As of May 2026, US residential electricity averages 18.44¢ per kilowatt-hour. Hawaii is the most expensive state at 52.00¢ per kWh; Idaho is the cheapest at 12.35¢ — a spread of 39.65¢, or about $4,163 a year for a typical household. Figures are official EIA monthly averages covering all 50 states and DC.
| # | State | ¢ / kWh | vs US avg | Change vs prior month | Est. annual bill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | 52.00 | +33.56 | +5.38 | $5,460 |
| 2 | California | 33.25 | +14.81 | -2.00 | $3,491 |
| 3 | New York | 29.93 | +11.49 | +0.48 | $3,143 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | 29.46 | +11.02 | +1.16 | $3,093 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 28.82 | +10.38 | -0.63 | $3,026 |
| 6 | Maine | 28.63 | +10.19 | +0.21 | $3,006 |
| 7 | Alaska | 28.23 | +9.79 | +0.88 | $2,964 |
| 8 | Connecticut | 27.37 | +8.93 | -4.87 | $2,874 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 27.33 | +8.89 | +0.09 | $2,870 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | 25.40 | +6.96 | -0.01 | $2,667 |
| 11 | Vermont | 24.89 | +6.45 | +0.33 | $2,613 |
| 12 | Illinois | 23.85 | +5.41 | +3.38 | $2,504 |
| 13 | New Jersey | 23.27 | +4.83 | -0.26 | $2,443 |
| 14 | Michigan | 22.01 | +3.57 | +0.62 | $2,311 |
| 15 | Maryland | 21.77 | +3.33 | -0.30 | $2,286 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | 21.55 | +3.11 | +0.08 | $2,263 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 19.74 | +1.30 | +0.53 | $2,073 |
| 18 | Ohio | 19.52 | +1.08 | +0.03 | $2,050 |
| 19 | Delaware | 19.38 | +0.94 | +0.59 | $2,035 |
| 20 | Indiana | 18.15 | -0.29 | +0.25 | $1,906 |
| 21 | Virginia | 17.61 | -0.83 | +0.23 | $1,849 |
| 22 | Minnesota | 16.95 | -1.49 | +0.56 | $1,780 |
| 23 | West Virginia | 16.80 | -1.64 | +0.74 | $1,764 |
| 24 | Alabama | 16.77 | -1.67 | -0.64 | $1,761 |
| 25 | Texas | 16.44 | -2.00 | -0.55 | $1,726 |
| 26 | Oregon | 16.27 | -2.17 | +0.49 | $1,708 |
| 27 | South Carolina | 16.18 | -2.26 | -0.88 | $1,699 |
| 28 | Colorado | 16.16 | -2.28 | -0.38 | $1,697 |
| 29 | Mississippi | 16.16 | -2.28 | -0.60 | $1,697 |
| 30 | Georgia | 15.84 | -2.60 | +0.47 | $1,663 |
| 31 | South Dakota | 15.73 | -2.71 | +1.21 | $1,652 |
| 32 | Arizona | 15.23 | -3.21 | -0.25 | $1,599 |
| 33 | Florida | 15.17 | -3.27 | -0.21 | $1,593 |
| 34 | Kansas | 15.13 | -3.31 | -0.65 | $1,589 |
| 35 | North Carolina | 15.09 | -3.35 | -1.16 | $1,584 |
| 36 | Kentucky | 14.98 | -3.46 | -0.04 | $1,573 |
| 37 | Washington | 14.95 | -3.49 | +0.59 | $1,570 |
| 38 | Wyoming | 14.80 | -3.64 | +0.12 | $1,554 |
| 39 | Montana | 14.67 | -3.77 | +0.77 | $1,540 |
| 40 | Tennessee | 14.47 | -3.97 | -0.47 | $1,519 |
| 41 | Arkansas | 14.36 | -4.08 | +0.20 | $1,508 |
| 42 | Louisiana | 14.15 | -4.29 | -0.29 | $1,486 |
| 43 | Iowa | 14.14 | -4.30 | +0.28 | $1,485 |
| 44 | New Mexico | 14.12 | -4.32 | -1.03 | $1,483 |
| 45 | Missouri | 13.68 | -4.76 | -0.33 | $1,436 |
| 46 | North Dakota | 13.61 | -4.83 | +1.26 | $1,429 |
| 47 | Nevada | 13.60 | -4.84 | -0.69 | $1,428 |
| 48 | Nebraska | 13.59 | -4.85 | +0.31 | $1,427 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | 13.38 | -5.06 | +0.07 | $1,405 |
| 50 | Utah | 12.96 | -5.48 | -0.33 | $1,361 |
| 51 | Idaho | 12.35 | -6.09 | -0.35 | $1,297 |
Average residential retail price of electricity, from the EIA Electric Power Monthly. Estimated annual bill assumes 10,500 kWh a year (the EIA's typical US household) and excludes fixed service charges and taxes — your utility's rate schedule will differ. EIA publishes this series with roughly a two-month lag.
Hawaii has the highest average residential electricity price at 52.00¢ per kWh (May 2026), against a US average of 18.44¢. Idaho is the cheapest at 12.35¢ per kWh — roughly 4.2 times less than Hawaii.
Hawaii burns imported oil for most of its power, so its rates track world crude prices rather than domestic coal or gas. The Northeast is constrained differently: limited pipeline capacity into New England means winter natural-gas prices spike, and dense urban distribution networks are expensive to maintain. Cheap states tend to have abundant local hydro, coal, or gas generation.
The average US home uses about 10,500 kWh a year. At the current US average of 18.44¢ per kWh, that works out to roughly $1,936 a year, or about $161 a month — before fixed service charges and taxes.
Monthly, in the Electric Power Monthly report, with about a two-month reporting lag — so the newest figures here describe May 2026. Unlike weekly gasoline prices, which cover only selected states, this electricity series covers all 50 states plus the District of Columbia.