Average electric bill by state
The average U.S. residential electricity bill is $155 a month over the twelve months to May 2026, for an average of 871 kilowatt-hours. Hawaii has the highest average bill at $215 and New Mexico the lowest at $98.
The cheapest rates do not produce the cheapest bills
Almost every comparison of electricity costs stops at the rate, and the rate is only half the equation. What arrives in the post is the rate multiplied by how much you used, and consumption varies between states far more than price does.
Louisiana households average 1,201 kWh a month. California households average 488. That is a gap of more than two to one, wider than the gap between the cheapest and most expensive mainland rates. Climate explains most of it. Heating fuel explains most of the rest, because a house on electric resistance heat can draw two or three times what the same house draws on gas.
Hawaii makes the point from the opposite direction. It has the highest bill in the country at $215, and the lowest consumption at 513 kWh. Electricity there costs so much that households have cut usage to a level no mainland state approaches, and the bill is still the largest in America.
Cheap electricity, expensive bills
Low rates undone by heavy usage.
Expensive electricity, modest bills
High rates offset by low usage.
Every state ranked by average monthly bill
| # | State | Monthly bill | kWh / month | Rate (¢) | YoY bill | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $215 | 513 | 52.00 | +2.4% | +38.1% |
| 2 | Maryland | $206 | 953 | 21.77 | +18.5% | +32.4% |
| 3 | Connecticut | $203 | 709 | 27.37 | -3.6% | +30.5% |
| 4 | Alabama | $185 | 1,128 | 16.77 | +2.5% | +18.7% |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $183 | 603 | 28.82 | +5.8% | +18.0% |
| 6 | Texas | $173 | 1,093 | 16.44 | +2.4% | +11.4% |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $172 | 845 | 21.55 | +14.3% | +10.5% |
| 8 | Virginia | $171 | 1,063 | 17.61 | +10.5% | +10.2% |
| 9 | Mississippi | $169 | 1,159 | 16.16 | +5.7% | +8.8% |
| 10 | Florida | $169 | 1,094 | 15.17 | +5.7% | +8.6% |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $167 | 643 | 27.33 | +12.7% | +7.5% |
| 12 | West Virginia | $165 | 1,064 | 16.80 | +1.6% | +6.0% |
| 13 | Delaware | $165 | 941 | 19.38 | +6.5% | +6.0% |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $165 | 572 | 29.46 | -0.8% | +5.9% |
| 15 | South Carolina | $164 | 1,061 | 16.18 | +4.9% | +5.7% |
| 16 | New York | $164 | 590 | 29.93 | +10.8% | +5.3% |
| 17 | Tennessee | $162 | 1,199 | 14.47 | +6.7% | +4.0% |
| 18 | Georgia | $161 | 1,074 | 15.84 | +2.3% | +3.6% |
| 19 | Arizona | $160 | 1,041 | 15.23 | -0.6% | +3.1% |
| 20 | California | $160 | 488 | 33.25 | -1.2% | +3.0% |
| 21 | New Jersey | $160 | 672 | 23.27 | +20.2% | +2.9% |
| 22 | Indiana | $159 | 946 | 18.15 | +12.5% | +2.2% |
| 23 | Ohio | $157 | 878 | 19.52 | +13.4% | +1.0% |
| 24 | Alaska | $157 | 588 | 28.23 | +9.7% | +0.9% |
| 25 | Louisiana | $156 | 1,201 | 14.15 | +5.1% | +0.2% |
| 26 | Maine | $155 | 537 | 28.63 | +10.2% | -0.2% |
| 27 | Kentucky | $154 | 1,119 | 14.98 | +9.7% | -0.8% |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $152 | 637 | 25.40 | +23.3% | -2.3% |
| 29 | North Carolina | $150 | 1,036 | 15.09 | +2.8% | -3.7% |
| 30 | Missouri | $145 | 1,046 | 13.68 | +8.5% | -6.7% |
| 31 | Oklahoma | $141 | 1,043 | 13.38 | +3.0% | -9.3% |
| 32 | Vermont | $140 | 597 | 24.89 | +7.5% | -9.6% |
| 33 | Arkansas | $138 | 1,045 | 14.36 | +4.5% | -11.0% |
| 34 | South Dakota | $138 | 981 | 15.73 | +4.6% | -11.4% |
| 35 | Illinois | $132 | 719 | 23.85 | +15.4% | -14.9% |
