Heating oil tops $6 a gallon in Massachusetts, up $2.57 from a year ago, as the fuel assistance season nears
The statewide average for heating oil is 72% higher than last October, and federal forecasters expect oil-heated homes nationwide to spend 21% more this winter. Fuel assistance benefits start Nov. 1, and the agencies serving Greater New Bedford and Greater Fall River are taking applications.
SOUTH COAST Massachusetts households that heat with oil are paying an average of $6.115 a gallon as the heating season opens, $2.57 more than at this time last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Propane and gasoline cost more than a year ago as well. State fuel assistance, which helps eligible households pay part of their winter bills, starts its season Sunday, Nov. 1, and the agencies that run it for Greater New Bedford and Greater Fall River are taking applications.
The statewide residential price of No. 2 heating oil was $6.115 a gallon on Oct. 19, compared with $3.548 on Oct. 20, 2025, a 72% increase. The price has held nearly flat since the survey resumed this month, at $6.137 on Oct. 5 and $6.116 on Oct. 12. At the current average, a 200-gallon delivery comes to about $1,223, roughly $513 more than the same delivery last October. The figures are statewide averages and leave out taxes.
How oil got here
The climb began late last winter. The Massachusetts average sat between $3.74 and $3.80 a gallon through the first three weeks of January 2026, reached $4.19 on Feb. 2 and jumped from $4.43 on March 2 to $5.44 a week later. It stood at $5.74 on March 30, the last weekly reading of the season. The weekly prices are collected only from October through March.
In its Winter Fuels Outlook, published Oct. 6, the agency said global production of distillate fuel, which includes heating oil, has dropped because of reduced refining activity worldwide. That has raised international prices, made imports more costly and increased demand for fuel exported from the United States, leaving U.S. distillate stocks low heading into winter. Nationwide, the agency expects households that heat mainly with oil to spend 21% more this winter than last. Heating oil is used mostly in the Northeast, where the agency said warmer forecast temperatures than last year partly offset the higher prices.
Propane and gasoline
Propane has risen far less. The Massachusetts residential average was $3.659 a gallon on Oct. 19, up 16 cents from the week before and 23 cents from $3.429 a year earlier. Over the winter as a whole, the outlook projects that Northeast households heating mainly with propane will spend 15% less than last winter, on lower prices and less use.
Regular gasoline averaged $4.202 a gallon in Massachusetts on Oct. 19. That is down from $4.349 on Sept. 21, but $1.29 more than the $2.912 drivers paid on Oct. 20, 2025.
Who can get help
The Home Energy Assistance Program, widely called fuel assistance, pays part of an eligible household's winter heating bills for any heat source, including oil, propane, natural gas, electricity, kerosene, wood and coal. This season runs from Nov. 1 through April 30, 2027, and payments go straight to the heating company. Renters can qualify, and households whose heat is included in the rent may still be eligible. There is no fee to apply, and PACE warns applicants to beware of scams that charge an "application fee."
Eligibility depends on household size and gross income, which cannot exceed 60% of the state's estimated median income. This season's limits are $53,585 a year for one person, $70,073 for two, $86,561 for three, $103,049 for four, $119,536 for five and $136,024 for six. MASSCAP, which keeps the statewide directory of fuel assistance agencies, also lists new help for oil-heat households with incomes from 60% to 100% of the state median. Benefit amounts depend on the money the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services allocates to Massachusetts. Approved households can also get utility discounts and may qualify for weatherization and heating system repair or replacement.
Where to apply
PACE (People Acting in Community Endeavors) runs the program for New Bedford, Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester from 255 Union St. in New Bedford, open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays with walk-ins welcome. Returning households get applications by mail, in-person help began Oct. 13, and new applicants can apply online starting Nov. 1 at toapply.org/PACE. The phone line is 508-525-4271. Applicants need the last 30 days of pay stubs, a birth certificate or Social Security card for every household member, and a lease or mortgage statement. In Marion, the Council on Aging can help residents fill out the application.
Citizens for Citizens serves Fall River, Freetown and Assonet, Somerset, Swansea, Westport, Rehoboth and Dighton, along with Seekonk, Taunton, Berkley and Lakeville. Applicants can use its online portal or apply in person by appointment, set up by calling 508-679-0041 in Greater Fall River or 508-823-6346 in Greater Taunton or by emailing fuelmail@cfcinc.org. Households that already mailed in this season's paper application should not apply again through the portal. The agency asks for at least four consecutive weeks of income, a current heating or electric bill as proof of residence, and proof of housing costs. Processing normally takes six to eight weeks from Nov. 1 or the date an application is complete, whichever is later.
Wareham residents and others outside those two service areas can find their local fuel assistance agency in the MASSCAP directory at masscap.org/heatinghelpma.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
Every price comes from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's weekly state series and its Heating Oil and Propane Update for the week of Oct. 19, and the forecasts from its Winter Fuels Outlook published Oct. 6. Program rules, income limits, dates and contacts come from the fuel assistance pages of PACE, Citizens for Citizens, the Marion Council on Aging and MASSCAP. We read them on Oct. 24. We recomputed every change and percentage, and we checked each date and weekday against a calendar.
Corrections
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Sources (9)
- U.S. Energy Information Administration: Heating Oil and Propane Update (residential heating oil and propane by state, change from week ago and year ago)Prices for the week of Oct. 19, 2026. Read Oct. 24, 2026.
- EIA: Weekly Massachusetts No. 2 heating oil residential priceWeekly series through Oct. 19, 2026. Read Oct. 24, 2026.
- EIA: Weekly Massachusetts propane residential priceWeekly series through Oct. 19, 2026. Read Oct. 24, 2026.
- EIA: Weekly Massachusetts regular retail gasoline priceWeekly series through Oct. 19, 2026. Read Oct. 24, 2026.
- EIA: Winter Fuels Outlook 2026-27Published Oct. 6, 2026. Read Oct. 24, 2026.
- PACE: Home Energy Assistance Program 2026-2027Page updated Sept. 23, 2026. Read Oct. 24, 2026.
- Citizens for Citizens: Fuel Assistance Program (HEAP)Read Oct. 24, 2026.
- Town of Marion Council on Aging: Fuel AssistanceRead Oct. 24, 2026.
- MASSCAP: Heating Help in Massachusetts (statewide fuel assistance agency directory)Read Oct. 24, 2026.