Alaska, Hawaii, and Connecticut were the states with the highest average monthly utility costs in the United States in 2023. Residents paid about ****** U.S. dollars for their electricity bills in Hawaii, while the average monthly bill for natural gas came to *** U.S. dollars. This was significantly higher than in any other state. Bigger homes have higher utility costs Despite regional variations, single-family homes in the United States have grown bigger in size since 1975. This trend also means that, unless homeowners invest in energy savings measures, they will have to pay more for their utility costs. Which are the most affordable states to live in? According to the cost of living index, the three most affordable states to live in are Mississippi, Kansas, and Oklahoma. At the other end of the scale are Hawaii, District of Columbia, and New York. The index is based on housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services. To buy a median priced home in Kansas City, a prospective home buyer will have to earn an annual salary of about ****** U.S. dollars.

Hawaii is the state with the highest household electricity price in the United States. In September 2024, the average retail price of electricity for Hawaiian residences amounted to 41.27 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour. California followed in second, with 30.221 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour. Meanwhile, Utah registered the lowest price in the period, at around 11.4 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour. Why is electricity so expensive in Hawaii? Fossil fuels, and specifically oil, account for approximately 80 percent of Hawaii’s electricity mix, so the electricity price in this state can be roughly brought down to the price of oil in the country. Oil was by far the most expensive fossil fuel used for electricity generation in the country. As Hawaii depends on oil imports, the cost of transportation and infrastructure must be added to the oil price. Electricity prices worldwide The U.S. retail price for electricity increased almost every year since 1990. In 2023, it stood at 12.7 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour, almost double the charge put on electricity back in 1990. However, household electricity prices are around 25 U.S. dollar cents per kilowatt-hour lower in the U.S. when compared to European countries reliant on energy imports, such as Germany and Italy.

A table listing the average electricity rates (kWh) of all 50 U.S. states as of March 2025.

A comprehensive dataset of average residential, commercial, and combined electricity rates in cents per kWh for all 50 U.S. states.

Annual data on the average price of retail electricity to consumers. Data organized by U.S. state and by provider, i.e., total electric industry, full-service providers, restructured retail service providers, energy-only providers, and delivery-only service. Annual time series extend back to 1990. Based on Form EIA-861 data.

In 2019, the average apartment dweller in Alaska paid 496 U.S. dollars per month for utilities, whereas monthly utilities only cost Californians 320 U.S. dollars. Southern states, in addition to Alaska and Hawaii, tended to have the highest costs for utilities in the United States.

In 2022, industrial electricity prices were highest in the state of Hawaii, located offshore the Pacific coast of the United States. In Hawaii, electricity prices for industries amounted to ***** U.S. dollar cents per kilowatt-hour that year. Alaska, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts followed with roughly ** U.S. dollar cents per kilowatt-hour each. Hawaii accounted for the highest residential electricity price in the U.S., as well.

Graph and download economic data for Average Price: Electricity per Kilowatt-Hour in U.S. City Average (APU000072610) from Nov 1978 to May 2025 about electricity, energy, retail, price, and USA.

In 2023, Hawaiian residents paid around ****** U.S. dollars per million British thermal unit for electricity, by far the highest price in the country. This was significantly more than electricity prices in California that year, which was the second most expensive U.S. state for electricity purchases. Electricity prices across economic sectors in the U.S. Residential customers in the U.S. paid the highest electricity prices compared to the other economic sectors. This commodity price in the state of Hawaii was over ** U.S. dollar cents per kilowatt-hour above the national average of ** U.S. dollar cents per kilowatt-hour. By comparison, the price of electricity for the industrial and the commercial sectors was considerably lower. Electricity sources in the U.S. In 2023, most of the electricity generated in the U.S. came from natural gas, with the country being a leading global producer. Due to its autonomous power sector, the U.S. experienced a relatively smaller impact on electricity prices from the 2022 energy crisis compared to other nations, particularly those in Europe. By comparison, Hawaii’s high electricity prices are a consequence of the island state’s reliance on imported oil for its power generation.

Graph and download economic data for Unit Labor Costs for Utilities: Utilities (NAICS 22) in the United States (IPUCN22U101000000) from 1988 to 2024 about unit labor cost, utilities, NAICS, and USA.

