Electricity Rates by State
Average residential price per kilowatt-hour in all 50 states and DC. US average: 18.44¢/kWh.
The US average residential electricity rate is 18.44¢ per kilowatt-hour. The spread across states is wide enough to change household decisions: Idaho pays 12.35¢ and Hawaii pays 52.00¢ — a 4.2× difference for the identical kilowatt-hour.
The "900 kWh bill" column prices the EIA's reference figure for typical US monthly household consumption, so the states are comparable like for like.
| # | State | ¢/kWh | vs US avg | 900 kWh bill | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | 52.00¢ | +182% | $468 | expensive |
| 2 | California | 33.25¢ | +80% | $299 | expensive |
| 3 | New York | 29.93¢ | +62% | $269 | expensive |
| 4 | Rhode Island | 29.46¢ | +60% | $265 | expensive |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 28.82¢ | +56% | $259 | expensive |
| 6 | Maine | 28.63¢ | +55% | $258 | expensive |
| 7 | Alaska | 28.23¢ | +53% | $254 | expensive |
| 8 | Connecticut | 27.37¢ | +48% | $246 | expensive |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 27.33¢ | +48% | $246 | expensive |
| 10 | District of Columbia | 25.41¢ | +38% | $229 | expensive |
| 11 | Vermont | 24.89¢ | +35% | $224 | expensive |
| 12 | Illinois | 23.85¢ | +29% | $215 | expensive |
| 13 | New Jersey | 23.27¢ | +26% | $209 | expensive |
| 14 | Michigan | 22.01¢ | +19% | $198 | expensive |
| 15 | Maryland | 21.77¢ | +18% | $196 | expensive |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | 21.55¢ | +17% | $194 | expensive |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 19.74¢ | +7% | $178 | average |
| 18 | Ohio | 19.52¢ | +6% | $176 | average |
| 19 | Delaware | 19.38¢ | +5% | $174 | average |
| 20 | Indiana | 18.15¢ | −2% | $163 | average |
| 21 | Virginia | 17.61¢ | −5% | $158 | average |
| 22 | Minnesota | 16.95¢ | −8% | $153 | cheap |
| 23 | West Virginia | 16.80¢ | −9% | $151 | cheap |
| 24 | Alabama | 16.77¢ | −9% | $151 | cheap |
| 25 | Texas | 16.44¢ | −11% | $148 | cheap |
| 26 | Oregon | 16.27¢ | −12% | $146 | cheap |
| 27 | South Carolina | 16.18¢ | −12% | $146 | cheap |
| 28 | Colorado | 16.16¢ | −12% | $145 | cheap |
| 29 | Mississippi | 16.16¢ | −12% | $145 | cheap |
| 30 | Georgia | 15.84¢ | −14% | $143 | cheap |
| 31 | South Dakota | 15.73¢ | −15% | $142 | cheap |
| 32 | Arizona | 15.23¢ | −17% | $137 | cheap |
| 33 | Florida | 15.17¢ | −18% | $137 | cheap |
| 34 | Kansas | 15.13¢ | −18% | $136 | cheap |
| 35 | North Carolina | 15.09¢ | −18% | $136 | cheap |
| 36 | Kentucky | 14.98¢ | −19% | $135 | cheap |
| 37 | Washington | 14.95¢ | −19% | $135 | cheap |
| 38 | Wyoming | 14.80¢ | −20% | $133 | cheap |
| 39 | Montana | 14.67¢ | −20% | $132 | cheap |
| 40 | Tennessee | 14.47¢ | −22% | $130 | cheap |
| 41 | Arkansas | 14.36¢ | −22% | $129 | cheap |
| 42 | Louisiana | 14.15¢ | −23% | $127 | cheap |
| 43 | Iowa | 14.14¢ | −23% | $127 | cheap |
| 44 | New Mexico | 14.12¢ | −23% | $127 | cheap |
| 45 | Missouri | 13.68¢ | −26% | $123 | cheap |
| 46 | North Dakota | 13.61¢ | −26% | $122 | cheap |
| 47 | Nevada | 13.60¢ | −26% | $122 | cheap |
| 48 | Nebraska | 13.59¢ | −26% | $122 | cheap |
| 49 | Oklahoma | 13.38¢ | −27% | $120 | cheap |
| 50 | Utah | 12.96¢ | −30% | $117 | cheap |
| 51 | Idaho | 12.35¢ | −33% | $111 | cheap |
No state matches that search.
Why rates vary so much
Four things account for most of the spread:
- Generation mix. States with abundant hydro (Idaho, Washington) have the cheapest power in the country. Hydro is paid for and cheap to run.
- Fuel imports. Hawaii burns imported oil for most of its electricity, which is why it sits at 52.00¢ — nearly triple the national average.
- Transmission and distribution. Dense, ageing Northeast networks and long rural runs both cost more to maintain per customer than compact suburban ones.
- Regulation and deregulation. Deregulated states let you choose a supplier, which can beat the average — or badly miss it if a promotional rate expires unnoticed.
What your rate means in practice
The rate is a multiplier on every appliance decision. A hot tub that costs $379 a year in Idaho costs $1,594 in Hawaii. Efficiency upgrades that never pay back in a cheap state can repay themselves in two years in an expensive one.
Price anything at your own rate with the running cost calculator, or start from the appliance wattage chart.
A note on what this number includes
EIA state averages are total revenue divided by total kilowatt-hours sold, so they bundle generation, transmission, distribution and most fixed charges into a single effective figure. Your own bill will differ: it may carry a fixed monthly service charge, tiered pricing that rises with consumption, or time-of-use rates that vary by hour. For a personal figure, divide your bill total by the kilowatt-hours it lists and use that.