EIA residential propane, Michigan
Michigan propane prices: $2.37 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 largest propane-heated household bases in the country, fed by a pipeline that runs the length of the state: Line 5 and the Rapid River fractionator supply the north, the Midwest spot market supplies the south, and the Upper Peninsula pays for the miles in between. There is no browsable state dealer registry, so verification runs through the fitter's licence rather than a list.
Latest EIA residential propane price
Source: EIA State Heating Oil and Propane Program, Michigan residential series. Refreshed automatically every Tuesday in season; wholesale daily.
Michigan at a glance
Latest survey$2.37/gal
vs week before+0.1c
vs 4 weeks before+0.7c
vs same week last year+1%
vs US ($2.67)11% below
Among 38 surveyed states15th cheapest
500-gal fill (400 usable)$948
Week by week, 2025-26 season
Michigan against the US average
Every point is an EIA survey week. This season Michigan ran from a low of $2.16 (27 Oct) to a high of $2.37 (9 Feb), with the US average finishing at $2.67. Against the same week a year earlier it is +1%.
$2.16
Season low
27 October 2025
$2.37
Season high
9 February 2026
$2.34
Same week last year
31 March 2025, now +1%
$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 Michigan prices are heading.
What a fill costs in Michigan at $2.37
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 $2.37 | vs US ($2.67) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 gal | 80 gal | $190 | -$24 |
| 250 gal | 200 gal | $474 | -$61 |
| 500 gal | 400 gal | $948 | -$122 |
| 1000 gal | 800 gal | $1896 | -$243 |
A Michigan home heating on propane through a typical winter burns 1,000 to 1,500 gallons, so fuel alone runs about $2370 to $3555 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.
Michigan against its Midwest neighbours
The cheapest Midwest cluster (Nebraska, Iowa, the Dakotas, Kansas) hugs the Conway, Kansas storage hub and the central-plains network. Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin sit in a middle tier, with Michigan a little above them. Indiana and Ohio run higher still, further from Conway and carrying longer last-mile routes through more populated terrain.
| 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 Michigan runs 11% under the national average
Michigan runs a long, cold heating season yet does not sit as low as the cheapest Midwest states. The reasons are structural: pipeline supply geography, a very large customer base, and the cost of reaching the far north.
Line 5 and the Rapid River terminal.
Enbridge's Line 5 carries crude and NGLs from Superior, Wisconsin across the Upper Peninsula, under the Straits of Mackinac, and on to Sarnia, Ontario. A fractionation operation near Rapid River, inland from Escanaba, splits propane out of the line and feeds Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula retailers. It is commonly cited as carrying roughly 55% of Michigan's propane and about 65% of Upper Peninsula residential propane, and that direct supply is the biggest reason the state clears below the national mark.
PADD 2 spot supply across the lake.
Michigan sits inside PADD 2, the Midwest, the largest propane-storage region in the country. Refinery NGL output in northwest Indiana and the wider Midwest spot market feed southern Lower Peninsula retailers, particularly along the Detroit-to-Kalamazoo I-94 corridor, with competitive wholesale. This supports price but matters less than Line 5, because those barrels sell into the open spot market rather than being pre-allocated to Michigan retailers.
One of the largest propane-heated bases in the US.
Michigan has over 320,000 propane-heated homes by Census ACS estimates. Density helps route economics in farm and second-home counties (Antrim, Otsego, Charlevoix, Roscommon, Wexford), where a delivery truck can fill many tanks per route day. It also concentrates winter demand: when the Lower Peninsula drops into single digits and the Upper Peninsula below zero, that same large base pulls hard on regional storage, which is part of why Michigan does not match Iowa or Illinois rates despite better supply geography.
Upper Peninsula logistics and farm demand.
The remote routes around Iron Mountain, Marquette, Houghton-Hancock and Sault Ste. Marie, plus Mackinac Bridge wind closures and St. Marys River ice, add per-gallon overhead in the north. On the demand side, Michigan is a national leader in tart cherries and a top apple state, so orchard frost burners and grain drying create a real autumn pull in Leelanau, Antrim, Berrien and Van Buren counties, while dairy operations across Clinton, Ionia, Sanilac and Huron run propane barn and milk-house heat year round.
Buying propane well in Michigan: the moves that decide the bill
A good shortlist is step one. The gap between a careless account and a well-run one, especially for a high-use Upper Peninsula or rural home, is real money across a winter. Here is where it is won.
01
Verify the LARA licence
Propane gas piping and appliance hookups in Michigan need a mechanical contractor or journeyman licence from the LARA Bureau of Construction Codes. Search the operator on the BCC Verify a License lookup at michigan.gov/lara (Licensing Section, 517-241-9316) before they pull a permit. If the licence does not return, walk away.
02
Lock the summer rate
Midwest wholesale bottoms in late spring, and most MPGA suppliers run pre-buy enrolment from 1 May to 31 August. A high-use rural or Upper Peninsula home saves the most, because more gallons locked means more dollars banked. Ask for a cap-price contract, which keeps the saving if wholesale falls, over a flat pre-buy, and ask whether unused prepaid gallons roll forward.
