Electricity Rates by State 2026 — All 50 States Ranked
US residential electricity rates ranked highest to lowest, period 2026-03. Source: US Energy Information Administration (EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A). Updated 2026-05-21.
Highest: Hawaii 42.23¢/kWh · Lowest: North Dakota 11.95¢/kWh · US Average: 18.56¢/kWh
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JouleIO. US residential electricity rates by state, EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, 2026-03. Updated 2026-05-21. https://jouleio.com/electricity-rates-by-state-2026-eia-residential-cents-per-kwh-ranked-highest-lowest-cheapest/
Top 10 most expensive states for electricity (2026-03)
| Rank | State | ¢/kWh | vs US avg | Bill / 900 kWh mo | Annual / 10,800 kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii (HI) | 42.23 | +128% | $380.07 | $4,561 |
| 2 | California (CA) | 33.35 | +80% | $300.15 | $3,602 |
| 3 | Connecticut (CT) | 30.47 | +64% | $274.23 | $3,291 |
| 4 | Massachusetts (MA) | 30.21 | +63% | $271.89 | $3,263 |
| 5 | Rhode Island (RI) | 29.91 | +61% | $269.19 | $3,230 |
| 6 | New York (NY) | 28.55 | +54% | $256.95 | $3,083 |
| 7 | Maine (ME) | 28.32 | +53% | $254.88 | $3,059 |
| 8 | Alaska (AK) | 27.17 | +46% | $244.53 | $2,934 |
| 9 | New Hampshire (NH) | 26.92 | +45% | $242.28 | $2,907 |
| 10 | District of Columbia (DC) | 25 | +35% | $225.00 | $2,700 |
Top 10 cheapest states for electricity (2026-03)
| Rank | State | ¢/kWh | vs US avg | Bill / 900 kWh mo | Annual / 10,800 kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota (ND) | 11.95 | -36% | $107.55 | $1,291 |
| 2 | Idaho (ID) | 13.01 | -30% | $117.09 | $1,405 |
| 3 | Nebraska (NE) | 13.1 | -29% | $117.90 | $1,415 |
| 4 | Utah (UT) | 13.17 | -29% | $118.53 | $1,422 |
| 5 | Iowa (IA) | 13.42 | -28% | $120.78 | $1,449 |
| 6 | Missouri (MO) | 13.44 | -28% | $120.96 | $1,452 |
| 7 | Montana (MT) | 13.48 | -27% | $121.32 | $1,456 |
| 8 | Oklahoma (OK) | 13.56 | -27% | $122.04 | $1,464 |
| 9 | Wyoming (WY) | 13.59 | -27% | $122.31 | $1,468 |
| 10 | Arkansas (AR) | 13.63 | -27% | $122.67 | $1,472 |
Full 50-state ranking (2026-03)
| # | State | Code | ¢/kWh | % vs US avg | Monthly bill (900 kWh) | Annual bill (10,800 kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | HI | 42.23 | +128% | $380.07 | $4,561 |
| 2 | California | CA | 33.35 | +80% | $300.15 | $3,602 |
| 3 | Connecticut | CT | 30.47 | +64% | $274.23 | $3,291 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | MA | 30.21 | +63% | $271.89 | $3,263 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | RI | 29.91 | +61% | $269.19 | $3,230 |
| 6 | New York | NY | 28.55 | +54% | $256.95 | $3,083 |
| 7 | Maine | ME | 28.32 | +53% | $254.88 | $3,059 |
| 8 | Alaska | AK | 27.17 | +46% | $244.53 | $2,934 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | NH | 26.92 | +45% | $242.28 | $2,907 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | DC | 25 | +35% | $225.00 | $2,700 |
| 11 | Vermont | VT | 24.11 | +30% | $216.99 | $2,604 |
| 12 | New Jersey | NJ | 23.49 | +27% | $211.41 | $2,537 |
| 13 | Maryland | MD | 22.2 | +20% | $199.80 | $2,398 |
| 14 | Michigan | MI | 21.2 | +14% | $190.80 | $2,290 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | PA | 20.92 | +13% | $188.28 | $2,259 |
| 16 | Illinois | IL | 18.86 | +2% | $169.74 | $2,037 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | WI | 18.8 | +1% | $169.20 | $2,030 |
| 18 | Ohio | OH | 18.78 | +1% | $169.02 | $2,028 |
| 19 | Indiana | IN | 17.85 | -4% | $160.65 | $1,928 |
| 20 | Delaware | DE | 17.64 | -5% | $158.76 | $1,905 |
| 21 | Alabama | AL | 17.15 | -8% | $154.35 | $1,852 |
| 22 | Virginia | VA | 17.05 | -8% | $153.45 | $1,841 |
| 23 | Colorado | CO | 16.74 | -10% | $150.66 | $1,808 |
| 24 | South Carolina | SC | 16.45 | -11% | $148.05 | $1,777 |
| 25 | Texas | TX | 16.39 | -12% | $147.51 | $1,770 |
