What Percent of US Homes Have Gas Stoves

What Percent of US Homes Have Gas Stoves?

By Last Updated: 04/06/2023

Around 40% of US households have a gas stove. Although most households cook with electricity, in some states ownership of gas ranges exceeds 70%.

Natural gas stoves may be more affordable and responsive, however, studies have shown that these appliances have long-term negative effects on indoor air quality. Recently, research has also suggested a link between childhood asthma and these devices, promoting the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to consider a ban on gas stoves or at least an alteration to the design to ensure they are safe to use.

Read more about the use of natural gas stoves in the US, the dangers they pose, and how they  compare to their electric counterparts.

Fascinating Gas Stoves Facts and Statistics

  • 38% of US homes have a natural gas stove.
  • The residential sector uses around 15% of the total natural gas consumption of the USA.
  • In California, around 70% of homes cook with natural gas.
  • 68% of households in the US own an electric stove.
  • 96% of professional chefs prefer to cook with gas.
  • 12.7% of current childhood asthma in the United States is caused by gas stove use.
  • Around 100 cities and countries have adopted policies to phase out the use of fossil fuels.

What Percentage of Households in the US Use Gas

1. 38% of US homes have a natural gas stove.

(EIA)

According to the latest estimates, 47.10 million households in the US have a gas stove or roughly 38% of all households. This is a much lower share compared to the 123.53 million families (68%) that use an electric range for cooking.

2. Gas stoves are more common among residents earning at least $150,000.

(E&E News, Census Bureau, People’s Policy Project)

Household income plays a role in gas stove ownership rates. Census data shows that 5.8 million families with an income of $150k+ used gas stoves compared to the 5.6 million households in the same income range that primarily relied on electricity. Electric cooktops are also more common among families making between $5,000 and $99,000 a year.

The age of the home is another factor — around 44% of homes built in 2018 and 2019 use gas compared to just 25% of those built in the 1970s and 1980s. Around half (51.6%) of homes built before 1939 use gas.

When it comes to race, Latinos use piped gas slightly more (46%) compared to Whites and Blacks (32% and 35%, respectively).

3. Home kitchens take up a 0.4% share of natural gas use in the US.

(Mint)

It is estimated that only 2.8% of all gas burned in US homes is used for cooking. On top of that, burning gas is responsible for around 36% of CO2 emissions in the United States in 2020, which means that its use for cooking in homes accounts for less than 0.2% of those emissions.

4. The residential sector uses around 15% of the total natural gas consumption of the USA.

(EIA)

The residential sector relies on natural gas for cooking, as well as space heating and water heating (50% of households in the US use natural gas for heating). In 2021, the residential sector took up 15% of the 30.66 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas consumed. At the same time, natural gas was the source for around 23% of the residential sector’s total energy consumption in the US.

Commercial Usage of Natural Gas For Cooking in the US

4. The commercial sector takes up 11% of total natural gas consumption in the US.

(EIA)

Industries rely on natural gas to heat space and water, operate refrigerators and various cooling equipment, lighting, and cooking. Some commercial consumers also use gas as a source of fuel, combined with heat and power systems.

In 2021, natural gas was a source of 20% of the total energy consumption of the U.S. commercial sector.

5. The commercial sector used 384 billion cubic feet of natural gas for cooking.

(EIA)

The food service industry accounted for most of the consumption of natural gas, using 148 billion cubic feet.

Malls came in second, followed by buildings operating in the food sales industry which consumed 59 and 19 billion cubic feet of natural gas, respectively. Most of the consumption was focused in the South and West (commercial buildings in these regions consumed 149 and 120 billion cubic feet, accordingly).

6. Restaurants use 68% of total gas consumption for cooking.

(E Source, LNG2019)

Unsurprisingly, the main use of natural gas in restaurants is for cooking. Water heating accounts for 17% of total gas use, while space heating takes up 14%.

