Below are electricity rates for all 50 states. For states and cities with deregulated energy markets, we list not only historical rates, but today?s actual residential and commercial rates and plans offered by local electric providers. You can sign up with a rate online or call 800.974.3020. For regulated markets where we’re unable to offer electric rates and plans, we offer historical rates (2014-2015).
Current Residential Electricity Rates (2016)
On average, a home in the US uses 911 kWh of electricity per month. By taking this number and multiplying it by the cost per kWh of a given month, we can estimate the cost of residential electricity for any state. As an example, each home in Alabama was mailed an electric bill of $110.32 (12.11 cents x 911 kWh) on average for March 2016.
| STATE | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 11.08 | 11.50 | 12.11 | 12.42 | 12.10 | 12.16 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11.90 |
| Alaska | 19.44 | 19.84 | 20.06 | 20.72 | 20.91 | 21.30 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 20.38 |
| Arizona | 10.9 | 11.46 | 11.75 | 12.36 | 12.94 | 12.54 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11.99 |
| Arkansas | 8.93 | 9.13 | 9.62 | 10.04 | 10.19 | 10.31 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.70 |
| California | 17.76 | 17.69 | 17.66 | 12.4 | 17.74 | 18.11 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 16.89 |
| Colorado | 10.97 | 11.26 | 11.35 | 11.78 | 11.67 | 12.56 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11.60 |
| Connecticut | 19.86 | 20.68 | 20.84 | 21.15 | 21.63 | 20.96 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 20.85 |
| Delaware | 13.16 | 12.99 | 13.39 | 13.9 | 14.54 | 13.6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 13.60 |
| DC | 13.04 | 12.78 | 13.24 | 13.48 | 13.71 | 12.85 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 13.18 |
| Florida | 11.6 | 11.34 | 11.24 | 11.07 | 10.86 | 11.08 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11.20 |
| Georgia | 10.45 | 10.52 | 11.14 | 11.16 | 11.51 | 12.25 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11.17 |
| Hawaii | 26.92 | 26.77 | 27.35 | 26.93 | 26.87 | 27.5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 27.06 |
| Idaho | 9.55 | 9.66 | 9.8 | 9.87 | 10.14 | 10.12 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.86 |
| Illinois | 11.42 | 11.94 | 12.56 | 12.79 | 13.3 | 12.25 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12.38 |
| Indiana | 10.47 | 10.53 | 11.21 | 11.84 | 11.81 | 11.33 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11.20 |
| Iowa | 10.45 | 10.94 | 11.5 | 11.71 | 13.01 | 13.56 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11.86 |
| Kansas | 11.91 | 12.57 | 13.17 | 13.45 | 13.79 | 13.3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 13.03 |
| Kentucky | 9.8 | 9.71 | 10.05 | 10.36 | 10.51 | 10.33 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10.13 |
| Louisiana | 8.54 | 8.47 | 9.14 | 9.17 | 9.28 | 8.96 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.93 |
| Maine | 17.66 | 17.83 | 18.8 | 14.34 | 15.93 | 16.03 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 16.77 |
| Maryland | 14.03 | 13.98 | 14.36 | 14.37 | 14.7 | 14.61 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 14.34 |
| Massachusetts | 19.34 | 19.78 | 19.84 | 20.64 | 19.06 | 18.51 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 19.53 |
| Michigan | 14.52 | 14.88 | 14.83 | 14.95 | 15.33 | 15.38 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 14.98 |
| Minnesota | 11.99 | 12.14 | 12.23 | 12.62 | 13.05 | 12.8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12.47 |
| Mississippi | 10.49 | 10.32 | 10.91 | 11.01 | 10.88 | 10.64 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10.71 |
| Missouri | 9.14 | 9.23 | 10.06 | 10.36 | 11.93 | 12.59 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10.55 |
