EIA residential propane, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania propane prices: $3.21 a gallon
EIA residential survey for the week ending 26 October 2026. Updated every Wednesday through March.
The Northeast outlier. Pennsylvania sits on top of the Marcellus and Utica shale, fractionates a good share of its own propane, and ships the rest through Marcus Hook, which is why its rural Northern Tier and Pocono households pay less than every other state in the region.
Homeowners in Pennsylvania tell us they pay $2.84 a gallon, typically $1.95 to $3.29, reported in the last 90 days. That is 11% under the survey price. The survey asks dealers for a posted price; readers report what they were billed, often on a contract.
What do you pay in Pennsylvania?
Compare it with your neighbours in 30 seconds.
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Used only for your comparison and the anonymous local figure. Never sent to a propane company.
Latest EIA residential propane price
Source: EIA State Heating Oil and Propane Program, Pennsylvania residential series. Refreshed automatically every Wednesday in season; wholesale daily.
Pennsylvania at a glance
This week$3.21/gal
vs week before+3.4c
vs 4 weeks before+12.6c
vs same week last year+14%
vs US ($2.73)18% above
Among 38 surveyed states22nd cheapest
500-gal fill (400 usable)$1284
Week by week, 2026-27 season
Pennsylvania against the US average
Every point is an EIA survey week. This season Pennsylvania ran from a low of $3.11 (12 Oct) to a high of $3.21 (26 Oct), with the US average finishing at $2.73. Against the same week a year earlier it is +14%.
$3.11
Season low
12 October 2026
$3.21
Season high
26 October 2026
$2.82
Same week last year
27 October 2025, now +14%
$1.20
Wholesale today
Mont Belvieu spot, 27 October 2026, +31c 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 Pennsylvania prices are heading.
What a fill costs in Pennsylvania at $3.21
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 $3.21 | vs US ($2.73) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 gal | 80 gal | $257 | +$38 |
| 250 gal | 200 gal | $642 | +$96 |
| 500 gal | 400 gal | $1284 | +$192 |
| 1000 gal | 800 gal | $2567 | +$383 |
For a winter's fuel, multiply the gallons on last winter's delivery tickets by the price: every 100 gallons costs about $321 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.
Pennsylvania against its Northeast neighbours
Pennsylvania anchors the cheap end of the Northeast, closest to Marcellus production and PADD 1B pipeline access. New Jersey and New York sit in the next tier, while New England (Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire) runs highest, drawing propane from terminals far further from in-state supply.
| State | Price/gal | 500-gal fill | vs US ($2.73) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | $3.21 | $1284 | +18% |
| Maine | $3.68 | $1472 | +35% |
| Massachusetts | $3.72 | $1487 | +36% |
| New York | $3.79 | $1518 | +39% |
| Delaware | $3.81 | $1523 | +39% |
| New Hampshire | $3.90 | $1562 | +43% |
| Vermont | $3.93 | $1572 | +44% |
| New Jersey | $4.10 | $1639 | +50% |
| Rhode Island | $4.12 | $1646 | +51% |
| Connecticut | $4.32 | $1726 | +58% |
| Northeast average | $3.86 | $1544 | +41% |
States marked regional est. are not surveyed individually by EIA and carry their PADD regional figure. Full table on prices by state.
Why Pennsylvania runs 17% below the Northeast average, and 18% over the national one
Pennsylvania is the cheapest propane state in the Northeast while New England runs far higher. The reasons are structural, not seasonal, and they have strengthened over the past decade as Marcellus production has scaled.
Marcellus and Utica NGL production.
Pennsylvania sits on the Marcellus and Utica shale plays, together the largest natural-gas-liquids region in the country. Wet gas from PA wells is fractionated into propane, ethane and butane at in-state plants, particularly around Houston in Washington County and the southwest. Much of the propane a PA home burns is produced, stored and delivered inside state lines rather than trucked up from the Gulf Coast.
The Marcus Hook hub and Mariner East.
The Marcus Hook Industrial Complex in Delaware County, repurposed from an old oil refinery, is now a major Mid-Atlantic NGL storage and export hub fed by the Mariner East pipeline system. The same infrastructure that supports international LPG export also feeds eastern-PA residential supply, keeping truck-haul distances short next to New England states that draw from terminals far further away.
PADD 1B pipeline access.
EIA places Pennsylvania in PADD 1B (Central Atlantic), which carries more refinery and rail-terminal infrastructure and better Marcellus pipeline access than the New England PADD 1A. PADD 1B residential propane consistently averages below PADD 1A in EIA weekly releases, and PA sits below even the PADD 1B norm because of its proximity to in-state production.
A rural belt hemmed by natural gas and oil.
Pennsylvania is really two states. Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and the Lehigh Valley run largely on natural gas, while the Northern Tier, the Allegheny Plateau, the Endless Mountains and the Poconos run on propane because the gas mains do not reach. That rural belt is large and route-dense enough to support competitive supplier economics, but propane there also competes head-to-head with heating oil, which keeps a lid on how far any one supplier can push per-gallon pricing.
