Nebraska electricity rates
As of May 2026, the average residential electricity rate in Nebraska is 13.59 cents per kilowatt-hour, 26.3% below the U.S. average of 18.44¢. That is the 48th highest rate of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
- Year over year
- ▲ +3.3% from 13.15¢ in May 2025
- Vs. U.S. average
- -26.3% U.S. average 18.44¢
- National rank
- #48 of 51 · #4 cheapest
- Supply market
- SPP Regulated monopoly
Why Nebraska pays what it pays
Nebraska is a genuine structural outlier. Every electric utility in the state is a public power district, a municipal system or a co-operative. There are no shareholders, and therefore no allowed return on equity built into rates. That single fact accounts for a meaningful share of the state's price advantage. A regulated investor-owned utility typically earns somewhere near a ten per cent return on its rate base, and Nebraska simply does not pay it.
Public power also borrows differently. Nebraska's utilities finance capital with tax-exempt revenue bonds at lower interest rates than corporate debt, which lowers the carrying cost of every asset they build.
The generation mix helps as well, with a spread of coal, the Cooper nuclear station, substantial wind, and hydro allocations. But structure is the distinguishing factor.
How Nebraska compares
Nebraska ranks #48 of 51 jurisdictions by residential price, making it the 4th cheapest. Within the West North Central division, no state is cheaper.
| State | ¢/kWh | YoY | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | 13.59 | +3.3% | #48 |
| North Dakota | 13.61 | +3.9% | #46 |
| Missouri | 13.68 | +5.1% | #45 |
| Iowa | 14.14 | -0.1% | #43 |
| Kansas | 15.13 | +2.7% | #34 |
| South Dakota | 15.73 | +9.8% | #31 |
| Minnesota | 16.95 | +7.0% | #22 |
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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska
Nebraska Public Power District serves much of the state at wholesale and retail, the Omaha Public Power District covers the Omaha metropolitan area, and Lincoln Electric System serves the capital. Rural public power districts and co-operatives fill in the rest.
There is no retail choice and no state rate regulator in the conventional sense. Rates are set by elected or appointed utility boards in public meetings, and the Nebraska Power Review Board handles territorial and jurisdictional questions rather than pricing.
What you can actually do about it
Nebraska ratepayers have unusually direct access to rate-setting. OPPD and NPPD board meetings are public, budgets are published, and directors are elected. This is where rate decisions actually get made.
The state's low rate again makes electrification favourable, and both large public power districts run rebate programmes for heat pumps and EV charging equipment that are worth checking before you buy.
Closest states by price
These jurisdictions charge within a fraction of a cent of Nebraska, which is useful if you are comparing a move or a multi-state operating cost.
Nebraska electricity rates: common questions
What is the average electricity rate in Nebraska?
The average residential electricity rate in Nebraska is 13.59 cents per kilowatt-hour as of May 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That is -26.3% relative to the national average of 18.44¢/kWh.
How much is a typical monthly electric bill in Nebraska?
At the May 2026 average rate of 13.59¢/kWh, a household using 900 kWh a month would pay about $122, and one using 1,500 kWh about $204. Actual bills vary with usage, rate schedule, fixed customer charges and taxes.
Have electricity rates in Nebraska gone up?
Nebraska rates rose 3.3% over the year to May 2026, from 13.15¢ in May 2025 to 13.59¢.
Can I choose my electricity supplier in Nebraska?
Regulated monopoly. Nebraska households buy both supply and delivery from their local regulated utility or co-operative; there is no competitive residential supplier market.
Where does this Nebraska 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.