EIA residential propane, North Carolina
North Carolina propane prices: $3.45 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 state, three terrain bands that price propane completely differently: a Blue Ridge mountain belt where the gas mains end before the elevation does, a Piedmont metro corridor that runs on natural gas, and a barrier-island coast where hurricane season sets the delivery calendar.
Latest EIA residential propane price
Source: EIA State Heating Oil and Propane Program, North Carolina residential series. Refreshed automatically every Tuesday in season; wholesale daily.
North Carolina at a glance
Latest survey$3.45/gal
vs week before+1.7c
vs 4 weeks before+4.4c
vs same week last yearlevel
vs US ($2.67)29% above
Among 38 surveyed states25th cheapest
500-gal fill (400 usable)$1380
Week by week, 2025-26 season
North Carolina against the US average
Every point is an EIA survey week. This season North Carolina ran from a low of $3.29 (20 Oct) to a high of $3.45 (30 Mar), with the US average finishing at $2.67. Against the same week a year earlier it is level.
$3.29
Season low
20 October 2025
$3.45
Season high
30 March 2026
$3.44
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 North Carolina prices are heading.
What a fill costs in North Carolina at $3.45
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 $3.45 | vs US ($2.67) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 gal | 80 gal | $276 | +$62 |
| 250 gal | 200 gal | $690 | +$155 |
| 500 gal | 400 gal | $1380 | +$310 |
| 1000 gal | 800 gal | $2760 | +$621 |
A North Carolina home heating on propane through a typical winter burns 1,000 to 1,500 gallons, so fuel alone runs about $3450 to $5175 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.
North Carolina against its South neighbours
The cheapest Southern cluster (Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi) hugs Gulf-coast production with short supply chains and dense rural propane bases. North Carolina sits above that cluster because of its mountain and barrier-island geography, but below the mid-Atlantic South.
| State | Price/gal | 500-gal fill | vs US ($2.67) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | $2.27 | $909 | -15% |
| Arkansas | $2.37 | $947 | -11% |
| Louisiana (regional est.) | $2.93 | $1172 | +10% |
| Kentucky | $2.94 | $1174 | +10% |
| Texas | $2.99 | $1196 | +12% |
| Mississippi | $3.05 | $1221 | +14% |
| Georgia | $3.16 | $1266 | +18% |
| Tennessee | $3.25 | $1299 | +21% |
| North Carolina | $3.45 | $1380 | +29% |
| South Carolina (regional est.) | $3.51 | $1405 | +31% |
| West Virginia (regional est.) | $3.51 | $1405 | +31% |
| Alabama | $3.52 | $1406 | +31% |
| Virginia | $3.56 | $1426 | +33% |
| Maryland | $3.74 | $1496 | +40% |
| Florida | $4.71 | $1882 | +76% |
| South average | $3.26 | $1304 | +22% |
States marked regional est. are not surveyed individually by EIA and carry their PADD regional figure. Full table on prices by state.
Why North Carolina runs 29% over the national average
North Carolina is one of the pricier Southern propane markets, and the reasons are structural: geography at both ends of the state, a metro corridor that barely buys propane at all, and a supply chain with several handoffs in it.
Mountain route economics.
Western NC, the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains around Asheville, Boone, Brevard and Hendersonville, is propane country because natural-gas mains end well before the elevation does. Long, low-volume delivery routes, steep-grade access and limited bulk-storage siting push mountain pricing 20 to 60 cents a gallon above the statewide average, and the higher elevation means a longer heating season and larger annual draws.
Coastal and barrier-island delivery.
The Outer Banks, Crystal Coast and lower Cape Fear pay a delivery premium because bobtails ferry to the islands and route density is thin outside summer. Hurricane season (June to November, peak August to October) concentrates demand into narrow windows for standby-generator fuel and second-home top-ups, so coastal suppliers prioritise existing scheduled-delivery accounts once a storm enters the cone.
Metro natural-gas dominance, and a long supply chain.
Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, Winston-Salem and the wider Triangle and Triad run on Piedmont Natural Gas and PSNC for residential heat, leaving propane as a rural and suburban fuel without metro-scale supplier volume. Most NC propane also originates in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma or the Appalachian shale and reaches the state by pipeline and rail before transferring to bobtail trucks at terminals near Greensboro and Charlotte. Each handoff is a margin layer, so suppliers that run their own in-state bulk storage can shave one and tend to quote more competitively. It is worth asking in any quote.
Agricultural bulk demand on the Coastal Plain.