| Montana | 10.2 | 10.52 | 10.92 | 11.03 | 11.42 | 11.58 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10.95 |
| Nebraska | 9.43 | 9.83 | 10.31 | 10.65 | 11.05 | 11.9 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10.53 |
| Nevada | 11.42 | 12.2 | 12.28 | 11.89 | 12.09 | 11.4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11.88 |
| New Hampshire | 18 | 18.37 | 18.46 | 18.67 | 18.54 | 18.13 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 18.36 |
| New Jersey | 15.45 | 15.48 | 15.58 | 15.52 | 15.4 | 16.05 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15.58 |
| New Mexico | 11.45 | 11.26 | 11.44 | 11.34 | 11.35 | 12.22 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11.51 |
| New York | 16.54 | 16.76 | 16.89 | 17.39 | 17.73 | 17.89 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 17.20 |
| North Carolina | 10.44 | 10.77 | 11.66 | 11.72 | 11.41 | 11.13 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11.19 |
| North Dakota | 8.57 | 9.41 | 9.82 | 10.52 | 11.07 | 11.39 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10.13 |
| Ohio | 12.05 | 12.03 | 12.47 | 12.76 | 13.02 | 12.47 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12.47 |
| Oklahoma | 8.33 | 9.63 | 10.24 | 10.93 | 10.73 | 9.99 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.98 |
| Oregon | 10.2 | 10.37 | 10.42 | 10.5 | 10.8 | 10.78 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10.51 |
| Pennsylvania | 13.87 | 14.02 | 14.06 | 14.27 | 14.42 | 14.03 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 14.11 |
| Rhode Island | 18.41 | 18.78 | 19.07 | 19.43 | 18.02 | 18.69 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 18.73 |
| South Carolina | 11.72 | 11.9 | 12.86 | 12.77 | 12.54 | 12.68 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12.41 |
| South Dakota | 10.12 | 10.34 | 10.98 | 11.39 | 12.12 | 11.97 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11.15 |
| Tennessee | 9.9 | 9.61 | 10.01 | 10.22 | 10.25 | 10.37 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10.06 |
| Texas | 10.95 | 11.06 | 11.25 | 11.28 | 11.11 | 11.1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11.13 |
| Utah | 10.54 | 10.61 | 10.67 | 10.71 | 11.01 | 11.51 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10.84 |
| Vermont | 16.62 | 16.89 | 17.11 | 17.52 | 17.79 | 17.57 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 17.25 |
| Virginia | 10.66 | 10.89 | 11.18 | 12 | 12.03 | 12.24 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11.50 |
| Washington | 9.07 | 9.21 | 9.22 | 9.33 | 9.54 | 9.58 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.33 |
| West Virginia | 10.68 | 10.68 | 11 | 11.29 | 11.41 | 11.16 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11.04 |
| Wisconsin | 13.77 | 14.09 | 14.23 | 14.45 | 14.98 | 14.95 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 14.41 |
| Wyoming | 10.44 | 10.59 | 10.85 | 10.99 | 11.53 | 11.81 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11.04 |
The following statistics exclude Hawaii and Alaska:
Lowest residential electric rate on average (2016): Louisiana at 8.93 per kWh
Highest residential electric rate on average (2016): Connecticut at 20.85 per kWh
Month with the lowest electric rate: January – Oklahoma, 8.33 per kWh
Month with the highest electric rate: March – Connecticut, 21.63 per kWh
Current Commercial Electricity Rates (2016)
The average US business consumes over six times more electricity than homes — roughly 6,000 kWh a month — making the average electric bill for businesses around $600. Using Alabama as an example again, on average a company in AL paid 10.9/kWh for electricity in March — making the average commercial electric bill about $654.
Of course, this figure varies wildly though from industry to industry and business to business, much more so than with homes, due to the larger variations of scale, size, and needs of commercial buildings and operations.
