and cooking fuel (natural gas) comes first. Whatever their broad income class, in fact, black households used less electricity and far less gasoline than others. Above the poverty level, however, blacks used more natural gas than other households. Why? Because blacks live chiefly in areas where natural gas is available and where most people use it—in large metropolitan areas and in the South (Table 7-5). About 70 percent of black households (compared to 60 percent of all others) use natural gas for heating (Table 7-6). Also, black households are much more likely than others to use natural gas for cooking-about 75 percent compared to about 50 percent. Besides, blacks are more likely to live in nonwinterized homes than are other households. All other things being equal, such homes use more natural gas (see Table 7-9).

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