Illinois electricity rates
As of May 2026, the average residential electricity rate in Illinois is 23.85 cents per kilowatt-hour, 29.3% above the U.S. average of 18.44¢. That is the 12th highest rate of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
- Year over year
- ▲ +28.4% from 18.58¢ in May 2025
- Vs. U.S. average
- +29.3% U.S. average 18.44¢
- National rank
- #12 of 51 · #40 cheapest
- Supply market
- PJM / MISO Retail choice statewide
Why Illinois pays what it pays
Illinois has the largest nuclear fleet of any state and on generation fundamentals should be inexpensive. The increase visible in the data comes from somewhere else entirely: the capacity charge.
Northern Illinois sits in PJM. PJM's capacity auction for the 2025/2026 delivery year cleared at a record price after a rule change and a tightening reserve margin, and northern Illinois cleared even higher than the rest of the market because it was treated as a separate constrained zone. ComEd passes capacity costs through to supply-service customers, so the increase arrived as a single visible step rather than being spread over years.
Downstate Illinois, in MISO, did not experience the same shock. It is another case where a state average hides two very different markets.
The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act also placed carbon-mitigation credits for the state's nuclear plants on ratepayers, though that cost is small next to the capacity move.
Where Illinois power comes from
Illinois generated 193 TWh in 2025, the 5th largest output of any state. Nuclear supplied 50.5% of it, enough that the price of that fuel largely sets the price of electricity here. Renewables accounted for 16.3%, against 23.8% nationally, which ranks Illinois #26 of 51.
- Nuclear 50.5% 98 TWh
- Natural gas 16.8% 33 TWh
- Coal 16% 31 TWh
- Wind 12.9% 25 TWh
- Solar 3.4% 6 TWh
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Operational Data, net generation, all sectors. Net generation across all sectors. Nuclear counts as carbon-free but not renewable, so the two shares differ.
How Illinois compares
Illinois ranks #12 of 51 jurisdictions by residential price, making it the 40th cheapest. Within the East North Central division, every other state is cheaper.
| State | ¢/kWh | YoY | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 18.15 | +7.4% | #20 |
| Ohio | 19.52 | +14.2% | #18 |
| Wisconsin | 19.74 | +4.2% | #17 |
| Michigan | 22.01 | +8.8% | #14 |
| Illinois | 23.85 | +28.4% | #12 |
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 Illinois households actually pay
Estimate your Illinois 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.
Heating in Illinois: gas, heat pump or resistance
Residential natural gas in Illinois averaged $11.11 per thousand cubic feet in 2024, about $1.07 per therm, against a national average of $14.50. Put on the same scale as the state's electricity rate, the cost of delivering one million BTU of heat works out as follows.
In Illinois, gas remains cheaper to run than a heat pump by about $11.40 per million BTU at these assumptions, roughly $684 over a 60 million BTU season. A heat pump can still be the better purchase once cooling, equipment age and incentives are counted, but not on heating cost alone.
Gas price: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Natural Gas Prices, price delivered to residential consumers, 2024. Assumptions are adjustable in the heating cost guide, and every state is compared on the gas price page.
What each Illinois utility charges
The statewide average hides a wide spread. Across the 27 Illinois utilities reporting to the EIA, rates run from 9.99¢ at MidAmerican Energy Co to 20.60¢ at Sunnova . Together they serve 3.9 million residential customers.
