Electricity rates in the United States

The price, and the period it covers

Every figure on this site comes with the months it covers, because electricity prices move with the seasons. Over the 12 months from September 2025 to August 2026, residential customers paid 18.04¢ per kWh on average, commercial customers 13.87¢ per kWh and industrial customers 8.91¢ per kWh. In the single month of August 2026, the latest the U.S. Energy Information Administration has published, the residential average was 18.16¢ per kWh, +3.4%¹ against the same month a year earlier.

These are averages of what customers actually paid: each group's total bill divided by the kilowatt-hours it used, fixed charges and riders included. They are not the energy rate printed in a tariff, and they are not a supplier's offer. The methodology explains how each figure is built and checked against EIA's own tables.

Where electricity costs the most and the least

Hawaii is in a class of its own at 44.27¢ per kWh over the last 12 months, followed by California (32.34¢ per kWh) and Massachusetts (30.39¢ per kWh). At the other end, homes in North Dakota paid 12.35¢ per kWh and in Nebraska 12.74¢ per kWh. A single month can tell a different story: in August 2026 alone, Nevada¹ had the lowest residential price, which is why our state ranking uses the full 12 months.

A low price does not guarantee a low bill. Homes in the South use far more electricity for air conditioning and, often, electric heat, so a state can sit below the national price and above the national bill. Hawaii had the highest average residential bill in 2025 ($207.89) and New Mexico the lowest ($94.65²); see electric bills by state.

How fast prices are rising

The residential average rose +4.6% from 2024 to 2025 and +31.0%⁴ since 2020, in nominal dollars. Over the last 12 months the increase was steepest in the District of Columbia (+19.8%) and New Hampshire (+13.8%); prices fell in only 2¹ of the 50 states and DC. The price trends page follows each monthly release, and the price history goes back to 2001.

Utilities, not just states

Inside a state, what you pay depends on which utility delivers your power. We give every utility with 100,000 or more residential customers its own page: its average price, bill and usage, the change from 2024, the counties it serves, outage minutes and time-of-use enrollment. Nationally, investor-owned utilities averaged 17.78¢ per kWh for their full-service residential customers in 2025, electric cooperatives 14.10¢ per kWh and public power 14.49¢ per kWh⁵. Start from the list of utilities or from your state.

Choosing a supplier

In 15 of the 50 states and DC, at least 1% of households buy their electricity from a company other than the utility that delivers it; nationally, 15.1%⁵ of residential customers did in 2025. How that works, and what shoppers paid on average, differs by state: see retail choice.

When the numbers change

EIA publishes state and utility prices monthly, about eight weeks after the month ends, and the annual utility census each fall. The release calendar lists the next dates; everything here is rebuilt when a release lands, not on a schedule.