Pennsylvania electricity rates
As of May 2026, the average residential electricity rate in Pennsylvania is 21.55 cents per kilowatt-hour, 16.9% above the U.S. average of 18.44¢. That is the 16th highest rate of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
- Year over year
- ▲ +11.7% from 19.29¢ in May 2025
- Vs. U.S. average
- +16.9% U.S. average 18.44¢
- National rank
- #16 of 51 · #36 cheapest
- Supply market
- PJM Retail choice statewide
Why Pennsylvania pays what it pays
Pennsylvania is a large net exporter of electricity. It has the second-largest nuclear fleet in the country, enormous Marcellus gas production feeding efficient combined-cycle plants, and a legacy coal fleet that has been shrinking. On fundamentals it should be a cheap state, and relative to its Northeast neighbours it is.
What is moving the rate is the same PJM capacity cost that hit New Jersey, Maryland and Ohio. Pennsylvania's utilities procure default supply through periodic auctions, and those auctions have repriced upward as capacity costs rose. The state's own generation abundance does not shield ratepayers, because generators sell into the regional market at the regional price rather than to local customers at cost.
Delivery costs have also risen as utilities recover distribution system improvement charges, a Pennsylvania mechanism that lets them recover infrastructure spending between full rate cases.
How Pennsylvania compares
Pennsylvania ranks #16 of 51 jurisdictions by residential price, making it the 36th cheapest. Within the Middle Atlantic division, no state is cheaper.
| State | ¢/kWh | YoY | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 21.55 | +11.7% | #16 |
| New Jersey | 23.27 | +13.6% | #13 |
| New York | 29.93 | +12.1% | #3 |
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. Data period May 2026. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
What a bill looks like at this rate
The figures below apply the May 2026 Pennsylvania average to four usage levels. They are arithmetic, not quotes. A real bill also carries fixed customer charges, taxes and any rider specific to your utility.
Estimate your Pennsylvania 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.
Rate used: …. U.S. average 18.44¢/kWh, May 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A.
Who sells electricity in Pennsylvania
PECO serves Philadelphia, PPL the Lehigh Valley and central Pennsylvania, and Duquesne Light the Pittsburgh area. Four FirstEnergy companies, Met-Ed, Penelec, Penn Power and West Penn Power, cover much of the rest.
Pennsylvania's retail choice market is one of the better-functioning ones in the country. The state runs PAPowerSwitch, a government comparison site listing every licensed supplier's offer against the utility's price to compare, with contract terms and cancellation fees disclosed in a standard format.
What you can actually do about it
Use the price to compare as your benchmark, and check it each time the default rate resets. Most Pennsylvania utilities reset in June and December.
Fixed-rate contracts of twelve months or longer from established suppliers have generally beaten the default rate in Pennsylvania over the past several years, which is not true in most retail-choice states. The state's disclosure rules are the reason the comparison is possible at all.
Closest states by price
These jurisdictions charge within a fraction of a cent of Pennsylvania, which is useful if you are comparing a move or a multi-state operating cost.
Pennsylvania electricity rates: common questions
What is the average electricity rate in Pennsylvania?
The average residential electricity rate in Pennsylvania is 21.55 cents per kilowatt-hour as of May 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That is +16.9% relative to the national average of 18.44¢/kWh.
How much is a typical monthly electric bill in Pennsylvania?
At the May 2026 average rate of 21.55¢/kWh, a household using 900 kWh a month would pay about $194, and one using 1,500 kWh about $323. Actual bills vary with usage, rate schedule, fixed customer charges and taxes.
Have electricity rates in Pennsylvania gone up?
Pennsylvania rates rose 11.7% over the year to May 2026, from 19.29¢ in May 2025 to 21.55¢.
Can I choose my electricity supplier in Pennsylvania?
Retail choice statewide. Residential customers in Pennsylvania can buy supply from a competitive provider while the local utility continues to deliver it and maintain the wires.
Where does this Pennsylvania rate figure come from?
It is the residential-sector average revenue per kilowatt-hour reported by utilities to the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Form EIA-861M and published in the Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A. It blends supply and delivery across every residential customer in the state, so it is a statewide average rather than a quote for any individual household.