Alaska, Hawaii, and Connecticut were the states with the highest average monthly utility costs in the United States in 2023. Residents paid about 133.89 U.S. dollars for their electricity bills in Hawaii, while the average monthly bill for natural gas came to 164 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 76,000 U.S. dollars.

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.

This data collection provides information on characteristics of housing units in 11 selected Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) of the United States. Although the unit of analysis is the housing unit rather than its occupants, the survey also is a comprehensive source of information on the demographic characteristics of household residents. Data collected include general housing characteristics such as the year the structure was built, type and number of living quarters, occupancy status, presence of commercial establishments on the property, and property value. Data are also provided on kitchen and plumbing facilities, type of heating fuel used, source of water, sewage disposal, and heating and air-conditioning equipment. Questions about housing quality include condition of walls and floors, adequacy of heat in winter, availability of electrical outlets in rooms, basement and roof water leakage, and exterminator service for mice and rats. Data related to housing expenses include mortgage or rent payments, utility costs, fuel costs, property insurance costs, real estate taxes, and garbage collection fees. Variables are also supplied on neighborhood conditions such as quality of roads and presence of crime, trash, litter, street noise, abandoned structures, commercial activity, and odors or smoke, as well as the adequacy of services such as public transportation, schools, shopping facilities, police protection, recreation facilities, and hospitals or clinics. In addition to housing characteristics, data on age, sex, race, marital status, income, and relationship to householder are provided for each household member. Additional data are supplied for the householder, including years of school completed, Spanish origin, and length of residence. (Source: ICPSR, retrieved 06/28/2011)

Please Note: This dataset is part of the historical CISER Data Archive Collection and is also available at ICPSR at https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09815.v1. We highly recommend using the ICPSR version as they may make this dataset available in multiple data formats in the future.

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.

West Virginia and Kansas had the lowest cost of living across all U.S. states, with composite costs being half of those found in Hawaii. This was according to a composite index that compares prices for various goods and services on a state-by-state basis. In West Virginia, the cost of living index amounted to 84.8 - well below the national benchmark of 100. Nevada - which had an index value of 100.1 - was only slightly above that benchmark. Expensive places to live included Hawaii, Massachusetts, and California Housing costs in the U.S. Housing is usually the highest expense in a household’s budget. In 2023, the average house sold for approximately 427,000 U.S. dollars, but house prices in the Northeast and West regions were significantly higher. Conversely, the South had some of the least expensive housing. In West Virginia, Mississippi, and Louisiana, the median price of the typical single-family home was less than 200,000 U.S. dollars. That makes living costs in these states significantly lower than in states such as Hawaii and California, where housing is much more expensive. What other expenses affect the cost of living? Utility costs such as electricity, natural gas, water, and internet also influence the cost of living. In Alaska, Hawaii, and Connecticut, the average monthly utility cost exceeded 500 U.S. dollars. That was because of the significantly higher prices for electricity and natural gas in these 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 36.71 U.S. dollar cents per kilowatt-hour that year. Alaska, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts followed with roughly 18 U.S. dollar cents per kilowatt-hour each. Hawaii accounted for the highest residential electricity price in the U.S., as well.

Although the American Community Survey (ACS) produces population, demographic and housing unit estimates, the decennial census is the official source of population totals for April 1st of each decennial year. In between censuses, the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program produces and disseminates the official estimates of the population for the nation, states, counties, cities, and towns and estimates of housing units for states and counties..Information about the American Community Survey (ACS) can be found on the ACS website. Supporting documentation including code lists, subject definitions, data accuracy, and statistical testing, and a full list of ACS tables and table shells (without estimates) can be found on the Technical Documentation section of the ACS website.Sample size and data quality measures (including coverage rates, allocation rates, and response rates) can be found on the American Community Survey website in the Methodology section..Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates.Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. The degree of uncertainty for an estimate arising from sampling variability is represented through the use of a margin of error. The value shown here is the 90 percent margin of error. The margin of error can be interpreted roughly as providing a 90 percent probability that the interval defined by the estimate minus the margin of error and the estimate plus the margin of error (the lower and upper confidence bounds) contains the true value. In addition to sampling variability, the ACS estimates are subject to nonsampling error (for a discussion of nonsampling variability, see ACS Technical Documentation). The effect of nonsampling error is not represented in these tables..The 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) data generally reflect the March 2020 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) delineations of metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas. In certain instances the names, codes, and boundaries of the principal cities shown in ACS tables may differ from the OMB delineations due to differences in the effective dates of the geographic entities..Estimates of urban and rural populations, housing units, and characteristics reflect boundaries of urban areas defined based on 2020 Census data. As a result, data for urban and rural areas from the ACS do not necessarily reflect the results of ongoing urbanization..Explanation of Symbols:- The estimate could not be computed because there were an insufficient number of sample observations. For a ratio of medians estimate, one or both of the median estimates falls in the lowest interval or highest interval of an open-ended distribution. For a 5-year median estimate, the margin of error associated with a median was larger than the median itself.N The estimate or margin of error cannot be displayed because there were an insufficient number of sample cases in the selected geographic area. (X) The estimate or margin of error is not applicable or not available.median- The median falls in the lowest interval of an open-ended distribution (for example "2,500-")median+ The median falls in the highest interval of an open-ended distribution (for example "250,000+").** The margin of error could not be computed because there were an insufficient number of sample observations.*** The margin of error could not be computed because the median falls in the lowest interval or highest interval of an open-ended distribution.***** A margin of error is not appropriate because the corresponding estimate is controlled to an independent population or housing estimate. Effectively, the corresponding estimate has no sampling error and the margin of error may be treated as zero.