| STATE | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 10.9 | 10.95 | 10.91 | 11.04 | 11.02 | 11.16 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11.00 |
| Alaska | 17.6 | 17.64 | 17.66 | 18.35 | 18.39 | 18.63 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 18.05 |
| Arizona | 9.59 | 9.87 | 9.75 | 10.08 | 11.07 | 11.2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10.26 |
| Arkansas | 7.85 | 7.97 | 7.96 | 7.99 | 8.2 | 8.47 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.07 |
| California | 13.73 | 13.81 | 13.83 | 13.76 | 14.58 | 16.06 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 14.30 |
| Colorado | 8.44 | 8.77 | 8.99 | 9.48 | 9.55 | 10.25 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.25 |
| Connecticut | 15.34 | 16.14 | 16.11 | 15.72 | 15.86 | 16.01 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15.86 |
| Delaware | 10.08 | 10.66 | 10.51 | 10.15 | 10.63 | 9.99 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10.34 |
| DC | 11.64 | 12.43 | 11.58 | 11.88 | 11.66 | 11.58 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11.80 |
| Florida | 9.58 | 9.64 | 9.2 | 9 | 8.91 | 8.92 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.21 |
| Georgia | 9.65 | 9.47 | 9.32 | 9.49 | 9.64 | 9.93 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.58 |
| Hawaii | 24.74 | 23.68 | 23.99 | 23.31 | 23.59 | 24.69 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 24.00 |
| Idaho | 7.44 | 7.59 | 7.66 | 7.69 | 7.75 | 8.3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7.74 |
| Illinois | 8.38 | 8.48 | 8.65 | 8.67 | 9.02 | 5.72 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.15 |
| Indiana | 9.23 | 9.41 | 9.59 | 9.75 | 9.57 | 9.56 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.52 |
| Iowa | 8.21 | 8.56 | 8.45 | 8.67 | 9.44 | 10.68 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.00 |
| Kansas | 9.93 | 10.25 | 10.37 | 10.28 | 10.44 | 10.58 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10.31 |
| Kentucky | 9.09 | 9.31 | 9.39 | 9.45 | 9.4 | 9.47 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.35 |
| Louisiana | 8.38 | 8.42 | 8.9 | 8.6 | 8.43 | 8.11 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.47 |
| Maine | 12.2 | 12.32 | 12.26 | 11.39 | 12.26 | 11.64 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12.01 |
| Maryland | 10.94 | 10.96 | 10.96 | 11.01 | 11.16 | 11.05 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11.01 |
| Massachusetts | 15.4 | 15.99 | 15.56 | 15.56 | 14.85 | 15.33 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15.45 |
| Michigan | 10.22 | 10.59 | 10.39 | 10.42 | 10.71 | 10.66 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10.50 |
| Minnesota | 9.5 | 9.51 | 9.46 | 9.78 | 9.95 | 9.87 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.68 |
| Mississippi | 10.05 | 9.82 | 9.79 | 9.38 | 9.31 | 9.52 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.65 |
| Missouri | 7.83 | 8.13 | 8.13 | 8.22 | 9.35 | 10.66 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.72 |
| Montana | 9.51 | 9.87 | 10.24 | 10.27 | 10.44 | 10.5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10.14 |
| Nebraska | 8.48 | 8.56 | 8.63 | 8.66 | 8.79 | 9.56 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.78 |
| Nevada | 8.15 | 8.67 | 8.3 | 8.04 | 8.05 | 7.92 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.19 |
| New Hampshire | 14.58 | 14.78 | 14.57 | 14.49 | 14.43 | 14.03 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 14.48 |
| New Jersey | 11.87 | 11.84 | 12.07 | 12.02 | 12.42 | 13.4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12.27 |
| New Mexico | 9.54 | 9.37 | 9.36 | 8.99 | 9.25 | 10.12 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.44 |
| New York | 13.13 | 13.35 | 13.58 | 13.79 | 13.59 | 15.12 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 13.76 |
| North Carolina | 8.58 | 8.7 | 8.52 | 8.49 | 8.56 | 8.63 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.58 |
| North Dakota | 8.44 | 8.96 | 8.92 | 9.31 | 9.13 | 9.3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.01 |
| Ohio | 9.59 | 9.84 | 9.84 | 9.93 | 10.01 | 9.83 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.84 |
| Oklahoma | 6.84 | 6.96 | 6.72 | 6.85 | 7.21 | 7.8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7.06 |
| Oregon | 8.67 | 8.88 | 8.87 | 8.87 | 8.92 | 8.79 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.83 |
| Pennsylvania | 9.43 | 9.58 | 9.45 | 9.52 | 9.34 | 9.12 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.41 |
| Rhode Island | 15.76 | 16.08 | 15.56 | 15.13 | 14.37 | 14.47 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15.23 |
