Pennsylvania electricity rates
As of May 2026, the average residential electricity rate in Pennsylvania is 21.55 cents per kilowatt-hour, 16.9% above the U.S. average of 18.44¢. That is the 16th highest rate of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
- Year over year
- ▲ +11.7% from 19.29¢ in May 2025
- Vs. U.S. average
- +16.9% U.S. average 18.44¢
- National rank
- #16 of 51 · #36 cheapest
- Supply market
- PJM Retail choice statewide
Why Pennsylvania pays what it pays
Pennsylvania is a large net exporter of electricity. It has the second-largest nuclear fleet in the country, enormous Marcellus gas production feeding efficient combined-cycle plants, and a legacy coal fleet that has been shrinking. On fundamentals it should be a cheap state, and relative to its Northeast neighbours it is.
What is moving the rate is the same PJM capacity cost that hit New Jersey, Maryland and Ohio. Pennsylvania's utilities procure default supply through periodic auctions, and those auctions have repriced upward as capacity costs rose. The state's own generation abundance does not shield ratepayers, because generators sell into the regional market at the regional price rather than to local customers at cost.
Delivery costs have also risen as utilities recover distribution system improvement charges, a Pennsylvania mechanism that lets them recover infrastructure spending between full rate cases.
Where Pennsylvania power comes from
Pennsylvania generated 247 TWh in 2025, the 3th largest output of any state. Natural gas supplied 58.3% of it, enough that the price of that fuel largely sets the price of electricity here. Renewables accounted for 3.4%, against 23.8% nationally, which ranks Pennsylvania #49 of 51.
- Natural gas 58.3% 144 TWh
- Nuclear 30.4% 75 TWh
- Coal 7.1% 18 TWh
- Wind 1.5% 4 TWh
- Hydroelectric 1.1% 3 TWh
- Solar 0.8% 2 TWh
- Other 0.7% 2 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 Pennsylvania compares
Pennsylvania ranks #16 of 51 jurisdictions by residential price, making it the 36th cheapest. Within the Middle Atlantic division, no state is cheaper.
| State | ¢/kWh | YoY | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 21.55 | +11.7% | #16 |
| New Jersey | 23.27 | +13.6% | #13 |
| New York | 29.93 | +12.1% | #3 |
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 Pennsylvania households actually pay
Pennsylvania looks cheaper on paper than it is in practice. It has the 36th cheapest rate in the country but only the 7th highest bill from the bottom, because households there use 845 kWh a month against a national average of 871. See how every state compares on bills.
Estimate your Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania: gas, heat pump or resistance
Residential natural gas in Pennsylvania averaged $13.62 per thousand cubic feet in 2024, about $1.31 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 Pennsylvania, gas remains cheaper to run than a heat pump by about $6.46 per million BTU at these assumptions, roughly $388 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 Pennsylvania utility charges
The statewide average hides a wide spread. Across the 21 Pennsylvania utilities reporting to the EIA, rates run from 11.95¢ at Borough of Chambersburg to 21.74¢ at Duquesne Light Co . Together they serve 4.2 million residential customers.
| Utility | ¢/kWh | Bill | kWh | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co | 17.37 | $149 | 857 | 1.5 million |
| PECO Energy Co | 16.16 | $121 | 750 | 1.2 million |
| PPL Electric Utilities Corp | 16.99 | $144 | 849 | 797,773 |
| Duquesne Light Co | 21.74 | $132 | 605 | 434,171 |
| UGI Utilities, Inc | 18.93 | $158 | 834 | 54,485 |
| Adams Electric Cooperative Inc | 14.42 | $166 | 1,152 | 32,231 |
| Central Electric Coop, Inc | 17.03 | $130 | 762 | 23,629 |
| REA Energy Coop Inc | 14.53 | $135 | 930 | 20,932 |
| Tri-County Rural Elec Coop Inc (PA) | 20.08 | $114 | 568 | 18,206 |
| Northwestern Rural E C A, Inc | 15.58 | $139 | 892 | 18,190 |
| Valley Rural Electric Coop Inc | 14.87 | $140 | 940 | 18,180 |
| Claverack Rural Elec Coop Inc | 18.25 | $152 | 830 | 16,742 |
| Somerset Rural Elec Coop, Inc | 13.96 | $118 | 847 | 12,322 |
| Sunnova | 17.37 | $152 | 873 | 10,759 |
| Borough of Chambersburg | 11.95 | $98 | 820 | 9,914 |
| Bedford Rural Elec Coop, Inc | 14.55 | $136 | 937 | 8,837 |
| Tesla Inc. | 14.90 | $90 | 607 | 6,956 |
| Citizens Electric Co | 13.63 | $156 | 1,141 | 5,958 |
| Wellsborough Electric Co | 16.45 | $112 | 678 | 5,158 |
| Sunrun Inc. | 16.12 | $116 | 722 | 5,072 |
| Pike County Light & Power Co | 19.95 | $131 | 659 | 3,646 |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2024.
Who sells electricity in Pennsylvania
PECO serves Philadelphia, PPL the Lehigh Valley and central Pennsylvania, and Duquesne Light the Pittsburgh area. Four FirstEnergy companies, Met-Ed, Penelec, Penn Power and West Penn Power, cover much of the rest.
Pennsylvania's retail choice market is one of the better-functioning ones in the country. The state runs PAPowerSwitch, a government comparison site listing every licensed supplier's offer against the utility's price to compare, with contract terms and cancellation fees disclosed in a standard format.
Pennsylvania 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
Use the price to compare as your benchmark, and check it each time the default rate resets. Most Pennsylvania utilities reset in June and December.
Fixed-rate contracts of twelve months or longer from established suppliers have generally beaten the default rate in Pennsylvania over the past several years, which is not true in most retail-choice states. The state's disclosure rules are the reason the comparison is possible at all.
Closest states by price
These jurisdictions charge within a fraction of a cent of Pennsylvania, which is useful if you are comparing a move or a multi-state operating cost.
Pennsylvania electricity rates: common questions
What is the average electricity rate in Pennsylvania?
The average residential electricity rate in Pennsylvania is 21.55 cents per kilowatt-hour as of May 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That is +16.9% relative to the national average of 18.44¢/kWh.
How much is the average monthly electric bill in Pennsylvania?
The average Pennsylvania household paid $172 a month across the twelve months to May 2026, using an average of 845 kWh. That is +10.5% against the U.S. average bill of $155, and it ranks 7th 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 Pennsylvania bill ranking different from its rate ranking?
A bill is the rate multiplied by usage, and usage varies between states more than price does. Pennsylvania ranks #16 of 51 on price but 7th on the actual bill, because households there use about 845 kWh a month against a national average of 871. Climate and heating fuel drive most of that difference.
Have electricity rates in Pennsylvania gone up?
Pennsylvania rates rose 11.7% over the year to May 2026, from 19.29¢ in May 2025 to 21.55¢.
Can I choose my electricity supplier in Pennsylvania?
Retail choice statewide. Residential customers in Pennsylvania can buy supply from a competitive provider while the local utility continues to deliver it and maintain the wires.