| Utility | ¢/kWh | Bill | kWh | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth Edison Co | 15.22 | $89 | 583 | 2.9 million |
| Ameren Illinois Company | 15.26 | $130 | 853 | 520,498 |
| MidAmerican Energy Co | 9.99 | $71 | 712 | 73,564 |
| City of Springfield | 11.95 | $99 | 830 | 59,621 |
| City of Naperville | 12.98 | $99 | 762 | 56,117 |
| Corn Belt Energy Corporation | 15.76 | $144 | 914 | 34,710 |
| Sunrun Inc. | 15.06 | $106 | 703 | 31,729 |
| Southwestern Electric Coop Inc | 13.68 | $154 | 1,124 | 24,822 |
| Southeastern IL Elec Coop, Inc | 14.47 | $166 | 1,146 | 22,731 |
| Norris Electric Coop | 15.08 | $170 | 1,128 | 18,074 |
| Jo-Carroll Energy, Inc | 19.79 | $140 | 708 | 17,227 |
| Tri-County Electric Coop, Inc (IL) | 16.04 | $190 | 1,182 | 16,197 |
| City of St Charles | 15.37 | $103 | 668 | 14,181 |
| Egyptian Electric Coop Assn | 15.53 | $175 | 1,128 | 13,707 |
| Wayne-White Counties Elec Coop | 16.58 | $174 | 1,049 | 11,957 |
| Eastern Illinois Elec Coop | 17.10 | $212 | 1,237 | 11,115 |
| City of Batavia | 14.08 | $103 | 728 | 10,020 |
| Shelby Electric Coop, Inc | 18.63 | $193 | 1,034 | 9,871 |
| Rock Energy Cooperative | 14.97 | $112 | 746 | 9,339 |
| Menard Electric Coop | 18.05 | $178 | 987 | 9,048 |
| City of Geneva | 11.03 | $85 | 772 | 8,691 |
| Coles-Moultrie Electric Coop | 17.14 | $192 | 1,119 | 8,456 |
| Rochelle Municipal Utilities | 13.22 | $88 | 663 | 5,854 |
| City of Peru | 12.00 | $75 | 625 | 4,993 |
| Mt Carmel Public Utility Co | 19.13 | $168 | 879 | 4,327 |
Showing the 25 largest of 27. Utilities with fewer than 1,000 residential customers are not published.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2024.
Who sells electricity in Illinois
Commonwealth Edison, an Exelon company, serves Chicago and northern Illinois. Ameren Illinois covers most of the centre and south. Both are delivery-only, since generation was divested during restructuring.
Illinois has full retail choice and a well-established municipal aggregation market. The Illinois Commerce Commission runs Plug In Illinois, the state's official supplier comparison site.
Illinois sits in The PJM region. The wholesale market whose capacity auction repriced and pushed residential rates up across nine jurisdictions in a single year. Read the regional analysis.
What you can actually do about it
Illinois publishes the supply price ComEd and Ameren will charge before it takes effect, which makes it one of the easier states to shop deliberately rather than reactively.
Be careful with the capacity component when comparing offers. Some competitive supplier contracts quote an energy price and pass capacity through separately, which makes a headline number look better than the bill will be. Ask whether capacity is included in the quoted rate.
Closest states by price
These jurisdictions charge within a fraction of a cent of Illinois, which is useful if you are comparing a move or a multi-state operating cost.
Illinois electricity rates: common questions
What is the average electricity rate in Illinois?
The average residential electricity rate in Illinois is 23.85 cents per kilowatt-hour as of May 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That is +29.3% relative to the national average of 18.44¢/kWh.
How much is the average monthly electric bill in Illinois?
The average Illinois household paid $132 a month across the twelve months to May 2026, using an average of 719 kWh. That is -14.9% against the U.S. average bill of $155, and it ranks 35th highest of the 51 jurisdictions. Your own bill depends on the size of your home, your heating and cooling equipment and your rate schedule.
Why is the Illinois bill ranking different from its rate ranking?
A bill is the rate multiplied by usage, and usage varies between states more than price does. Illinois ranks #12 of 51 on price but 35th on the actual bill, because households there use about 719 kWh a month against a national average of 871. Climate and heating fuel drive most of that difference.
Have electricity rates in Illinois gone up?
Illinois rates rose 28.4% over the year to May 2026, from 18.58¢ in May 2025 to 23.85¢.
Can I choose my electricity supplier in Illinois?
Retail choice statewide. Residential customers in Illinois can buy supply from a competitive provider while the local utility continues to deliver it and maintain the wires.