This dataset presents statistics for Utilities: Cost of Purchased Electricity for Resale by Utilities for the U.S.

United States Electric Retail Price: Sold by Electric Utilities: Avg: Residential data was reported at 12.890 USD/kWh in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 12.550 USD/kWh for 2016. United States Electric Retail Price: Sold by Electric Utilities: Avg: Residential data is updated yearly, averaging 7.565 USD/kWh from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.890 USD/kWh in 2017 and a record low of 2.200 USD/kWh in 1970. United States Electric Retail Price: Sold by Electric Utilities: Avg: Residential data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Energy Information Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.P011: Electricity Price.

Retail residential electricity prices in the United States have mostly risen over the last decades. In 2023, prices registered a year-over-year growth of 6.3 percent, the highest growth registered since the beginning of the century. Residential prices are projected to continue to grow by two percent in 2024. Drivers of electricity price growth The price of electricity is partially dependent on the various energy sources used for generation, such as coal, gas, oil, renewable energy, or nuclear. In the U.S., electricity prices are highly connected to natural gas prices. As the commodity is exposed to international markets that pay a higher rate, U.S. prices are also expected to rise, as it has been witnessed during the energy crisis in 2022. Electricity demand is also expected to increase, especially in regions that will likely require more heating or cooling as climate change impacts progress, driving up electricity prices. Which states pay the most for electricity? Electricity prices can vary greatly depending on both state and region. Hawaii has the highest electricity prices in the U.S., at roughly 43 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour as of May 2023, due to the high costs of crude oil used to fuel the state’s electricity. In comparison, Idaho has one of the lowest retail rates. Much of the state’s energy is generated from hydroelectricity, which requires virtually no fuel. In addition, construction costs can be spread out over decades.

The Utility Rate Database (URDB) is a free storehouse of rate structure information from utilities in the United States. Here, you can search for your utilities and rates to find out exactly how you are charged for your electric energy usage. Understanding this information can help reduce your bill, for example, by running your appliances during off-peak hours (times during the day when electricity prices are less expensive) and help you make more informed decisions regarding your energy usage.

Rates are also extremely important to the energy analysis community for accurately determining the value and economics of distributed generation such as solar and wind power. In the past, collecting rates has been an effort duplicated across many institutions. Rate collection can be tedious and slow, however, with the introduction of the URDB, OpenEI aims to change how analysis of rates is performed. The URDB allows anyone to access these rates in a computer-readable format for use in their tools and models. OpenEI provides an API for software to automatically download the appropriate rates, thereby allowing detailed economic analysis to be done without ever having to directly handle complex rate structures. Essentially, rate collection and processing that used to take weeks or months can now be done in seconds!

NREL’s System Advisor Model (formerly Solar Advisor Model or SAM), currently has the ability to communicate with the OpenEI URDB over the internet. SAM can download any rate from the URDB directly into the program, thereby enabling users to conduct detailed studies on various power systems ranging in size from a small residential rooftop solar system to large utility scale installations. Other applications available at NREL, such as OpenPV and IMBY, will also utilize the URDB data.

Upcoming features include better support for entering net metering parameters, maps to summarize the data, geolocation capabilities, and hundreds of additional rates!

United States Electric Retail Price: Sold by Electric Utilities: Avg: Industrial data was reported at 6.880 USD/kWh in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 6.760 USD/kWh for 2016. United States Electric Retail Price: Sold by Electric Utilities: Avg: Industrial data is updated yearly, averaging 4.710 USD/kWh from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.100 USD/kWh in 2014 and a record low of 1.000 USD/kWh in 1970. United States Electric Retail Price: Sold by Electric Utilities: Avg: Industrial data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Energy Information Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.P011: Electricity Price.

Graph and download economic data for Unit Labor Costs for Utilities: Water, Sewage and Other Systems (NAICS 2213) in the United States (IPUCN2213U100000000) from 1987 to 2024 about waste, water, unit labor cost, utilities, NAICS, and USA.

