Massachusetts electricity rates
As of May 2026, the average residential electricity rate in Massachusetts is 28.82 cents per kilowatt-hour, 56.3% above the U.S. average of 18.44¢. That is the 5th highest rate of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
- Year over year
- ▼ -3.6% from 29.90¢ in May 2025
- Vs. U.S. average
- +56.3% U.S. average 18.44¢
- National rank
- #5 of 51 · #47 cheapest
- Supply market
- ISO New England Retail choice statewide
Why Massachusetts pays what it pays
It is easy to blame Massachusetts rates on the price of power. The larger share of the story is the delivery side. The state runs an ambitious set of programmes through the electric bill: energy efficiency through Mass Save, solar incentive recovery, storm and grid resilience investment, and low-income discount subsidies. Each is a line item on delivery, and delivery has been growing faster than supply for several years.
The supply side still matters in winter. Massachusetts sits at the end of the same constrained pipeline network as the rest of New England, and the region's marginal generator is usually gas. Basic-service supply prices are procured twice a year, so the winter rate and the summer rate can differ by a wide margin even when nothing about the underlying market has changed.
The state is also a large offshore-wind buyer. Those contracts are long-dated and their costs enter rates gradually, which affects the trajectory more than the current figure.
How Massachusetts compares
Massachusetts ranks #5 of 51 jurisdictions by residential price, making it the 47th cheapest. Within the New England division, 4 of 5 neighbouring states are cheaper.
| State | ¢/kWh | YoY | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont | 24.89 | +4.8% | #11 |
| New Hampshire | 27.33 | +13.8% | #9 |
| Connecticut | 27.37 | -13.4% | #8 |
| Maine | 28.63 | +2.6% | #6 |
| Massachusetts | 28.82 | -3.6% | #5 |
| Rhode Island | 29.46 | +1.6% | #4 |
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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts
Eversource and National Grid serve most of the state, with Unitil in a smaller territory. Massachusetts has full retail choice and the most developed municipal aggregation market in the United States, with several hundred communities buying supply on behalf of residents.
The competitive residential supplier market has been a persistent problem for the state's Attorney General, whose office has repeatedly found that individual residential customers who switched paid more in aggregate than they would have on basic service. Aggregation, negotiated by a municipality at scale, has generally performed better than door-to-door individual switching.
What you can actually do about it
Read the delivery section of a Massachusetts bill before you shop for supply. If most of the charge is delivery, a supply switch cannot move the total much.
Mass Save's no-cost home energy assessment is the highest-leverage first step for most households. Its insulation and air sealing incentives are unusually generous, funded by the same bill charge you are already paying.
Closest states by price
These jurisdictions charge within a fraction of a cent of Massachusetts, which is useful if you are comparing a move or a multi-state operating cost.
Massachusetts electricity rates: common questions
What is the average electricity rate in Massachusetts?
The average residential electricity rate in Massachusetts is 28.82 cents per kilowatt-hour as of May 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That is +56.3% relative to the national average of 18.44¢/kWh.
How much is a typical monthly electric bill in Massachusetts?
At the May 2026 average rate of 28.82¢/kWh, a household using 900 kWh a month would pay about $259, and one using 1,500 kWh about $432. Actual bills vary with usage, rate schedule, fixed customer charges and taxes.
Have electricity rates in Massachusetts gone up?
Massachusetts rates fell 3.6% over the year to May 2026, from 29.90¢ in May 2025 to 28.82¢.
Can I choose my electricity supplier in Massachusetts?
Retail choice statewide. Residential customers in Massachusetts can buy supply from a competitive provider while the local utility continues to deliver it and maintain the wires.
Where does this Massachusetts 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.