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.
Where Nebraska power comes from
Nebraska generated 40 TWh in 2025, the 36th largest output of any state. Coal supplied 45.6% of it. Renewables accounted for 32.9%, against 23.8% nationally, which ranks Nebraska #17 of 51.
- Coal 45.6% 18 TWh
- Wind 29.1% 12 TWh
- Nuclear 17.2% 7 TWh
- Natural gas 3.9% 2 TWh
- Hydroelectric 3.1% 1 TWh
- Solar 0.6% 255 GWh
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 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 Nebraska households actually pay
Nebraska looks more expensive on paper than it is in practice. Its rate ranks #48 of 51, but the average bill ranks only 42nd, because households there use 952 kWh a month against a national average of 871. See how every state compares on bills.
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.
Heating in Nebraska: gas, heat pump or resistance
Residential natural gas in Nebraska averaged $10.63 per thousand cubic feet in 2024, about $1.03 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 Nebraska, gas remains cheaper to run than a heat pump by about $1.89 per million BTU at these assumptions, roughly $113 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 Nebraska utility charges
The statewide average hides a wide spread. Across the 24 Nebraska utilities reporting to the EIA, rates run from 8.44¢ at Cedar-Knox Public Power Dist to 14.68¢ at High West Energy, Inc . Together they serve 756,539 residential customers.
| Utility | ¢/kWh | Bill | kWh | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha Public Power District | 12.36 | $109 | 885 | 362,918 |
| Lincoln Electric System | 10.86 | $88 | 808 | 134,912 |
| Nebraska Public Power District | 10.63 | $100 | 938 | 73,650 |
| City of Grand Island | 10.93 | $87 | 798 | 22,799 |
| Norris Public Power District | 9.61 | $146 | 1,518 | 18,387 |
| Loup River Public Power Dist | 10.59 | $130 | 1,225 | 16,292 |
| Dawson Power District | 11.41 | $145 | 1,271 | 16,080 |
| Southern Public Power District | 9.21 | $119 | 1,294 | 15,215 |
| City of Fremont | 11.97 | $102 | 856 | 14,077 |
| City of North Platte | 11.36 | $94 | 824 | 11,906 |
| City of Hastings | 11.32 | $90 | 798 | 11,611 |
| Cornhusker Public Power Dist | 10.84 | $156 | 1,436 | 7,385 |
| Northeast Power | 9.73 | $130 | 1,337 | 6,846 |
| Elkhorn Rural Public Pwr Dist | 9.41 | $135 | 1,429 | 6,146 |
| Cedar-Knox Public Power Dist | 8.44 | $117 | 1,384 | 5,556 |
| City of South Sioux City | 12.90 | $100 | 779 | 5,217 |
| Butler Public Power District | 11.10 | $127 | 1,146 | 4,774 |
| Custer Public Power District | 12.71 | $167 | 1,313 | 4,707 |
| Perennial Public Power Dist | 9.74 | $148 | 1,516 | 4,142 |
| City of Lexington | 10.01 | $120 | 1,201 | 3,815 |
| South Central Public Pwr Dist | 9.54 | $130 | 1,367 | 3,777 |
| Midwest Electric Member Corp | 12.04 | $144 | 1,196 | 2,389 |
| Southwest Public Power Dist | 10.16 | $133 | 1,309 | 2,186 |
| High West Energy, Inc | 14.68 | $128 | 871 | 1,752 |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2024.
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.
Nebraska sits in The Great Plains. An outstanding wind resource, cheap in-state gas, and the only state in the country with no investor-owned utility. Read the regional analysis.
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 the average monthly electric bill in Nebraska?
The average Nebraska household paid $121 a month across the twelve months to May 2026, using an average of 952 kWh. That is -22.0% against the U.S. average bill of $155, and it ranks 42nd 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 Nebraska bill ranking different from its rate ranking?
A bill is the rate multiplied by usage, and usage varies between states more than price does. Nebraska ranks #48 of 51 on price but 42nd on the actual bill, because households there use about 952 kWh a month against a national average of 871. Climate and heating fuel drive most of that difference.
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.