In 2024, 115.92 million U.S. primary-occupied homes had a range combining an oven and cooktop, while 126.30 million used a microwave oven. The appliance mix varied by fuel, housing type, income, climate, and home size. These figures come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Table HC3.1, Appliances in U.S. homes, by housing unit type, 2024, and related 2024 EIA tables.
Contents
- Range ownership and fuel mix
- Separate cooktops and wall ovens
- Microwave ownership and frequency
- Weekly use of small appliances
- Cooking appliances by housing type
- Income, climate, and home-size patterns
Range ownership and fuel mix
Ranges remained the core cooking appliance in U.S. homes during 2024. The EIA counted 115.92 million primary-occupied homes with a range that included both an oven and a cooktop. Another 16.62 million primary-occupied homes did not have a range. The figures describe homes, not individual appliances or sales, and the measurement period is 2024.
Electricity was the most-used range fuel in 68.56 million homes. Natural gas was the most-used fuel in 36.75 million homes, while propane was the most-used fuel in 4.76 million homes. The same EIA table identified dual-fuel ranges as the most-used range type in 5.85 million homes. These categories reflect the fuel or range classification reported for the home; they should not be read as a forecast of future appliance purchases.
Range cooking was frequent for many households. The range cooktop was used four to seven times per week in 55.22 million homes, and it was used at least 15 times per week in 10.30 million homes. Oven use was concentrated in a lower weekly band: the range oven was used one to three times per week in 59.81 million homes. Together, the figures show that a range can support both routine stovetop cooking and less-frequent oven use, with the two components exhibiting different usage patterns.
The following figures summarize the main range indicators from the EIA’s Table HC3.1:
| 2024 range measure | U.S. homes |
|---|---|
| Range with oven and cooktop | 115.92 million |
| No range | 16.62 million |
| Electricity as most-used range fuel | 68.56 million |
| Natural gas as most-used range fuel | 36.75 million |
| Propane as most-used range fuel | 4.76 million |
| Cooktop used 4–7 times weekly | 55.22 million |
| Oven used 1–3 times weekly | 59.81 million |
Separate cooktops and wall ovens
Some homes use a cooking layout that separates the cooktop from the oven. In 2024, 18.51 million U.S. primary-occupied homes had a separate cooktop. Of those, 18.03 million had one separate cooktop and 0.48 million had two or more. Electricity powered the most-used separate cooktop in 9.10 million homes, compared with 8.29 million homes where natural gas powered the most-used separate cooktop.
Separate wall ovens were present in 21.69 million homes. One separate wall oven was reported in 16.73 million homes, while 4.96 million had two or more. Electricity powered the most-used separate wall oven in 18.27 million homes. This is a notable distinction in the appliance mix: the supplied EIA measure identifies electricity as the dominant wall-oven power source, even though natural gas remained a major fuel for separate cooktops.
The counts come from Table HC3.1, Appliances in U.S. homes, by housing unit type, 2024. A separate cooktop or wall oven is not interchangeable with a complete range, so these categories should be considered alongside—not added mechanically to—the range total.
Microwave ownership and frequency
Microwave use reached 126.30 million U.S. primary-occupied homes in 2024. One microwave oven was used in 120.56 million homes, and two or more were used in 5.74 million. A further 6.24 million homes did not use a microwave oven. The EIA’s wording measures use in the home, so the count is not a retail ownership estimate.
Weekly frequency varied substantially among microwave-using homes. Microwaves were used four to seven times per week in 48.45 million homes, eight to 14 times in 31.49 million, and at least 15 times in 33.53 million. The table also recorded 1.12 million homes where a microwave was not used during the week. These frequency bands are useful for distinguishing occasional reheating from a much more regular role in household food preparation.
Income differences appear in the EIA’s income breakdown. Among homes with annual income below $10,000, 0.83 million did not use a microwave oven in 2024. This is a count for that income group and measurement year; it does not establish why the appliance was not used or imply a causal relationship between income and microwave behavior. The underlying source is Table HC3.5, Appliances in U.S. homes, by annual household income, 2024.
Weekly use of small appliances
Beyond ranges and microwaves, several countertop appliances served recurring weekly roles in U.S. homes. Coffee makers had the broadest reported weekly use in the supplied figures: 97.12 million homes used one at least once per week in 2024. Toasters were used weekly in 76.81 million homes, while air fryers were used weekly in 57.93 million.
The remaining categories show a varied countertop landscape. A blender or juicer was used at least once per week in 41.25 million homes. Crock-Pots or slow cookers were used weekly in 36.04 million homes, and toaster ovens in 34.95 million. Rice cookers reached 22.89 million homes, while Instant Pots or electric pressure cookers reached 18.46 million. Another small kitchen appliance was used weekly in 7.46 million homes.
These numbers measure homes reporting at least weekly use during 2024, rather than the number of units sold or the average number of uses per appliance. They also do not rank appliance quality or cooking results. Their value is descriptive: they show how common different recurring kitchen tasks were across U.S. homes. All of these weekly-use figures are from the EIA’s Table HC3.1.
Cooking appliances by housing type
Housing type changes the scale of appliance use because single-family homes and multifamily buildings represent different numbers of occupied homes. In 2024, single-family detached homes accounted for 69.29 million homes with a range. Apartments in buildings with five or more units accounted for 23.43 million homes with a range, and mobile homes accounted for 6.04 million.
The same pattern appeared for microwaves. Single-family detached homes accounted for 80.29 million homes that used a microwave oven, compared with 22.85 million apartment homes in buildings with five or more units. For weekly air-fryer use, the corresponding counts were 36.46 million single-family detached homes and 10.45 million apartment homes in buildings with five or more units.
Separate wall ovens were more concentrated in single-family detached homes in absolute terms. This housing type accounted for 17.05 million homes with a separate wall oven, while apartments in buildings with five or more units accounted for 2.35 million. The difference is a count of homes, not a rate within each housing category, so it should not be interpreted as proof that a particular housing type has a higher adoption percentage without additional denominators.
The housing-type figures are reported in EIA Table HC3.1. Because the table reports absolute home counts, larger housing groups naturally contribute more homes to the totals.
Income, climate, and home-size patterns
The income table provides a useful contrast between conventional ranges and separate wall ovens. Homes with annual income below $10,000 included 5.46 million homes with a range and 0.81 million with a separate wall oven. Homes with annual income of $200,000 or more included 10.46 million homes with a range and 5.23 million with a separate wall oven. These are subgroup counts from 2024, not household-level probabilities or evidence that income caused the appliance pattern.
Climate-region counts also varied. The very cold or cold climate regions included 5.11 million homes with a separate wall oven, while the hot-humid climate region included 5.08 million. The marine climate region included 2.44 million homes that used an air fryer at least once per week. The climate figures are from EIA Table HC3.6, Appliances in U.S. homes, by climate region, 2024.
Home size offers another view of weekly air-fryer use. Homes smaller than 1,000 square feet included 13.10 million homes that used an air fryer at least once per week in 2024. Homes of 3,000 square feet or more included 8.40 million such homes. These figures are absolute counts for size categories, not usage rates. They come from EIA Table HC3.9, Appliances in U.S. homes, by home size, 2024.
Taken together, the 2024 statistics describe a layered appliance environment: ranges remained widespread, microwaves were used in more homes than complete ranges, and countertop appliances filled distinct weekly roles. Fuel choice and appliance configuration differed across cooktops and wall ovens, while housing type, income group, climate region, and floor area shaped the absolute number of homes represented in each category.