| 36 | Oregon | $132 | 854 | 16.27 | +0.1% | -15.2% |
| 37 | Michigan | $131 | 635 | 22.01 | +8.1% | -16.0% |
| 38 | North Dakota | $130 | 1,062 | 13.61 | +6.7% | -16.1% |
| 39 | Kansas | $130 | 872 | 15.13 | +2.8% | -16.3% |
| 40 | Washington | $130 | 936 | 14.95 | +9.7% | -16.4% |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $123 | 664 | 19.74 | +7.5% | -20.8% |
| 42 | Nebraska | $121 | 952 | 13.59 | +6.0% | -22.0% |
| 43 | Iowa | $119 | 850 | 14.14 | +5.3% | -23.5% |
| 44 | Minnesota | $119 | 737 | 16.95 | +5.7% | -23.6% |
| 45 | Nevada | $115 | 872 | 13.60 | -12.8% | -25.8% |
| 46 | Wyoming | $114 | 810 | 14.80 | +2.3% | -27.0% |
| 47 | Montana | $113 | 824 | 14.67 | +5.8% | -27.2% |
| 48 | Idaho | $111 | 904 | 12.35 | +1.3% | -28.3% |
| 49 | Colorado | $109 | 664 | 16.16 | +4.3% | -30.1% |
| 50 | Utah | $102 | 766 | 12.96 | +3.9% | -34.3% |
| 51 | New Mexico | $98 | 642 | 14.12 | +2.4% | -37.0% |
Computed from U.S. Energy Information Administration sales, revenue and customer counts, Form Form EIA-861M, across the twelve months to May 2026. How this is calculated · Download CSV
Where households use the most electricity
Consumption follows climate and building stock. The heaviest-using states are in the humid South, where air conditioning runs for much of the year, electric resistance heat is common, and homes are large. The lightest-using are in the mild Pacific and Mountain West, plus dense north-eastern states where apartments are a larger share of housing and gas heating dominates.
This is worth knowing before you read any advice about switching supplier. In a heavy-usage state, the same percentage saving on the rate is worth substantially more in dollars, and equipment changes are worth more still.
Work out your own 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.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average electric bill in the United States?
$155 a month. That is total residential electricity revenue divided by residential customer-months across the twelve months to May 2026, which works out to 871 kWh per household per month at an average of 18.44¢ per kWh. It is up +6.0% from $147 in the preceding twelve months.
Which state has the highest electric bill?
Hawaii, at $215 a month. Maryland ($206) and Connecticut ($203) follow.
Which state has the lowest electric bill?
New Mexico, at $98 a month, helped by mild shoulder seasons and low average consumption of 642 kWh.
Why is my bill high when my state has cheap electricity?
Because a bill is rate multiplied by usage, and usage varies between states far more than rates do. Louisiana households average 1,201 kWh a month against 488 in California, a gap of more than two to one. Climate is most of it, and heating fuel is the rest: a home on electric resistance heat can use two or three times what an identical home on gas heat uses.
Is this the bill I will actually receive?
No. It is a statewide average across every household, including apartments and large houses, all-electric homes and gas-heated ones. Your own bill depends on the size of your home, your heating and cooling equipment, your utility and your rate schedule. Use the calculator on this page with your own kilowatt-hours instead.
Why use a twelve-month average instead of the latest month?
Residential electricity use is strongly seasonal. A single month describes the weather more than it describes the household: a July figure in Texas and a January figure in Minnesota both look extreme. Averaging a full year of sales, revenue and customer counts removes that, which is why every bill figure on this page covers the twelve months to May 2026.