There is considerable variation in natural gas use between regions. For instance, in East South Central, cooking accounted for 78% of total gas consumption, whereas in Middle Atlantic, restaurants used 58% of total gas usage for cooking.

The type of restaurant operated is another significant factor. Quick-service restaurants, such as McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, and Subway, use much less than full-service establishments (around 174,000 Btu of natural gas per square foot a year), making them the most energy-efficient buildings in the US.

In total, restaurants across the US used 111 cubic feet of natural gas per square foot a year.

Percentage of Gas Stoves by State

7. In California, around 70% of homes cook with natural gas.

(EIA, abc7)

There is a lot of regional variation when it comes to natural gas use for cooking. In states like California, New Jersey, and New York 60 to 70% of households cook with natural gas. In some states in the South, the share of homes using gas for cooking falls below 20%.

According to the EIA, these are the five states where gas ranges are most common.

State Share of homes with gas stoves Share of homes with electrical stoves
1 California 70% 45%
2 New Jersey 69% 41%
3 Illinois 67% 41%
4 New York 62% 44%
5 District of Columbia 62% 49%

Large metro areas also tend to have a higher percentage of households with gas stoves. For instance in LA and Riverside, California, around 81% of families power their stoves with gas. In Chicago, 79% of households have gas stoves while the same is true for 73% of homes in NYC.

8. The percentage of gas stoves in Florida is 8%, one of the lowest in the country.

(EIA)

On the other end of the spectrum are states like Florida and Maine, where only 8 and 7% of homes cook with gas, respectively.

Here are the five states with the lowest share of homes that use natural gas for cooking.

State Share of homes with gas stoves Share of homes with electrical stoves
1 Maine 7% 74%
2 Florida 9% 92%
3 North Dakota 11% 89%
4 Hawaii 11% 85%
6 Vermont 11% 64%

Gas Stove vs Electric Stove usage

9. 68% of households in the US own an electric stove.

(EIA)

Electricity remains the most common source of energy for cooking across the country.

Of the 123 million US homes surveyed by the Census, more than half (65 million) said that they use electricity to power their oven and stove. Electric range ownership is especially common in the South — in some Southern states, over 70% of families cook with electricity.

The top five states in terms of electric stove ownership are

State Share of homes with electrical stoves Share of homes with gas stoves
1 North Carolina 90% 14%
2 Florida 92% 92%
3 Tennessee 89% 14%
4 North Dakota 89% 11%
5 South Dakota 86% 15%

10. In the long term, a gas stove costs 10 to 30% less to operate than an electric range.

(ElectricRate.com, Forbes)

Electric and gas cooktops come in a similar price range. Electric stoves tend to range between $450 and $2,800, whereas gas stoves are priced from $460 to $2,300. Homes without a gas hookup can expect to pay another $2,800 for installation, making gas stoves a slightly more expensive option overall.

That said, gas ranges are much cheaper to operate. According to ElectricRate.com, an electric stove cost about $11 a month to operate compared to a gas cooktop which costs $7.5.

On top of that, gas stoves last longer (over 20 years as opposed to the 5-10 years lifespan of most electric stoves).

11. 74% of the energy produced by an electric stove is transferred to food.

(STANFORD magazine)

While electric stoves take longer to heat up (thus taking longer to boil water or cook), they are more efficient than gas stoves — around 70% of the heat energy is transferred to the pot compared to 40% of the energy transferred to food on a gas range

Even so, they are not as efficient as induction cooktops which transfer 90% of energy to food.

12. 96% of professional chefs prefer to cook with gas.

(Cleveland.com)

According to the American Gas Association, the majority of restaurant chefs prefer gas since gas stoves are quick to heat and are more affordable than electric or induction stoves. Gas also gives chefs more control, since they tend to be more responsive than their electric counterparts.

