Millions of American households, particularly in the Northeast, face sharply higher heating bills this winter as oil prices surge following the US-Israeli war against Iran, adding to the financial pressure on families already struggling with rising living costs under President Donald Trump.

Heating oil prices have climbed more than 70 percent from a year ago, exceeding $6 per gallon, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), exposing households dependent on the fuel to another costly consequence of turmoil in global energy markets.

The burden is expected to fall disproportionately on the Northeast, where millions of households rely on heating oil to survive harsh winter temperatures.

Maine is the most exposed state, with approximately half of occupied homes using heating oil, kerosene or similar fuels as their primary heating source, according to 2022 Census Bureau data. New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Alaska and Rhode Island follow, with between 25 percent and 37 percent of homes relying on these fuels.

The latest EIA figures show that, as of October 12, the national average price of heating oil had reached $6.14 per gallon, approximately $2.59 higher than a year earlier. New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Rhode Island and Maryland recorded some of the highest prices, while Maine and Pennsylvania experienced particularly steep annual increases.

The financial consequences could be severe for families entering the coldest months of the year.

“Real crunch time comes with dead-of-winter since diesel and heating oil are essentially the same molecules,” Tom Kloza, chief oil adviser at Gulf Oil, told Newsweek.

Kloza told Marketplace in September that a typical Northeast household using heating oil could consume between 800 and 1,000 gallons during a heating season, potentially pushing annual bills to around $6,000, compared with $3,500 to $4,000 in previous years.

The EIA projects that household spending on heating oil will rise 21 percent compared with last winter, reaching approximately $2,115 for the average household through March.

Against this backdrop, the escalating cost of energy threatens to deepen public dissatisfaction with Trump's economic leadership. The administration faces mounting pressure as households confront higher fuel costs and inflation, turning winter heating expenses into a potentially significant political liability.

The issue could carry particular weight in Maine and New Hampshire, where closely watched Senate contests could help determine control of Congress.

Some relief may come from a potentially strong El Niño, which could bring warmer winter conditions to the northern United States and reduce heating demand. However, climate experts caution that the phenomenon offers no guarantee of lower bills, leaving millions of households exposed to volatile energy prices as winter approaches.