03
Quote all three supplier tiers
Michigan runs a three-tier market: national carriers, Upper-Midwest regionals like Crystal Flash and Lakes Gas, and family operators across the north and the Thumb. In rural counties the spread between the cheapest local and the priciest national quote can be wide, so pull one written quote from each tier. If you own your tank, say so up front, because it removes the switching penalty leased-tank customers face.
04
Check MEAP and the Home Heating Credit
The Michigan Energy Assistance Program (MDHHS with the MPSC) helps propane households at or below 60% of State Median Income; apply at michigan.gov/mdhhs or via Michigan 211. The separate Home Heating Credit is a refundable Treasury tax credit claimed on Form MI-1040CR-7 by 30 September, and it can be paid straight to your supplier. State Emergency Relief is the same-week lever for a near-empty tank.
05
North of the mitten, call the old names
The strongest-reviewed operators cluster in the populated Lower Peninsula. Up north and in the Upper Peninsula the customer base is thinner and public review counts are small, so start instead with long-established operators: Fick & Sons in Grayling (since 1958), Blarney Castle Oil & Propane in Bear Lake (since 1933), U.P. Propane in Iron Mountain (since 1929) and Harvey Oil & Propane in Marquette. Confirm current service and licensing before you commit.
Rated by customers
Michigan 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.
West Michigan lakeshore
Kohley's Superior Water & Propane
Norton Shores, Michigan
4.8252 reviews, Birdeye
Independent serving Muskegon, Grand Haven, Fremont, Rockford and Cedar Springs, with residential delivery, tank installs and emergency fills.
See the reviews ›Central Michigan
Coyne Oil & Propane
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
4.693 reviews, Chamber of Commerce
Family operator since 1930 with branches in Mt. Pleasant, Cadillac, Clare, Evart and Merrill, covering residential, farm and construction fuel.
See the reviews ›Southeast / mid Michigan
Parker's Propane Gas Co
Howell, Michigan
4.185 reviews, Birdeye
Livingston and Genesee county supplier with offices around Howell, Flint and the Corunna area, cited for competitive pricing on residential fills.
See the reviews ›West / central Michigan
Crystal Flash
Grand Rapids, Michigan
4.074 reviews, Birdeye
Employee-owned regional energy company running automatic delivery and tank monitoring across the Grand Rapids metro and West Michigan.
See the reviews ›Macomb / the Thumb gateway
Blue Flame Propane
Richmond, Michigan
3.9137 reviews, Birdeye
Full-service propane supplier out of Richmond covering Macomb, St. Clair and the southern Thumb with delivery, tank repair and cleaning.
See the reviews ›Michigan propane, the questions people ask
Does this page list every licensed propane dealer in Michigan?
No, and we will not pretend otherwise. Michigan has no single public, consumer-facing per-dealer LP-gas registry we can republish the way Wisconsin, Texas or Florida do, so this page does not carry a full state dealer directory. Michigan regulates the trade in two pieces: the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) Bureau of Construction Codes licenses the mechanical contractors and journeymen who do gas piping and appliance hookups, and the Michigan State Police Bureau of Fire Services / Office of the State Fire Marshal enforces the LP-Gas Code (NFPA 58) for tanks and bulk storage. Neither publishes a browsable list of retail propane sellers. What we offer instead is a hand-checked shortlist of well-reviewed operators by region, plus the ZIP finder at /propane-prices-near-me/ and the supplier directory at /supplier/ to find companies serving your address.
How do I check that a Michigan propane installer or fitter is licensed?
Any operator doing propane gas piping, gas-line work, or appliance hookups in Michigan must hold a mechanical contractor or journeyman license from the LARA Bureau of Construction Codes (BCC) under the Skilled Trades Regulation Act. The BCC publishes a Verify a License lookup at michigan.gov/lara; the Licensing Section phone is 517-241-9316. Ask any supplier or installer for the BCC mechanical license number before they pull a permit on your property, and confirm it returns on the lookup. Separately, the Michigan State Police Bureau of Fire Services / Office of the State Fire Marshal adopts and enforces NFPA 58 (the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code) covering tank siting, container exchange, and bulk storage; that is the right escalation path if an installation looks non-compliant. Michigan Propane Gas Association (MPGA) membership is a positive signal, not a license substitute, so verify both.
Am I eligible for the Michigan Energy Assistance Program (MEAP)?
MEAP is Michigan's LIHEAP-funded energy assistance program, administered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) in partnership with the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) and delivered through nonprofit grantees including The Heat And Warmth Fund (THAW), Wayne Metro Community Action Agency, and the Superior Watershed Partnership in the Upper Peninsula. Core eligibility is household income at or below 60% of Michigan State Median Income, and households already on SNAP, SSI, TANF, the Home Heating Credit or WIC are generally categorically eligible. Propane-heated households qualify alongside natural-gas, electric and wood customers. The exact income figure by household size changes each program year, so read the current table before you assume you do or do not qualify. Apply through MDHHS at michigan.gov/mdhhs or by calling Michigan 211, and find your local MEAP grantee at michigan.gov/mpsc/consumer/energy-assistance.