Buying propane well in Pennsylvania: four moves that change the bill
For a rural PA household the gap between a careless fill and a well-run propane account is usually a few hundred dollars a winter.
01
Confirm Labor & Industry standing
LP-gas bulk plants, distributors and industrial users must register and annually renew with the Department of Labor and Industry (BOIS) under 34 Pa. Code Chapter 13. Pennsylvania has no public online lookup, so ask the supplier directly for its BOIS registration and current permit, and confirm commercial general liability insurance. Cross-check the L&I LP Gas program page.
02
Lock summer, not autumn
Pennsylvania wholesale bottoms from June through August when heating demand is near zero. Most PA suppliers run pre-buy or cap-price enrolment from May through August. A 1,000-gallon household that locks 30 cents a gallon cheaper banks about $300 before the winter. Ask for a cap-price contract, so you keep the saving if winter wholesale falls, over a flat pre-buy, and ask whether unused pre-paid gallons roll forward.
03
Quote all three supplier tiers
Pennsylvania has a genuine three-tier market: national carriers, regional fuel companies, and family operators across the rural counties. Per-gallon spreads of 30 to 50 cents within one county are common between a national chain and a local operator, so pull one written quote from each tier. If you own your tank, say so up front: it removes the switching penalty leased-tank customers face.
04
Check LIHEAP eligibility
The Pennsylvania LIHEAP, run by the Department of Human Services, pays a Cash grant toward propane for households at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Limit ($23,940 for one person, $48,500 for a family of four in 2025-2026), plus a Crisis benefit for shutoffs and empty tanks. The season ran 3 December 2025 to 8 May 2026. Apply at compass.state.pa.us, your County Assistance Office, or on 1-866-857-7095.
Rated by customers
Pennsylvania 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.
Philadelphia suburbs / Delaware County
Wilson Oil & Propane
Wallingford, Pennsylvania
4.625+ reviews, Angi
Long-running Delaware County oil-and-propane family firm, rated 4.6 on Angi and 4.9 across 550+ verified customer reviews on ToYourSuccess.
See the reviews ›Greater Pittsburgh / southwest PA
Greco Gas, Inc.
Tarentum, Pennsylvania
4.713 reviews, Chamber of Commerce
Serving Western Pennsylvania since 1941 with bulk propane, industrial gases and welding supply. BBB accredited with an A+ rating; small but consistently strong review base.
See the reviews ›Lehigh Valley / Slate Belt
Tolino's Fuel Service, Inc.
Bangor, Pennsylvania
4.598 reviews, Nextdoor
Northampton County independent repeatedly cited by neighbours for reliable, fast winter propane and heating-oil delivery.
See the reviews ›South-central PA / Lancaster County
Rhoads Energy Corporation
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
4.6339 reviews, Birdeye
Full-service fuel and HVAC company covering Lancaster, Lebanon, Chester and Montgomery counties, with one of the deepest review bases in the state.
See the reviews ›Northern Tier / Endless Mountains
Ace-Robbins, Inc.
Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania
4.6255 reviews, Birdeye
Wyoming County propane and petroleum supplier for the rural Northern Tier, where propane is often the only practical heating fuel.
See the reviews ›Pocono Mountains / Monroe County
Pennywise Fuel Company
Henryville, Pennsylvania
4.3212 reviews, Birdeye
Poconos propane and heating-oil delivery with 24/7 emergency service; a strong fit for second-home and cabin owners in Monroe County.
See the reviews ›Verified on the state registry
8 of the 177 Pennsylvania dealers on the PAPGA register
| Dealer | City | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| 3eight Energy | Latrobe | listing |
| 4 J Energy, LLC | Houston | listing |
| Ace-Robbins, Inc. | Tunkhannock | listing |
| ADD Systems | Flanders | listing |
| Aero Energy | Mid-Atlantic Cooperative Solutions | New Oxford | listing |
| AJ Energy | Denver | listing |
| Algas Company | Gallitzin | listing |
| Alliance Energy Services | Kansas City | listing |
Source: Pennsylvania Propane Gas Association member directory, captured 16 August 2026. A registry listing is a licence record, not an endorsement. It is a trade-association membership list rather than a state licence, so confirm BOIS registration and insurance against the L&I LP Gas program page.
Pennsylvania propane, the questions people ask
Where do the suppliers on this page come from?
Every company in the directory is drawn from the Pennsylvania Propane Gas Association (PAPGA) member directory, captured on 16 August 2026. PAPGA is the state trade body for the propane industry. Because Pennsylvania does not publish a searchable per-dealer propane licence database the way some states do, this association membership is the strongest public list of vetted, in-state suppliers. The raw PAPGA roster also includes associate members such as software, insurance, equipment and logistics vendors, so the listing is filtered down to Pennsylvania-addressed propane and fuel suppliers with a direct phone line. Membership is a credibility signal, not a state licence, so still confirm a company's Labor and Industry registration and get written quotes before you sign.
Does Pennsylvania license propane dealers, and how do I check one?