NC is the number-two US broiler-chicken state and the number-one sweet-potato state, and propane is the workhorse for broiler-house brooder heat and post-harvest sweet-potato curing in the eastern counties. That commercial base gives Coastal Plain suppliers dense year-round routes, which helps residential pricing on the same routes but pulls supplier attention toward contract accounts during peak weeks.
Four levers that move a North Carolina propane bill
The gap between a careless fill and a well-run propane account here is usually a few hundred dollars a winter, and most of it is won in four decisions.
01
Confirm the NCDA&CS licence
Every LP-Gas dealer in North Carolina must be licensed by the NCDA&CS Standards Division under N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 119, Article 5, and must carry continuous liability insurance. Search the company on the public register at apps.ncagr.gov or email [email protected] to verify. Insurance, inspection and dispute cover all hinge on that standing.
02
Pre-buy in late spring
NC wholesale bottoms after the heating season closes. Most suppliers run pre-buy enrolment from 1 May to 31 August. Ask for a cap-price contract, which sets a ceiling but lets you keep the saving if winter wholesale falls, rather than a strict flat pre-buy, and ask whether unused pre-paid gallons roll into the next season. Above 2,000 feet the pre-buy saving is largest.
03
Quote across all three tiers
NC has a genuine three-tier market: national carriers, Southeast regionals, and single-county family operators in the mountains and Coastal Plain. In rural NC the spread between the cheapest local and the priciest national quote can reach 40 to 60 cents a gallon, so pull one written quote from each tier. If you own your tank, say so up front to remove the leased-tank switching penalty.
04
Check LIEAP and CIP
The Low Income Energy Assistance Program pays a one-time winter benefit, usually straight to your supplier, for households at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty guideline. The 2025-2026 window ran from December for priority households and 2 January to 31 March 2026 for everyone else. The Crisis Intervention Program covers shutoffs and empty tanks year-round. Both are applied for at your county DSS office.
Rated by customers
North Carolina 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.
Triangle / Raleigh-Durham
LG Jordan Oil & Gas
Apex, North Carolina
4.9270+ reviews, Birdeye
Family fuel dealer since 1924 running automatic propane delivery across Wake, Chatham, Durham, Orange, Johnston, Harnett and Lee counties.
See the reviews ›Cape Fear coast / eastern NC
Parker Gas
Wilmington, North Carolina
4.8340+ reviews, Birdeye
Long-standing Wilmington-area supplier covering coastal residential delivery, tank sets and standby-generator fuel across the lower Cape Fear.
See the reviews ›Piedmont Triad / Greensboro
Blossman Gas
Greensboro, North Carolina
4.116 reviews, Birdeye
Greensboro branch of a large Southeast propane retailer, handling residential delivery and appliance sales across the central Piedmont.
See the reviews ›Western NC / mountains
Asheville Gas Man
Asheville, North Carolina
5.013 reviews, HomeAdvisor
Owner-operated mountain specialist for gas-line runs and dual-fuel appliance installs; a small review base with a consistent perfect score.
See the reviews ›Verified on the state registry
8 of the 1,280 North Carolina dealers on the Licensed register
Source: NCDA&CS Standards Division LP-Gas Dealer register, captured 24 August 2026. A registry listing is a licence record, not an endorsement. Confirm current standing on the NCDA&CS licence search.
North Carolina propane, the questions people ask
Where do the dealers on this page come from?
The registry list is drawn from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) Standards Division LP-Gas Dealer register, the state's official record of licensed propane dealers, captured on 24 August 2026. We carry the currently authorised set, dealers whose licences are renewed or newly issued, after removing expired, cancelled and duplicate records. The state export lists city, county and licence class but no phone number, so the listing shows those fields rather than a click-to-call line. It is a licence snapshot, not an endorsement or a ranking, so still confirm current standing on the NCDA&CS licence search and get three written quotes before you sign. The rated shortlist above it is separate: a hand-checked set of dealers with strong public review scores.
How do I confirm a North Carolina propane dealer is licensed?
The NCDA&CS Standards Division licenses every LP-Gas dealer operating in North Carolina under N.C. Gen. Stat. Chapter 119, Article 5. Class A licences cover dealers that transport LP-Gas in bulk or in containers; Class B covers non-transport dealers. Cylinder exchange-only locations are exempt, and dealers must carry continuous liability insurance, so a licence lapses when the insurance does. You can look a company up on the public register at apps.ncagr.gov/AgRSysPortalV2/licensesearch, or email [email protected] to verify a specific dealer. Separately, the NC Office of State Fire Marshal adopts the NC Fuel Gas Code, which incorporates NFPA 58 for tank siting and installation, with the 2024 edition mandatory from 1 July 2025. Never take a fill from a company that is not on the NCDA&CS list.