How is the Michigan Home Heating Credit different from MEAP?
The Home Heating Credit (HHC) is a refundable state tax credit administered by the Michigan Department of Treasury, separate from MEAP and from MDHHS State Emergency Relief. You claim it by filing Form MI-1040CR-7, which you can file even if you do not file a regular Michigan income tax return; the deadline is 30 September each year. It is funded through Michigan's federal LIHEAP allocation, so the dollar value moves year to year, and eligibility runs on total household resources, household size, and either a standard credit allowance or your actual heating costs. Propane fills are eligible heating expenses, and the credit can be paid directly to your propane supplier or issued to you. Practical sequence: HHC is the once-a-year tax-cycle credit, MEAP is the in-season bill help, and MDHHS State Emergency Relief is the emergency lever if your tank is near empty or you face a shutoff. Income-eligible households can use all three.
How does Line 5 affect Michigan propane prices?
Line 5 is an Enbridge crude-and-NGL pipeline running from Superior, Wisconsin, across the Upper Peninsula, under the Straits of Mackinac, and on to Sarnia, Ontario. A fractionation operation near Rapid River (Delta County, inland from Escanaba) pulls propane out of the line and feeds Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula retailers. It is commonly cited as supplying roughly 55% of Michigan's total propane and around 65% of the Upper Peninsula's residential propane. That direct supply is a big part of why Michigan clears below the national average. The pipeline is also the subject of a long-running legal and regulatory fight over the Straits crossing, with Enbridge proposing a tunnel under the bedrock to replace the underwater segment. Practical consumer takeaway: while Line 5 keeps flowing, Michigan keeps its supply advantage; a shutdown without the tunnel in place would push supply onto longer rail and truck routes and put upward pressure on Upper Peninsula and northern rates. Watch the case if you heat north of Bay City.
Why is propane sometimes more expensive in the Upper Peninsula than the Lower Peninsula?
Three structural reasons. First, supply concentration: a large share of the propane heating Upper Peninsula homes moves through Line 5 to the Rapid River terminal, so when that throughput is constrained by maintenance, weather or regulatory pressure, Upper Peninsula wholesale responds first. Second, route economics: Upper Peninsula customer density is far lower than the Lower Peninsula, so the fixed cost of a delivery truck spreads across fewer gallons per mile, and Iron Mountain, Marquette and Houghton suppliers carry real winter logistics overhead. Third, seasonal transport constraints around the Mackinac Bridge and St. Marys River can force supply to detour through Wisconsin. Upper Peninsula households also use more propane per year because natural-gas distribution is sparse outside Marquette, so propane is primary heat rather than supplemental, which makes summer pre-buy contracts pay back faster than in most Lower Peninsula counties.
When should a Michigan household lock in a summer pre-buy?
May through July is the standard Midwest pre-buy window and Michigan suppliers follow the regional pattern. Wholesale propane in PADD 2 (the Midwest) typically bottoms in late spring, after the heating season has drained inventories and before the autumn refill cycle begins. For a Lower Peninsula propane-heat home using roughly 800 to 1,200 gallons a year, or an Upper Peninsula home using 1,200 to 1,800, locking a summer rate rather than paying winter spot prices routinely saves across a heating season. Most MPGA-member suppliers run pre-buy enrollment between 1 May and 31 August. Read the contract: a cap-price contract lets you keep the savings if wholesale falls, while a flat pre-buy locks you in either direction. Fruit-belt and orchard counties (Leelanau, Antrim, Berrien, Van Buren) and dairy counties (Clinton, Ionia, Sanilac, Huron) should also factor crop-drying and barn-heat demand into autumn timing and top up by early September if the harvest forecast is wet.
Why does Michigan have so many propane-heated homes?
Michigan has one of the largest propane-heated household bases in the country, over 320,000 homes by US Census American Community Survey estimates, and the drivers are geographic. The Lower Peninsula natural-gas grid, run by Consumers Energy, DTE Energy and SEMCO, covers urban and suburban areas (Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Flint) but thins sharply across rural counties: the northern Lower Peninsula, the Thumb (Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola), and west Michigan farmland. Most of the Upper Peninsula has no natural-gas distribution at all outside Marquette and a handful of larger towns. Add the second-home market around Traverse City, Petoskey, Houghton Lake, Mackinac Island and the Keweenaw, where propane is the default for cabins and lake homes, and the customer base runs far larger than the state's population share would suggest. That density is also part of why Michigan rates sit below the national average despite the cold: high consumption per route lets suppliers spread fixed costs efficiently.
Keep reading
All Michigan dealers
Michigan 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.
Cost calculator
Apply Michigan pricing to your home, climate and usage profile.