Wisconsin electricity rates
As of May 2026, the average residential electricity rate in Wisconsin is 19.74 cents per kilowatt-hour, 7% above the U.S. average of 18.44¢. That is the 17th highest rate of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
- Year over year
- ▲ +4.2% from 18.94¢ in May 2025
- Vs. U.S. average
- +7.0% U.S. average 18.44¢
- National rank
- #17 of 51 · #35 cheapest
- Supply market
- MISO Regulated monopoly
Why Wisconsin pays what it pays
Wisconsin's rates sit above Minnesota, Iowa and downstate Illinois for a straightforward reason: its utilities have spent heavily and recovered it. Over the past two decades they built new gas generation, added environmental controls to coal units they later retired, invested in transmission, and more recently bought large solar and battery projects. Wisconsin regulators have generally allowed full recovery with returns on equity at the higher end of the national range.
The state also has relatively little cheap in-state resource to fall back on. It has no significant hydro, its nuclear presence shrank when Kewaunee closed, and it imports a meaningful share of its energy across MISO.
Fuel-cost adjustment mechanisms mean fuel swings do show up in Wisconsin bills, but they are the smaller part of the story. The larger part is capital.
Where Wisconsin power comes from
Wisconsin generated 67 TWh in 2025, the 24th largest output of any state. Natural gas supplied 35.6% of it. Renewables accounted for 13.5%, against 23.8% nationally, which ranks Wisconsin #31 of 51.
- Natural gas 35.6% 24 TWh
- Coal 35% 23 TWh
- Nuclear 15.3% 10 TWh
- Solar 6% 4 TWh
- Hydroelectric 3.3% 2 TWh
- Wind 2.9% 2 TWh
- Wood and biomass 1.2% 825 GWh
- Other 0.6% 412 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 Wisconsin compares
Wisconsin ranks #17 of 51 jurisdictions by residential price, making it the 35th cheapest. Within the East North Central division, 2 of 4 neighbouring states are 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 Wisconsin households actually pay
Estimate your Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin: gas, heat pump or resistance
Residential natural gas in Wisconsin averaged $10.14 per thousand cubic feet in 2024, about $0.98 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 Wisconsin, gas remains cheaper to run than a heat pump by about $8.41 per million BTU at these assumptions, roughly $505 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 Wisconsin utility charges
The statewide average hides a wide spread. Across the 60 Wisconsin utilities reporting to the EIA, rates run from 10.07¢ at City of Marshfield to 20.34¢ at Madison Gas & Electric Co . Together they serve 2.7 million residential customers.
| Utility | ¢/kWh | Bill | kWh | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Electric Power Co | 19.23 | $120 | 625 | 1.0 million |
| Wisconsin Power & Light Co | 16.89 | $114 | 673 | 437,211 |
| Wisconsin Public Service Corp | 16.23 | $97 | 595 | 411,775 |
| Northern States Power Co | 15.83 | $109 | 691 | 220,574 |
| Madison Gas & Electric Co | 20.34 | $99 | 486 | 147,501 |
| Adams-Columbia Electric Coop | 17.63 | $108 | 615 | 35,910 |
| Polk-Burnett Electric Coop | 15.90 | $120 | 752 | 20,379 |
| Barron Electric Coop | 15.72 | $130 | 826 | 19,266 |
| Riverland Energy Cooperative | 16.30 | $164 | 1,005 | 18,970 |
| Oakdale Electric Coop | 15.87 | $113 | 711 | 17,027 |
| Sun Prairie Utilities | 12.13 | $71 | 588 | 16,647 |
| Manitowoc Public Utilities | 11.15 | $62 | 555 | 16,152 |
| City of Kaukauna | 12.53 | $89 | 711 | 14,543 |
| Scenic Rivers Energy Coop | 15.23 | $170 | 1,118 | 13,597 |
| Superior Water and Light Co | 15.44 | $84 | 546 | 13,072 |
| Northwestern Wisconsin Elec Co | 13.84 | $75 | 543 | 12,990 |
| Wisconsin Rapids W W & L Comm | 13.37 | $85 | 633 | 12,395 |
| City of Marshfield | 10.07 | $68 | 674 | 11,928 |
| Dahlberg Light & Power Co | 12.62 | $70 | 551 | 10,939 |
| Oconomowoc Utilities | 13.75 | $92 | 669 | 9,972 |
| Dunn County Electric Coop | 15.45 | $145 | 940 | 9,482 |
| City of Menasha | 12.42 | $74 | 592 | 8,607 |
| City of Stoughton | 12.60 | $80 | 633 | 8,391 |
| City of Sturgeon Bay | 12.47 | $71 | 573 | 7,786 |
| City of Plymouth | 11.80 | $82 | 698 | 7,358 |
Showing the 25 largest of 60. 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 Wisconsin
We Energies serves Milwaukee and the southeast, Wisconsin Public Service the northeast, Alliant Energy's Wisconsin Power and Light the south and west, and Xcel Energy's Northern States Power the far west. Municipal utilities and co-ops serve many smaller communities, often at noticeably lower rates.
Wisconsin has no residential retail choice. Utilities are vertically integrated and the Public Service Commission sets rates through periodic cases.
Wisconsin sits in The Midwest. A single wholesale market stretching from Manitoba to the Gulf, containing both the cheapest wind states and some of the highest delivery costs in the country. Read the regional analysis.
What you can actually do about it
Focus On Energy is the statewide efficiency programme, funded through a bill charge, and its rebates on heat pumps, insulation and water heating are among the more generous in the Midwest.
If you have a choice of where to live within a metro area, Wisconsin's municipal utilities frequently charge materially less than the neighbouring investor-owned utility for identical service. It is one of the few states where the boundary is worth checking.
Closest states by price
These jurisdictions charge within a fraction of a cent of Wisconsin, which is useful if you are comparing a move or a multi-state operating cost.
Wisconsin electricity rates: common questions
What is the average electricity rate in Wisconsin?
The average residential electricity rate in Wisconsin is 19.74 cents per kilowatt-hour as of May 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That is +7.0% relative to the national average of 18.44¢/kWh.
How much is the average monthly electric bill in Wisconsin?
The average Wisconsin household paid $123 a month across the twelve months to May 2026, using an average of 664 kWh. That is -20.8% against the U.S. average bill of $155, and it ranks 41st 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 Wisconsin bill ranking different from its rate ranking?
A bill is the rate multiplied by usage, and usage varies between states more than price does. Wisconsin ranks #17 of 51 on price but 41st on the actual bill, because households there use about 664 kWh a month against a national average of 871. Climate and heating fuel drive most of that difference.
Have electricity rates in Wisconsin gone up?
Wisconsin rates rose 4.2% over the year to May 2026, from 18.94¢ in May 2025 to 19.74¢.
Can I choose my electricity supplier in Wisconsin?
Regulated monopoly. Wisconsin households buy both supply and delivery from their local regulated utility or co-operative; there is no competitive residential supplier market.