StateRates

Updated May 2026 · U.S. Energy Information Administration

What a kilowatt-hour
costs, state by state.

The average U.S. residential electricity rate is 18.44 cents per kilowatt-hour as of May 2026, up 6.2% from 17.37¢ a year earlier. Hawaii is the most expensive at 52.00¢ and Idaho the cheapest at 12.35¢.

See all 51 rates Estimate my bill
U.S. average 18.44¢ +6.2% YoY
Cheapest 12.35¢ Idaho
Most expensive 52.00¢ Hawaii
Median state 16.27¢ Oregon
Tile grid map

Residential electricity rates by state, May 2026

AK 28.23 Alaska: 28.23 cents per kilowatt-hour ME 28.63 Maine: 28.63 cents per kilowatt-hour VT 24.89 Vermont: 24.89 cents per kilowatt-hour NH 27.33 New Hampshire: 27.33 cents per kilowatt-hour WA 14.95 Washington: 14.95 cents per kilowatt-hour ID 12.35 Idaho: 12.35 cents per kilowatt-hour MT 14.67 Montana: 14.67 cents per kilowatt-hour ND 13.61 North Dakota: 13.61 cents per kilowatt-hour MN 16.95 Minnesota: 16.95 cents per kilowatt-hour IL 23.85 Illinois: 23.85 cents per kilowatt-hour WI 19.74 Wisconsin: 19.74 cents per kilowatt-hour MI 22.01 Michigan: 22.01 cents per kilowatt-hour NY 29.93 New York: 29.93 cents per kilowatt-hour RI 29.46 Rhode Island: 29.46 cents per kilowatt-hour MA 28.82 Massachusetts: 28.82 cents per kilowatt-hour OR 16.27 Oregon: 16.27 cents per kilowatt-hour NV 13.60 Nevada: 13.60 cents per kilowatt-hour WY 14.80 Wyoming: 14.80 cents per kilowatt-hour SD 15.73 South Dakota: 15.73 cents per kilowatt-hour IA 14.14 Iowa: 14.14 cents per kilowatt-hour IN 18.15 Indiana: 18.15 cents per kilowatt-hour OH 19.52 Ohio: 19.52 cents per kilowatt-hour PA 21.55 Pennsylvania: 21.55 cents per kilowatt-hour NJ 23.27 New Jersey: 23.27 cents per kilowatt-hour CT 27.37 Connecticut: 27.37 cents per kilowatt-hour CA 33.25 California: 33.25 cents per kilowatt-hour UT 12.96 Utah: 12.96 cents per kilowatt-hour CO 16.16 Colorado: 16.16 cents per kilowatt-hour NE 13.59 Nebraska: 13.59 cents per kilowatt-hour MO 13.68 Missouri: 13.68 cents per kilowatt-hour KY 14.98 Kentucky: 14.98 cents per kilowatt-hour WV 16.80 West Virginia: 16.80 cents per kilowatt-hour VA 17.61 Virginia: 17.61 cents per kilowatt-hour MD 21.77 Maryland: 21.77 cents per kilowatt-hour DE 19.38 Delaware: 19.38 cents per kilowatt-hour AZ 15.23 Arizona: 15.23 cents per kilowatt-hour NM 14.12 New Mexico: 14.12 cents per kilowatt-hour KS 15.13 Kansas: 15.13 cents per kilowatt-hour AR 14.36 Arkansas: 14.36 cents per kilowatt-hour TN 14.47 Tennessee: 14.47 cents per kilowatt-hour NC 15.09 North Carolina: 15.09 cents per kilowatt-hour SC 16.18 South Carolina: 16.18 cents per kilowatt-hour DC 25.40 District of Columbia: 25.40 cents per kilowatt-hour OK 13.38 Oklahoma: 13.38 cents per kilowatt-hour LA 14.15 Louisiana: 14.15 cents per kilowatt-hour MS 16.16 Mississippi: 16.16 cents per kilowatt-hour AL 16.77 Alabama: 16.77 cents per kilowatt-hour GA 15.84 Georgia: 15.84 cents per kilowatt-hour HI 52.00 Hawaii: 52.00 cents per kilowatt-hour TX 16.44 Texas: 16.44 cents per kilowatt-hour FL 15.17 Florida: 15.17 cents per kilowatt-hour
≤13.59¢ ≥29.93¢ U.S. average 18.44¢ / kWh
The story in the data

45 of 51 jurisdictions got more expensive this year

The year to May 2026 was not a uniform increase. It was a regional one. Six of the ten largest jumps happened inside PJM, the wholesale market covering the mid-Atlantic and parts of the Midwest, where a record capacity auction repriced the cost of keeping generation available and flowed straight into default-service rates. Illinois, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania all show it.