| South Carolina | 9.89 | 10.09 | 9.9 | 9.78 | 9.85 | 10.58 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10.02 |
| South Dakota | 8.75 | 8.9 | 9.22 | 9.33 | 9.55 | 9.7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.24 |
| Tennessee | 9.78 | 9.77 | 9.92 | 9.64 | 9.56 | 10.1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.80 |
| Texas | 7.6 | 7.62 | 7.55 | 7.37 | 7.73 | 7.8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7.61 |
| Utah | 8.19 | 8.29 | 8.25 | 8.49 | 9.32 | 9.78 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.72 |
| Vermont | 14.21 | 14.3 | 14.39 | 14.49 | 14.82 | 14.58 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 14.47 |
| Virginia | 8.19 | 8.15 | 8.09 | 8.16 | 8.19 | 8.29 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.18 |
| Washington | 8.29 | 8.53 | 8.48 | 8.3 | 8.22 | 8.34 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.36 |
| West Virginia | 9.06 | 9.47 | 9.55 | 9.49 | 9.35 | 9.2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.35 |
| Wisconsin | 10.71 | 10.81 | 10.81 | 10.86 | 11.08 | 11.48 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10.96 |
| Wyoming | 9.12 | 9.14 | 9.39 | 9.42 | 9.77 | 9.76 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9.43 |
So far in 2016, Oklahoma has the cheapest business electricity, averaging around 6.8 cents per kWh. Outside of Alaska and Hawaii, many states in the Northeast US are vying for the title of most expensive commercial electric — states like Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York are well over 10 cents per kWh.
While it’s too early to see any trends in electricity pricing for 2016, we can refer back to rates from 2015 for where we might be heading from here.
Deregulated Electricity Markets
There are roughly 17 states with some kind of deregulated electricity market. The size and impact of deregulation within a state varies wildly. For example, around 85% of Texas homes and businesses are within a deregulated market, meaning they can shop, compare, and switch to an electric rate and plan offered by an REP. On the other hand, states like West Virginia have a very limited electric choice program — very few homes and businesses benefit from it.
Here’s a map showing states with deregulated markets (both electric and gas):
FAQ
What’s electricity deregulation?
The way deregulation works is simple — homes and businesses are given the option to shop around and compare electric rates and plans offered by local companies. These companies are called Retail Electricity/Energy Providers (or REPs). In states or areas without deregulation, you simply call your local utility company to sign up for electricity — you have no choice.
With deregulation, or electric choice, REPs are able to compete for your business, sometimes offering incentives, lower rates, and services that your local utility can’t or won’t offer you. In regulated markets, there’s no need for a utility to offer you anything as you have no choice but to call them to setup your electric service.
I entered my zip code above and see a list of rates and plans. What are these?
These are actual rates and plans offered by companies (REPs) in your area. If you find a lower electric rate than what you’re currently paying, you should learn more about that rate and plan and consider switching to that company. You can sign up with them on our site in under 5 minutes.
Why can’t I see a list of rates and plans when I enter my zip?
While we’d absolutely LOVE to show (and allow you to shop!) electricity rates and plans in your area, we’re only able to do business in deregulated areas. Many states still have a “regulated” energy market, meaning you’re not able to shop around for your electric or gas provider. As of this writing, roughly 2/3 of states are still regulated.
Okay, I live in a regulated area. What else can I do to save $$$?
There are a variety of ways you can cut back on your energy consumption, which is the primary way to lower your energy costs. We’ve shared tips in this past on ways to accomplish this — Energy.gov has a great guide, as well.
When will my state become deregulated?
Unfortunately, there’s no way to know when (and if) your state and city will ever become deregulated. Each state that’s currently deregulated became deregulated on its own timetable — Pennsylvania deregulated in 1997, Texas in 2002, etc. Even if your state (say South Carolina, for example) does deregulate in the near future, some parts of the state may still remain regulated (as is the case with 15% of Texas).
Ultimately, and unfortunately, if you’re not currently living in a deregulated area of the country, it may be months or even years before you’re able to shop for electricity rates.
Last updated September 20, 2016.