| 26 | West Virginia | WV | 16.37 | -12% | $147.33 | $1,768 |
| 27 | Mississippi | MS | 16.3 | -12% | $146.70 | $1,760 |
| 28 | North Carolina | NC | 16 | -14% | $144.00 | $1,728 |
| 29 | Arizona | AZ | 15.59 | -16% | $140.31 | $1,684 |
| 30 | Kansas | KS | 15.34 | -17% | $138.06 | $1,657 |
| 31 | Minnesota | MN | 15.08 | -19% | $135.72 | $1,629 |
| 32 | Tennessee | TN | 15.08 | -19% | $135.72 | $1,629 |
| 33 | Georgia | GA | 15.01 | -19% | $135.09 | $1,621 |
| 34 | Oregon | OR | 14.89 | -20% | $134.01 | $1,608 |
| 35 | Kentucky | KY | 14.88 | -20% | $133.92 | $1,607 |
| 36 | Florida | FL | 14.86 | -20% | $133.74 | $1,605 |
| 37 | New Mexico | NM | 14.81 | -20% | $133.29 | $1,599 |
| 38 | Washington | WA | 14.4 | -22% | $129.60 | $1,555 |
| 39 | South Dakota | SD | 14.29 | -23% | $128.61 | $1,543 |
| 40 | Nevada | NV | 14.17 | -24% | $127.53 | $1,530 |
| 41 | Louisiana | LA | 14.16 | -24% | $127.44 | $1,529 |
| 42 | Arkansas | AR | 13.63 | -27% | $122.67 | $1,472 |
| 43 | Wyoming | WY | 13.59 | -27% | $122.31 | $1,468 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | OK | 13.56 | -27% | $122.04 | $1,464 |
| 45 | Montana | MT | 13.48 | -27% | $121.32 | $1,456 |
| 46 | Missouri | MO | 13.44 | -28% | $120.96 | $1,452 |
| 47 | Iowa | IA | 13.42 | -28% | $120.78 | $1,449 |
| 48 | Utah | UT | 13.17 | -29% | $118.53 | $1,422 |
| 49 | Nebraska | NE | 13.1 | -29% | $117.90 | $1,415 |
| 50 | Idaho | ID | 13.01 | -30% | $117.09 | $1,405 |
| 51 | North Dakota | ND | 11.95 | -36% | $107.55 | $1,291 |
What drives state-to-state rate differences
Generation mix: States with abundant hydroelectric (WA, OR, ID), coal (WY, ND, KY), or natural gas (LA, TX) generation enjoy lower wholesale costs that flow through to retail. Renewable-heavy states experience price increases during transition periods due to grid modernization investments.
Geographic isolation: Hawaii imports nearly all fuel via tanker, driving the highest US rates. Alaska, Puerto Rico, and remote regions show similar premia. New England has limited natural gas pipeline capacity creating winter price spikes.
Regulatory framework: Deregulated retail markets (TX, OH, PA, IL) let consumers shop suppliers but show wider rate variance. Vertically-integrated regulated states have more predictable but sometimes higher rates due to capital recovery on infrastructure.
Wildfire and grid hardening costs: California, Oregon, and Washington investor-owned utilities have added billions in wildfire mitigation costs to rate base, passed through to residential customers. PG&E, SCE, SDG&E have implemented multiple rate increases for vegetation management and equipment undergrounding.
Net metering and policy: States with restrictive net metering (CA NEM 3.0, NV after 2017 reform) have higher residential rates as utility revenue requirements shift. States with strong net metering retain rooftop solar economics that buffer some customers.
Related Jouleio tools and datasets:
- Electricity Cost Calculator (per-kWh × usage)
- Electric Bill Estimator (forecast by appliance)
- Net Metering Policy by State 2026
- Appliance Energy Cost Calculator
Related calculators across our portfolio:
- Hammerio: Insulation Cost Calculator — pair high-rate states with insulation upgrades for fastest payback
- Amortio: Home Affordability Calculator — factor utility costs into your housing budget
- Salario: US Salary by City — compare income vs utility cost when relocating
Source: US Energy Information Administration (EIA), Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, based on EIA-861M monthly sales and revenue data. Period: 2026-03. Data retrieved 2026-05-21. Rates are weighted state-level averages across investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, and rural cooperatives serving residential customers. This page auto-updates from the EIA dataset; check back for revisions.