Compressed Gases, Inc. | Newark | (201) 857-5400 |
| Amerigas Propane, LP. | King | (908) 619-2422 |
| Awisco Nj LLC | West Milford | (347) 468-1064 |
| Blue Flame, LLC | Newfield | (856) 697-1100 |
| Country Gas Service, Inc. | Wharton | (856) 235-1224 |
Source: New Jersey DCA Licensed LP-Gas Marketers list, captured 5 June 2026 (source document). A registry listing is a licence record, not an endorsement. Confirm current standing with the LP-Gas Safety Unit.
New Jersey propane, the questions people ask
How much does propane cost per gallon in New Jersey?
New Jersey residential propane is $3.82 a gallon in the most recent EIA State Heating Oil and Propane Program (SHOPP) survey, about 43% above the $2.67 national average. It is expensive within its own region too, not a bargain: New Jersey sits near the top of the Northeast against a regional average of $3.69, with only a couple of New England states higher. The spread inside the state is what matters most for your bill: rural Sussex, Warren and Hunterdon in the northwest, plus the Pine Barrens, commonly quote above the statewide average because of longer delivery routes and thin dealer competition, while off-main-line pockets near the gas suburbs can be more competitive. Pull two or three written quotes and lock a summer pre-buy or cap-price contract, that is the single biggest lever on annual spend.
Am I eligible for New Jersey LIHEAP, and how do I apply?
New Jersey's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is administered by the NJ Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Division of Housing and Community Resources, and it does cover deliverable propane. Households at or below 60% of the State Median Income qualify. For the 2025-2026 season the application window runs October 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, and published income limits are about $50,005 a year for a one-person household, $62,633 for two, $80,778 for three and $96,165 for four. Heating benefits for FY2026 range from a $118 minimum to a $1,278 maximum, with emergency winter-crisis help up to $800 for households facing a shutoff or an empty tank. Apply online at dcaid.dca.nj.gov, by phone on 1-800-510-3102, or through NJ 211. Households with a senior, a child under six, or a person with a disability get priority handling. Apply early, the propane crisis-fuel queue tightens sharply in January and February.
What is the difference between LIHEAP and the Universal Service Fund for a propane household?
Both are screened by the same DCAid application, but they are not the same benefit. The Universal Service Fund (USF), created by the NJ Board of Public Utilities and administered by DCA, is a monthly credit applied to a natural-gas or electric utility bill, so a household that heats with delivered propane cannot use USF to pay for propane itself. LIHEAP is the program that covers deliverable heating fuels including propane. In practice a propane-heat home applies through dcaid.dca.nj.gov, is assessed for LIHEAP on the propane heating load, and is assessed for USF on any electric or utility-gas service in the home. USF also layers in an energy-burden test (broadly, spending more than 2% of income on electric or on utility gas, or more than 4% on electricity if you heat with it). If your only fuel is delivered propane, LIHEAP plus crisis assistance is the route that reaches your tank.
How do I confirm a New Jersey propane dealer is licensed?
The licensing authority in New Jersey is the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Safety Unit inside the DCA Division of Codes and Standards, not the fire service. The unit enforces NJAC 5:18 together with NFPA 58 for the design, installation and delivery of LP-gas systems, and it maintains the official Licensed LP-Gas Marketers list. Cross-check any company quoting you against that roster, reach the unit at 609-984-4257 or [email protected], and find the list and forms on nj.gov/dca/codes. If a dealer is not on the licensed roster, walk away, both insurance and dispute-resolution cover hang on that standing. The New Jersey Propane Gas Association (njpga.org) is a separate trade body that runs CETP safety training; membership is a credibility signal but is not the legal licence, so verify both.
Where do the dealers on this page come from?
The registry list is drawn from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Licensed LP-Gas Marketers list, maintained by the DCA Division of Codes and Standards LP-Gas Safety Unit, captured on 5 June 2026. It is a licence snapshot, not an endorsement, so confirm current standing with the unit before you sign. Some listed companies are headquartered just outside New Jersey, in Pennsylvania, New York or Delaware, and hold a New Jersey marketer licence to deliver into the state, which is common along the western and northern edges. The rated shortlist above it is separate: a hand-checked set of dealers with strong public review scores.
Why is propane more expensive in northwest and rural New Jersey?
Sussex, Warren and Hunterdon in the northwest, and the Pine Barrens belt across Burlington and Ocean, are low-density propane country. Three drivers stack up. Fewer customers per delivery route means each gallon carries more fixed truck and labour cost. Dealer competition is thin, many rural townships have only two or three active residential propane dealers quoting, which leaves margin headroom. And longer drive times from the terminals push fuel and driver hours into the per-gallon math. The North Jersey suburbs are cheaper for the opposite reason: PSE&G and Elizabethtown Gas natural-gas service dominates the residential mix there, so propane is a smaller niche where the remaining off-main-line homes are fought over. Expect rural northwest and deep Pine Barrens quotes to run meaningfully above the $3.82 statewide average, often by 10 to 20%.
When is the cheapest time to fill a propane tank in New Jersey?
Late spring through midsummer, roughly May to August. Wholesale propane bottoms when refinery output is high and residential heating demand is near zero, and most NJ dealers run pre-buy or cap-price enrolment across that window. On a 1,000-gallon-a-year household the summer lock commonly saves a few hundred dollars against paying winter spot rates. Read the contract type: a cap-price contract lets you keep the saving if wholesale falls further, while a flat pre-buy fixes the per-gallon rate in either direction, and ask whether unused pre-paid gallons roll into the next season. Avoid will-call top-ups in December through February if you can, that is when spot prices spike and crisis-fuel demand competes for tanker capacity. A practical target is to reach November near 75 to 80% full from a September shoulder-season delivery.
Should I keep my tank full before hurricane season at the Jersey Shore?
If you run a propane standby generator, yes. Coastal towns from Cape May and Long Beach Island up through Ocean and Monmouth counties face a real, recurring grid-outage risk from Atlantic storms, and propane generators are the workhorse of post-storm power continuity. The tactical play is to enter June near full, lock a cap-price contract in the spring for any winter top-ups, and keep the account on auto-fill rather than will-call so you sit in the route queue if a storm warning triggers a regional pre-delivery surge. Second-home owners on the barrier islands carry an extra risk: a dormant tank and long-idle system should get a pressure check and inspection before each season. Budget a couple of hundred dollars for a full inspection, and confirm your dealer treats the address as a served route rather than an occasional will-call stop.
What does the NJ Energy Master Plan mean for propane homes?
The NJ Energy Master Plan and the Clean Energy Equity Act target 100% clean energy by 2050, with electrification of the building sector as the central lever, and the plan names existing oil and propane homes as a priority conversion segment because the payback on a heat-pump retrofit is strongest where the incumbent fuel is highest-cost. State heat-pump rebates and weatherization run through the NJ Clean Energy Program. None of that means ripping out a working propane system tomorrow. The practical read: if your furnace or boiler is already near end of life, run the cold-climate heat-pump math seriously before committing to another 15-year propane equipment cycle, and note that propane stays essential for cooking, standby generators, pool heat and supplemental space heat across the state regardless.
Keep reading
All New Jersey dealers
The complete verified directory of 60 New Jersey 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.
Connecticut propane price
How a higher-priced New England neighbour compares on price and supplier mix.
New York propane price
Marcellus and Utica supply, and what New York pricing says about the region.
Propane vs heating oil
Per-BTU economics for older Shore towns and South Jersey oil-legacy homes.