Pennsylvania regulates liquefied-petroleum-gas operations through the Department of Labor & Industry, Bureau of Occupational and Industrial Safety (BOIS), under the Propane and Liquefied Petroleum Gas Act (35 P.S. §§ 1329.1 to 1329.19) and 34 Pa. Code Chapter 13. Operators of LP-gas bulk plants, distributors and industrial users must register and annually renew with the Department for each location, and tanks, fixed locations, dispensing stations and cylinder-exchange cabinets require an annual permit. What Pennsylvania does not have is a public, consumer-facing online lookup where you can type a company name and confirm its registration, unlike states such as Wisconsin or Florida. So to verify a Pennsylvania supplier, ask directly for its L&I BOIS registration and current permit, confirm it carries commercial general liability insurance, and cross-reference the L&I Liquefied Petroleum Gas program page at pa.gov and the PAPGA member directory. Never accept a fill from a company that will not evidence its BOIS standing and insurance.
Am I eligible for LIHEAP heating help in Pennsylvania, and how do I apply?
Pennsylvania's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is run by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) and covers propane and other deliverable fuels. For the 2025-2026 season, households are financially eligible at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Limit, which DHS sets at $23,940 gross annual income for a single individual and $48,500 for a family of four. The season opened on 3 December 2025 (delayed this year by the federal government shutdown) and was extended through 8 May 2026. LIHEAP has two parts: a Cash grant paid directly to your propane supplier, and a Crisis component for households whose heat is off, about to be shut off, or nearly out of fuel. Apply online through the COMPASS portal at compass.state.pa.us, at your local County Assistance Office, or by calling the LIHEAP Helpline at 1-866-857-7095. Apply early, because crisis deliveries slow down during the January and February demand peak.
Why is Pennsylvania propane the cheapest in the Northeast?
Pennsylvania's residential propane average of $3.21 a gallon is the lowest in the Northeast, sitting furthest below the regional average of $3.86 of any state in the region. The reason is structural. Pennsylvania sits on top of the Marcellus and Utica shale plays, together the largest natural-gas-liquids producing region in the country, and a meaningful share of US propane is now fractionated from PA wet gas at plants in the southwest of the state rather than shipped up from the Gulf Coast. The Marcus Hook Industrial Complex in Delaware County, a repurposed refinery, has become a major NGL storage and export hub fed by the Mariner East pipelines. Shorter haul distances, more in-state storage and PADD 1B pipeline access all keep PA below its New England neighbours, which truck propane far further. PA still runs about 18% above the national average because the Northeast as a whole is a high-cost propane region, but it holds the smallest gap of any state in it.
Should rural Pennsylvania households pre-buy propane in summer?
Yes, and rural PA is the customer segment that benefits most. The Northern Tier counties (Tioga, Bradford, Susquehanna, Wayne), the Allegheny Plateau, the Endless Mountains and the Pocono Mountains have limited natural-gas distribution, so propane is the dominant heating fuel for hundreds of thousands of homes. A full-propane-heat household there burns roughly 800 to 1,200 gallons a year, which makes a 10 to 15% price swing worth real money. Pennsylvania wholesale propane typically bottoms from June through August when refinery output is high and residential demand is near zero, and PA suppliers running pre-buy or cap-price programs in that window routinely price 20 to 50 cents a gallon below winter spot rates. On 1,000 gallons a year that is $200 to $500 saved. Read the contract: a cap-price plan lets you keep the savings if winter wholesale falls, while a strict pre-buy locks both the gallons and the price. Ask whether unused pre-paid gallons roll into the next season.
How do I switch propane suppliers in Pennsylvania without losing my tank?
Most Pennsylvania homeowners rent their tank from their current supplier, which legally limits who can fill it. To switch without buying the tank out, the new supplier arranges a tank swap: after notifying the incumbent, they pull the old company's tank and install their own, usually within one to three weeks. If you own your tank outright, whether you bought it or it came with the house on a paid receipt, any registered supplier can fill it, and that is the strongest pricing leverage in Pennsylvania's market because it lets you shop every fill. Pennsylvania's Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law (73 P.S. §§ 201-1 to 201-9.2) requires clear contract disclosure, and PA suppliers should state tank-ownership status in writing at installation. Buying a tank from a supplier typically runs $800 to $2,500 depending on size and install conditions.
When is the cheapest time to fill a propane tank in Pennsylvania?
May through August are the lowest-price windows in Pennsylvania, and December through February are the most expensive, when wholesale spreads widen and spot rates can spike 30 to 60 cents a gallon above summer lows. A tactical play is to arrive at winter with a 75 to 80% full tank from a shoulder-season top-up in September or October. Pay attention to your automatic-delivery threshold too: setting it at 30% rather than 20% gives the supplier route flexibility, which some PA companies reward with a small per-gallon discount. At the current PA average of $3.21 a gallon a 500-gallon fill (400 usable gallons) costs about $1284, so a 10% timing saving is worth roughly $128 per fill.
Keep reading
All Pennsylvania dealers
The complete verified directory of 177 Pennsylvania 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 heating oil
Per-BTU economics and conversion costs for rural Pennsylvania homes choosing a fuel.