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.

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.

The retail price for electricity in the United States stood at an average of 12.72 U.S. dollar cents per kilowatt-hour in 2023. This is the highest figure reported in the indicated period. Nevertheless, the U.S. still has one of the lowest electricity prices worldwide. As a major producer of primary energy, energy prices are lower than in countries that are more reliant on imports or impose higher taxes. Electricity prices in the U.S. by consumer group On average, retail electricity prices in the U.S. grew by over 85 percent since the beginning of the century. However, not every sector has been affected equally by the said price increase. U.S. electricity prices for residential customers saw a much steeper increase in the period, while transportation prices increased by approximately 50 percent. Reasons for increases in electricity prices The rising prices are justified by the costs of power production and power grid maintenance. Although the production cost of electricity generated from coal, natural gas, and nuclear sources remained relatively stable, the integration of renewable energy sources, investments in smart grid technologies, growing peak demand, power blackouts caused by natural disasters, and the global energy crisis in 2022 continued to trouble the electric utility industry in recent years. Average U.S. electricity prices per state can also vary widely, with Hawaii residents experiencing some of the highest rates in the country.

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Utility (Piped) Gas Service in U.S. City Average (CUUR0000SEHF02) from Mar 1935 to Feb 2025 about utilities, gas, urban, consumer, services, CPI, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

The average retail price of electricity for households has risen steadily in the United States, reaching a peak of around 15.98 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2023. In the U.S., electricity prices tend to reflect base overnight costs for power plants, their maintenance, fuel costs, and the operation of power grids. How electricity rates differ across states in the U.S. The price of electricity varies widely across states. Hawaii has continuously had one of the highest rates and Washington one of the lowest. In Hawaii, the power sector is largely reliant on petroleum and diesel generators. Crude oil is a comparatively expensive fuel and prices tend to be volatile, driving up overall electricity prices. Meanwhile, electricity prices are low in states which use hydropower as the main source of electricity, as Washington. In the U.S., costs of electricity are greatly shaped by the primary power source used per state. Maintaining the power grid In addition to primary fuel purchases, the costs required to operate and maintain transmission and distribution systems also impact the prices that a household pays. In 2022, power utilities reported a peak in grid operating expenses, with transmission-related costs reaching 15.9 billion U.S. dollars and almost six billion U.S. dollars invested in distribution networks.

In 2023, Hawaiian residents paid around 113.17 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 25 U.S. dollar cents per kilowatt-hour above the national average of 17 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.

In several states in the United States, the electricity price for the commercial sector was significantly lower than the utility default price and competitive sales in 2018. In Washington, commercial electricity prices was 5.2 U.S. cents per kilowatt hour lower than the utility default price in that year. Typically, commercial customers pay much less than residential customers.

In 2022, commercial electricity prices amounted to 40.59 U.S. dollar cents per kilowatt-hour in the United States' state of Hawaii. This was by far the highest electricity price in the country, followed by California with over 20 U.S. dollar cents per kilowatt-hours. The state of Hawaii accounted for the highest residential and industrial electricity price in the U.S., as well.

United States - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Fuels and Utilities in U.S. City Average was 283.37600 Index 1982-84=100 in March of 2022, 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 283.37600 in March of 2022 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 March of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Electricity in U.S. City Average (CUSR0000SEHF01) from Jan 1952 to Feb 2025 about electricity, urban, consumer, CPI, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

In 2018, the difference between industrial electricity prices and utility default prices in some states in the United States was not significant. For example, in Illinois, Maine, and Maryland, the price of electricity for industrial customers was only 0.1 U.S. cents per kilowatt hour lower than the utility default price and competitive sales.

Graph and download economic data for Average Price: Utility (Piped) Gas per Therm in Urban Alaska (CBSA) (APUS49G72620) from Nov 1978 to Dec 2024 about AK, utilities, energy, urban, retail, price, and USA.

Residential customers use an average of about 1,000 kWh of electricity per month, with usage higher during hot summer months and lower in the winter. View tables show monthly average usage in kWh by month for residential customers starting in 2000. Tables include monthly fuel charges and electric bill amounts.