Hawaii moved for an entirely different reason. It burns imported oil to generate electricity, so its rate tracks world oil markets more directly than any other state's. And a small group fell: Connecticut, where a public benefits charge that spiked in 2024 unwound; New Mexico, where cheap solar replaced retiring coal under a securitisation framework; and Arizona, helped by nuclear output and new solar.

The spread itself is the headline. Hawaii charges roughly 4.2× what Idaho charges for the same kilowatt-hour. Almost none of that gap is the cost of making electricity. It is fuel logistics, network geography, regulatory structure and who pays for the grid.

Biggest increases
  1. Illinois +28.4%
  2. Hawaii +26.7%
  3. District of Columbia +24.3%
  4. Virginia +15.4%
  5. Maryland +14.6%
Rates that fell
  1. Connecticut -13.4%
  2. Massachusetts -3.6%
  3. Arizona -3.1%
  4. New Mexico -2.6%

Change measured May 2025 to May 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector, by State.

Full ranking

Every state, most expensive first

  1. 1 Hawaii 52.00¢
  2. 2 California 33.25¢
  3. 3 New York 29.93¢
  4. 4 Rhode Island 29.46¢
  5. 5 Massachusetts 28.82¢
  6. 6 Maine 28.63¢
  7. 7 Alaska 28.23¢
  8. 8 Connecticut 27.37¢
  9. 9 New Hampshire 27.33¢
  10. 10 District of Columbia 25.40¢
  11. 11 Vermont 24.89¢
  12. 12 Illinois 23.85¢
  13. 13 New Jersey 23.27¢
  14. 14 Michigan 22.01¢
  15. 15 Maryland 21.77¢
  16. 16 Pennsylvania 21.55¢
  17. 17 Wisconsin 19.74¢
  18. 18 Ohio 19.52¢
  19. 19 Delaware 19.38¢
  20. 20 Indiana 18.15¢
  21. 21 Virginia 17.61¢
  22. 22 Minnesota 16.95¢
  23. 23 West Virginia 16.80¢
  24. 24 Alabama 16.77¢
  25. 25 Texas 16.44¢
  26. 26 Oregon 16.27¢
  27. 27 South Carolina 16.18¢
  28. 28 Colorado 16.16¢
  29. 29 Mississippi 16.16¢
  30. 30 Georgia 15.84¢
  31. 31 South Dakota 15.73¢
  32. 32 Arizona 15.23¢
  33. 33 Florida 15.17¢
  34. 34 Kansas 15.13¢
  35. 35 North Carolina 15.09¢
  36. 36 Kentucky 14.98¢
  37. 37 Washington 14.95¢
  38. 38 Wyoming 14.80¢
  39. 39 Montana 14.67¢
  40. 40 Tennessee 14.47¢
  41. 41 Arkansas 14.36¢
  42. 42 Louisiana 14.15¢
  43. 43 Iowa 14.14¢
  44. 44 New Mexico 14.12¢
  45. 45 Missouri 13.68¢
  46. 46 North Dakota 13.61¢
  47. 47 Nevada 13.60¢
  48. 48 Nebraska 13.59¢
  49. 49 Oklahoma 13.38¢
  50. 50 Utah 12.96¢
  51. 51 Idaho 12.35¢

Residential sector average revenue per kilowatt-hour, May 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector, by State, Form Form EIA-861M. How we compile this.

Estimate a monthly bill

Multiply your own usage by the May 2026 state average. Enter the kilowatt-hours from your last statement. This is a supply-and-delivery blended average, not a utility quote.

Estimated monthly bill $0
At the U.S. average $0

Rate used: …. U.S. average 18.44¢/kWh, May 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A.

Frequently asked questions

Which state has the cheapest electricity?

Idaho has the lowest average residential electricity rate in the United States at 12.35¢ per kilowatt-hour as of May 2026. Utah (12.96¢) and Oklahoma (13.38¢) follow.

Which state has the most expensive electricity?

Hawaii, at 52.00¢ per kilowatt-hour, roughly 4× the cheapest state. California (33.25¢) is second.

What is the average electricity rate in the United States?

18.44 cents per kilowatt-hour for residential customers in May 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. 19 of the 51 jurisdictions tracked here charge more than that average.

Why did electricity rates go up this year?

45 jurisdictions rose year over year and 6 fell. The largest single driver in the eastern half of the country was the PJM capacity market, which cleared at record prices and pushed default-service rates up across Illinois, Ohio, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. Hawaii's increase tracks oil prices, and the states that fell, such as Connecticut and New Mexico, did so because a specific charge or stranded cost rolled off.

Are these rates what I will actually pay?

No. These are statewide averages of total residential revenue divided by kilowatt-hours sold, which blends supply, delivery, riders and fixed charges across every household in the state. Your own rate depends on your utility, your rate schedule and your usage. Use the figures for comparison, not as a quote.