This spreadsheet contains information reported by over 200 investor-owned utilities to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in the annual filing FERC Form 1 for the years 1994-2019. It contains 1) annual capital costs for new transmission, distribution, and administrative infrastructure; 2) annual operation and maintenance costs for transmission, distribution, and utility business administration; 3) total annual MWh sales and sales by customer class; 4) annual peak demand in MW; and 5) total customer count and the number of customers by class.

Annual spending on new capital infrastructure is read from pages 204 to 207 of FERC Form 1, titled Electric Plant in Service. Annual transmission capital additions are recorded from Line 58, Column C - Total Transmission Plant Additions. Likewise, annual distribution capital additions are recorded from Line 75, Column C - Total Distribution Plant Additions. Administrative capital additions are recorded from Line 5, Column C - Total Intangible Plant Additions, and Line 99, Column C - Total General Plant Additions.

Operation and maintenance costs associated with transmission, distribution, and utility administration are read from pages 320 to 323 of FERC Form 1, titled Electric Operation and Maintenance Expenses. Annual transmission operation and maintenance are recorded from Line 99, Column B - Total Transmission Operation Expenses for Current Year, and Line 111, Column B - Total Transmission Maintenance Expenses for Current Year. Likewise, annual distribution operation and maintenance costs are recorded from Line 144, Column B - Total Distribution Operation Expenses, and Line 155, Column B - Total Distribution Maintenance Expenses. Administrative operation and maintenance costs are recorded from: Line 164, Column B - Total Customers Accounts Expenses; Line 171, Column B - Total Customer Service and Information Expenses; Line 178, Column B - Total Sales Expenses; and Line 197, Column B - Total Administrative and General Expenses.

The annual peak demand in MW over the year is read from page 401, titled Monthly Peaks and Output. The monthly peak demand is listed in Lines 29 to 40, Column D. The maximum of these monthly reports during each year is taken as the annual peak demand in MW. The annual energy sales and customer count data come from page 300, Electric Operating Revenues. The values are provided in Line 2 - Residential Sales, Line 4 - Commercial Sales, Line 5 - Industrial Sales, and Line 10 - Total Sales to Ultimate Consumers.

More information about the database is available in an associated report published by the University of Texas at Austin Energy Institute: https://live-energy-institute.pantheonsite.io/sites/default/files/UTAustin_FCe_TDA_2016.pdf

Also see an associated paper published in the journal Energy Policy:

Fares, Robert L., and Carey W. King. "Trends in transmission, distribution, and administration costs for US investor-owned electric utilities." Energy Policy 105 (2017): 354-362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2017.02.036

All data come from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission FERC Form 1 Database available in Microsoft Visual FoxPro Format: https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/forms/form-1/data.asp

United States - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Fuels and Utilities in U.S. City Average was 327.07700 Index 1982-84=100 in March of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Fuels and Utilities in U.S. City Average reached a record high of 327.07700 in March of 2025 and a record low of 22.20000 in January of 1953. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Fuels and Utilities in U.S. City Average - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Typical average monthly electric bills for residential, commercial and industrial customers.

-Residential customer bills are computed for usages of 0, 250, 500, 750, 3000, and 5000 KWH. -Commercial customer bills are computed demands, load factors and usages of: - 10 KW, 20%, and 1440 KWH - 10 KW, 30%, and 2160 KWH - 50 KW, 25%, and 9000 KWH - 50 KW, 35%, and 12600 KWH - 250 KW, 30%, and 54000 KWH - 250 KW, 50%, and 9000 KWH -Industrial customer bills are computed demands, load factors and usages of: - 500 KW, 40%, and 144000 KWH - 2000 KW, 50%, and 720000 KWH - 10000 KW, 65%, and 4680000 KWH

United States Electricity: Average Retail Price: EIA: Residential data was reported at 13.300 0.01 USD/kWh in Aug 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 13.130 0.01 USD/kWh for Jul 2018. United States Electricity: Average Retail Price: EIA: Residential data is updated monthly, averaging 8.590 0.01 USD/kWh from Jul 1976 (Median) to Aug 2018, with 434 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.300 0.01 USD/kWh in Aug 2018 and a record low of 3.600 0.01 USD/kWh in Jan 1977. United States Electricity: Average Retail Price: EIA: Residential data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Energy Information Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.P002: Energy Price.