Side Effects of Using Gas Stoves

13. Children that live in homes with gas stoves are 42% more likely to develop asthma.

(The Lancet, Oxford University Press, PubMed)

Cooking with gas gives off high concentrations of lung irritants, including carbon monoxide, small airborne particles (known as PM2.5.), and nitrogen dioxide. It is estimated that in 2019 alone, nitrogen dioxide pollution was responsible for nearly 2 million cases of new childhood asthma across the world.

In addition, gas stoves and pipelines emit hazardous air pollutants. A Harvard University study tested over xx gas samples and found 21 different substances known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in nearly all the samples. Exposure to VOCs like benzene, hexane, and toluene increases the risk for cancer, asthma, and other health conditions.

14. A recent study found that 12.7% of current childhood asthma in the United States is caused by gas stove use.

(The American Journal of Managed Care)

The study found that states where gas ranges were most commonly used carried the highest burden, including Illinois (21.1%),  California (20.1%), and New York (18.8%).

Conversely, Florida, where only 8% of households use a gas range, had the lowest burden of 3%.

15. Gas stoves leak 76% of their total methane gas emissions.

(Harvard Health, CNN)

According to a study carried out by Stanford University, annual methane emissions from gas stoves have a climate impact equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions from half-million cars. Even more concerning is that around three-quarters of the emissions happen when the stove is off.

Methane is a greenhouse gas that has a huge negative impact on climate change and along with nitrogen dioxide contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone and smog. The EPA also estimates that 13% of US emissions are attributable to residential and commercial emissions and that around 80% of those come from the combustion of natural gas used for heating and cooking.

Gas Stove Accidents in the US

16. Between 2010 and 2021, there were around 2,600 reported pipeline incidents related to the release of gas.

(Environment America)

These incidents resulted in 328 explosions which injured 603 people and killed 122. The gas leaks also cost a total of $3,859 million in damages. It should be noted that the U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) only requires that serious incidents be reported (i.e. when someone is hospitalized or dies or the damage from the explosion goes over $122,000), so the actual number of gas stove accidents across the US could be much higher.

17. Almost 33% of all reported gas leak incidents result in fire.

(Environment America)

On top of that, almost 13% of gas incidents led to explosions. In 2021 alone, 158 cases were reported, 14 of which resulted in explosions and cost $99.8 million in damages.

18. Texas reported the highest number of gas leak incidents (287).

(Environment America)

These incidents cost $116.6 million in damages.

Texas is followed by:

  • California: 229 (24 of which were explosions) costing $973 million
  • Louisiana: 183 incidents, costing $69.7 million
  • Michigan: 141 incidents (23 of which were explosions) and total costs of $86.2 million

Gas Stove Bans In the US

19. Around 100 cities and countries have adopted policies to phase out the use of fossil fuels.

(E&E News, CNN)

Although a federal ban on gas stoves is not likely to be enforced soon, some cities and states have prohibited the use of natural gas and other fossil fuels in new buildings.

In 2019, Berkeley, California introduced a ban on new fossil fuel hookups which effectively made gas stoves unavailable in new residential buildings. Other cities like New York City, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. followed, with initiatives being taken on a state level as well, such as the California Air Resources Board voting to ban the sale of gas-powered water heaters and furnaces by 2030.

In May 2023, New York became the first state to ban the use of fossil fuels in new constructions (excluding big commercial and industrial buildings). The ban prevents new residential buildings from using natural gas for cooking or heating and encourages climate-friendly appliances like heat pumps and induction stoves. New buildings up to seven stories tall should have electric heating and cooking by 2026 or by 2029 for taller buildings.

At the same time, 20 states, including Florida, New Hampshire, and Texas, have passed “preemption laws” which basically prohibit cities from banning gas hookups.

20. The CPSC called for a ban on gas stoves in April 2023.

(Bloomberg)

In 2023, following a report that highlighted the connection between gas stoves and childhood asthma, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission called for a ban on gas stoves, although the federal agency clarified that ‘any option is on the table’ including modifying certain appliances to ensure they are safe to use.

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