Wisconsin Propane Price 2026: Cost Per Gallon, Suppliers & Delivery
Wisconsin residential propane runs $2.07/gal in 2026, roughly 23% below the $2.67 national average and among the cheaper Midwest states. This is the no-spin breakdown: live EIA pricing, fill-by-tank-size math, why dairy-belt route density and PADD 2 storage proximity hold WI prices down, WHEAP eligibility through DOA-DEHCR, and how to verify a supplier through DSPS before you sign.
Source: EIA Wisconsin residential propane price survey. Current data is the final release of the 2025/26 heating season (week ending 30 March 2026). EIA pauses weekly publication April-September; next release expected October 2026. Refreshed 26 May 2026.
Wisconsin Propane Pricing Snapshot (2026)
EIA 2026 SHOPP weekly survey, full-service residential delivery
National avg $2.67/gal. WI households save $0.61 per gallon vs the US mean.
Region avg $2.07/gal across the 12 Midwest states.
Typical WI propane-heat household burns 1,200-1,500 gal/yr; northern + dairy farms run higher.
Standard residential whole-home heating tank in WI
Lock-in or cap-price contracts beat winter spot rates by $0.10-$0.20/gal
Wisconsin sits in the cheaper half of the Midwest, ahead of only the high-density-rural cluster of Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Kansas. Despite long, cold winters and one of the largest propane-using agricultural footprints in the country (dairy farms, crop drying, hog and poultry barns), WI residential customers benefit from PADD 2 storage proximity, the Cochin/Enterprise pipeline corridor through Minnesota, and high propane-customer route density across the dairy belt that pulls per-gallon overhead down.
Why Wisconsin Propane Prices Sit Where They Do
Wisconsin is consistently in the cheaper third of US residential propane markets and well below the national average despite having one of the longest, coldest heating seasons in the lower 48. The drivers are structural: storage geography, customer density, and the discipline lessons from the 2014 supply crunch.
Wisconsin Propane Companies: How to Find a Verified Supplier
Wisconsin propane retailers (any operator that fills LP-Gas containers for end users) must hold a current Liquefied Gas Supplier license issued by the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) under Wis. Stat. § 101.16, plus commercial general liability insurance under § 101.16(3r)(a). License status changes frequently as companies are acquired, renewed, suspended, or new operators enter the market. Rather than publish a curated dealer list that goes stale within months, we point you to the official lookups below. Use them in this order: DSPS license check first (mandatory), WPGA member directory second (credibility signal), then ask for three written quotes from at least one national, one regional, and one local family operator in your county.
Wisconsin DSPS, Liquefied Gas Supplier License Lookup
Open ›https://license.wi.gov/s/license-lookup
Search the Liquefied Gas Supplier credential type to confirm any propane retailer is currently licensed and insured under Wis. Stat. § 101.16. This is the only authoritative source; supplier websites and Yellow Pages listings are not.
Wisconsin DSPS, Liquefied Gas Supplier program page
Open ›https://dsps.wi.gov/Pages/Professions/LiquefiedGasSupplier/Default.aspx
Background on what a Liquefied Gas Supplier license requires, renewal cycle, insurance minimums, and the regulatory framework Wisconsin retail propane operates under.
Wisconsin Propane Gas Association (WPGA)
Open ›https://wipga.org/
State trade association based in Poynette, WI. Member directory at wipga.org/member-list lists active WPGA member retailers; useful as a complementary signal alongside the DSPS license check.
National Propane Gas Association (NPGA)
Open ›https://www.npga.org/
National trade body; useful for safety guidance, code references (NFPA 58), and broader retailer membership lookup. Not WI-specific but a baseline credibility signal.
Wisconsin Propane Fill Costs by Tank Size (at $2.07/gal)
Propane tanks fill to 80% of stated capacity (the "80% rule") to allow for thermal expansion. Below is what each fill costs at the WI 2026 average. Real-world WI quotes typically vary 8-12% above or below the EIA average depending on supplier, contract type, owned vs rented tank, route density, and how late in the heating season you call.
| Tank size | Usable gallons (80%) | Fill cost at $2.07/gal | vs national ($2.67/gal) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 gal | 80 gal | $165 | -$49 |
| 250 gal | 200 gal | $413 | -$122 |
| 500 gal | 400 gal | $826 | -$243 |
| 1000 gal | 800 gal | $1653 | -$486 |
A typical WI propane-heat household using 1,200-1,500 gallons per year spends roughly $2479 to $3099 annually on fuel alone, before tank rental, delivery surcharges, or service contracts. That is roughly $730 less than a comparable household in a national-average market. Compare to the national refill cost guide or check pricing in other states.
Wisconsin Heating Season & Annual Use
Wisconsin's residential heating season is statutorily defined under Wis. Stat. § 16.27(4)(a) as October 1 through May 15, with peak demand from late December through February. January is the peak month statewide, with sustained sub-zero stretches across the Northwoods and Lake Superior shore. Households that heat exclusively with propane (typical in northern WI and rural central WI where natural gas service is unavailable) burn 1,200-1,500 gallons in a normal winter. Larger homes, older insulation envelopes, or polar-vortex winters push that to 1,800-2,200 gallons.
Translated to dollars at the 2026 WI average: a 1,200 gallon household pays $2479 per year for fuel alone. A 2,000 gallon Northwoods household pays $4132. Compare to a comparable Northeast household paying $$3.69/gal regional average (79% more than WI), or a Texas household at the cheaper end of the South region.
Wisconsin vs Other Midwest States (2026)
Wisconsin sits in the cheaper half of the Midwest. The cheapest Midwest cluster (Iowa, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Kansas) hugs the Conway, KS storage hub and the central-plains fractionator network. WI, MN, and IL sit in the next tier. Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan come in slightly above because they are further from Conway storage and carry longer last-mile delivery routes through more populated terrain.
| State | Price/gal | 500-gal refill (400 usable) | vs national ($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 (this page) | $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 regional average | $2.07 | $828 | -23% |
| National average | $2.67 | $1070 | 0% |
See full state-by-state pricing for all 50 states, or compare WI directly to neighbour Minnesota and Illinois on their respective pages.
Wisconsin Propane Price FAQ
Am I eligible for WHEAP propane assistance in Wisconsin?
How do I check whether a Wisconsin propane company is licensed?
How does the dairy industry shape Wisconsin propane demand?
Why is propane on Wisconsin lakes and in summer-cabin country priced differently?
When should Wisconsin homeowners pre-buy propane?
What pricing should I expect in deep rural northern Wisconsin?
Did the 2014 propane shortage change Wisconsin pricing?
Read Next
Full 50-state propane price comparison with regional context.
Per-BTU economics and which fuel wins for WI homes inside vs outside the gas-main grid.
Buy, install, and refill costs for the most common WI residential tank size.
Pre-buy timing, supplier switching, owned vs rented tank, route-density tactics.
What a propane refill actually costs, by tank size and state.
Best months to lock in pricing and avoid winter peaks across the Midwest.