Average Electric Bill by State (EIA Data)

By Sam Whitaker · Updated 2026-09-28

How we research, cite and correct our guides

The average U.S. residential electricity customer paid $142.26 a month in 2024 for 863 kWh, an average price of 16.48 cents per kWh, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Hawaii had the highest average bill at $212.12 and New Mexico the lowest at $92.88. The table covers all 50 states and the District of Columbia using EIA Table 5A, 2024 Average Monthly Bill, Residential, the latest year EIA has published.

Data period: calendar year 2024, final annual data from Forms EIA-861, EIA-861S and EIA-861U. Monthly use equals annual residential kWh sold ÷ residential customers ÷ 12; the monthly bill equals annual residential revenue ÷ customers ÷ 12; the price equals revenue ÷ kWh.

Highest and lowest average bills in 2024

Five highest average bills

Five lowest average bills

The top five reach high bills by different routes. Hawaii, Connecticut and Massachusetts pair prices far above the U.S. average of 16.48 cents with below-average use. Alabama gets there on use: 1,143 kWh a month at a below-average price. Maryland has both above-average use and an above-average price. All five of the lowest-bill states combine below-average prices with use at or below the U.S. average of 863 kWh.

Why bills differ: usage versus price

A monthly bill is roughly kWh used × price per kWh, and either factor can dominate.

• Louisiana and New York had nearly the same average bill in 2024: $140.96 and $139.53. Louisiana customers, the highest users of any state, averaged 1,202 kWh a month, more than twice New York’s 571 kWh. New York’s price was more than twice Louisiana’s: 24.43 cents versus 11.73 cents.
• Hawaii had the lowest use in the country, 495 kWh, and still the highest bill, because its 42.86-cent price was 2.6 times the U.S. average (42.86 ÷ 16.48 = 2.60).
• Alabama’s price, 15.18 cents, was 1.30 cents below the U.S. average, but 1,143 kWh of monthly use gave it the third-highest bill.
• California had the second-highest price (31.97 cents) and the second-lowest use (503 kWh). Its $160.86 bill was $18.60 above the U.S. average, a much smaller gap than its price alone would suggest.

Usage depends mainly on climate, home size and whether the home heats with electricity or another fuel. The 12 highest-use states are all in the South or Southwest, each above 1,040 kWh a month: Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Georgia, South Carolina, Arkansas and Kentucky. The eight lowest-use states, all under 580 kWh, are Hawaii, California, Maine, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont and Alaska. Price reflects the cost of generating or buying power, the cost of the transmission and distribution grid, and state taxes, fees and policies.

How to compare your own bill with your state

1. Find two numbers on your bill: kWh used and total electric charges. Leave out gas, water or other services billed on the same statement.
2. Divide the charges by kWh to get your all-in price, and compare it with your state’s cents/kWh in the table. EIA’s figure is also all-in: it is revenue ÷ kWh, so fixed charges, delivery, taxes and fees are inside it.
3. Compare usage over a full year. Add 12 months of kWh and divide by 12 before comparing with your state’s monthly use.

The formulas:

• All-in price (cents/kWh) = total electric charges ($) ÷ kWh × 100
• Cost of your usage at the state average ($) = kWh × state cents/kWh ÷ 100
• Usage rate without the fixed charge (cents/kWh) = (total electric charges − fixed monthly charge) ÷ kWh × 100

Example: 900 kWh priced at the 2024 Texas average is 900 × 14.94 cents = 13,446 cents = $134.46. The same 900 kWh at the Massachusetts average is 900 × 29.35 cents = 26,415 cents = $264.15. If your real bill for the same kWh comes in higher than your state’s result, the difference comes from price (your tariff, fixed charge, riders or taxes), not from usage.

Example: the U.S. row checks out the same way. 863 kWh × 16.48 cents = 14,222 cents = $142.22, four cents under the published $142.26 because EIA’s kWh and price figures are rounded.

Fixed customer charges change the picture for light users. Most residential tariffs include a fixed monthly charge, often called a customer, basic service or facilities charge, that stays the same no matter how much electricity you use. Spread over fewer kWh in a light month, it pushes your all-in price per kWh up; in a heavy month it pulls the all-in price down. A small, low-use home can show an all-in price above the state average while paying exactly the same tariff as its neighbors.

Annual averages hide seasonal peaks

Table 5A spreads a year of use and spending evenly across 12 months, but real bills rise and fall with heating and cooling. EIA’s final monthly data for 2024 show how far single months stray from the annual figure for the average U.S. residential customer:

The monthly rows divide each month’s residential kWh sales and revenue by that month’s residential customer count, using Form EIA-861M data. The July average bill was 34% above the annual monthly average (190.77 ÷ 142.26 = 1.34), and the April bill was 21% below it (111.83 ÷ 142.26 = 0.79).

To compare fairly with the table, total 12 consecutive months of kWh and charges and divide each by 12. On a budget or levelized billing plan the amount due stays flat, so use the actual kWh and charges printed on each statement rather than the payment.

Newer monthly prices

Table 5A is annual, and 2024 is the latest year it covers. EIA’s monthly data are more current: the U.S. residential average price was 18.31 cents per kWh in July 2026, up from 17.45 cents in July 2025. For every state’s latest monthly price and its change over the past year, see residential electricity rates by state. To price a single appliance, see cost to run appliances; for charging an electric vehicle at home, see EV home charging cost by state.

What the EIA figures cover

• Customers are residential accounts, usually one per household, so a small apartment and a large all-electric house each count once.
• The totals include customers who buy electricity and delivery together from a utility and customers who buy supply from a separate retail provider.
• The price is revenue divided by kWh sold. EIA describes its average retail price as covering generation, transmission, distribution, taxes and fees, and notes that it is not a utility rate.
• Figures are statewide. Averages for individual utilities are in Table 6 of the same EIA release.

Sources

• EIA, Electric Sales, Revenue, and Average Price, Table 5A: 2024 Average Monthly Bill, Residential (PDF)
• EIA, Electric Sales, Revenue, and Average Price: all tables, including Table 6 by utility
• EIA, Form EIA-861M detailed data: monthly residential sales, revenue and customers
• EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector, by State
• EIA FAQ: Does EIA publish electricity sales and price data by state and by utility?