Am I eligible for North Carolina LIEAP or CIP propane assistance?
North Carolina runs the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) through NC DHHS, Division of Social Services, with applications taken at your county Department of Social Services (DSS) office. A household must be responsible for its heating cost and have income at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty guideline, or 150 percent for a household with a member aged 60 or older or living with a disability. The resource (savings) limit for the 2025-2026 program year is $3,000 for most households and $4,500 for households with a member aged 60 or older or living with a disability. LIEAP pays a one-time benefit, usually sent straight to your propane supplier as a vendor payment. For 2025-2026, newly eligible households could begin applying on 10 December 2025, general applications open 2 January 2026, and the window runs to 31 March 2026 or until funds are exhausted. The separate Crisis Intervention Program (CIP) is the year-round emergency channel for households already facing a heating cut-off or an empty tank, applied for at the same county DSS office. Apply early: North Carolina propane runs $3.45 a gallon and crisis-only requests can hit delivery delays once winter demand peaks.
Why is North Carolina propane priced above the cheapest Southern states?
At $3.45 a gallon, North Carolina sits about 29 percent above the $2.67 national average and about 6 percent above the $3.26 South regional average. It is one of the pricier Southern markets, behind the mid-Atlantic South and a couple of Deep South neighbours but well above the low-cost Gulf-coast states. Three structural reasons keep it there. First, geography: rural Western NC (the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains around Asheville, Boone and Brevard) and the Outer Banks and Coastal Plain are long, low-density delivery routes that load route cost into every gallon. Second, the metro corridor (Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro and the Triangle and Triad) is served largely by natural gas through Piedmont Natural Gas and PSNC, leaving propane as a rural fuel without metro-scale supplier volume. Third, supply chain: most NC propane arrives by rail and pipeline handoff to bobtail trucks at terminals near Greensboro and Charlotte, each handoff adding a margin layer over what Gulf states pay at source.
What does propane cost on the Outer Banks and the NC coast?
Barrier-island and coastal propane (Hatteras, Ocracoke, Nags Head, Corolla) typically runs a premium of roughly 20 to 50 cents a gallon over the statewide average of $3.45 because of ferry and low-density delivery economics. Hurricane season (June through November, peak August to October) is the demand spike, driven by standby-generator fuel, rental-property hot water and second-home top-ups before owners leave for the off-season. Book auto-fill or a pre-storm top-up by mid-May, since suppliers prioritise existing scheduled-delivery accounts once a named storm enters the cone. Get a written quote before signing: per-gallon spreads between coastal suppliers are wide, so it pays to compare two or three.
Why is propane more expensive in Western NC mountain counties?
Western North Carolina (Buncombe, Henderson, Watauga, Avery, Yancey, Mitchell, Madison, Macon, Jackson, Swain and Haywood counties, among others) routinely pays 20 to 60 cents a gallon above the NC statewide average. Route density is the biggest driver: mountain delivery routes are long and low-volume, with bobtail trucks covering far more ground between fills than in Piedmont metro counties. Terrain adds to it, steep grade access and limited bulk-storage siting mean many mountain suppliers ferry product up from terminals in Greensboro, Charlotte or Asheville. And elevation means a longer heating season (October through April) and higher annual draws, often 1,000 to 1,500 gallons a year versus 600 to 900 in the Piedmont. If you live above 2,000 feet, pre-buy in late spring; the saving versus winter spot rates is typically 40 to 80 cents a gallon.
When is the cheapest time to buy propane in North Carolina?
Late spring through summer, roughly May to August. NC residential propane follows a clear seasonal cycle: prices bottom after the heating season closes in March and before the next winter's pre-buy window opens, then climb through autumn and peak in January and February when Atlantic cold snaps strain regional storage. Most NC suppliers run pre-buy enrolment between 1 May and 31 August, locking a per-gallon rate for the coming winter, and many offer cap-price contracts that set a ceiling but let you keep the savings if the market falls. A 1,000-gallon household paying winter spot rates of $3.85 to $4.05 a gallon can spend several hundred dollars more than the same household on a spring pre-buy. If your tank is below 30 percent going into autumn, fill it rather than wait for January.
Keep reading
All North Carolina dealers
The complete verified directory of 1280 North Carolina 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 North Carolina homes inside versus outside the gas-main grid.