EIA electricity data · 2025
What does electricity cost in your state?
Compare residential, commercial, and industrial electricity rates across all 50 states using current Energy Information Administration filings, refreshed as new monthly releases land.
Compare electricity rates by state/sector, generation mixes, and trends using official EIA data with rankings.
North Dakota has the cheapest electricity in the US; Hawaii the most expensive
In the U.S. Energy Information Administration's 2025 annual-frequency retail-sales series, residential average revenue per kWh is 11.81¢ in North Dakota, the lowest state value, versus 40.59¢ in Hawaii, the highest, a 3.4× spread around a 17.30¢ national average. The series describes the gap but does not establish its cause.
The national picture · 2025
Residential electricity runs from 11.81¢ per kWh in North Dakota to 40.59¢ in Hawaii - a 3.4× spread set by fuel mix, regulation, and geography, around a 17.30¢ national average.
The figures below are EIA average revenue per kWh by state and sector, useful for comparison, not a quote for any single home or plan. Source: EIA retail-sales API; generation uses separate EIA series.
Browse by state · 2025 EIA data
Electricity Prices by State
Alabama
AL
residential
Alaska
AK
residential
Arizona
AZ
residential
Arkansas
AR
residential
California
CA
residential
Colorado
CO
residential
Connecticut
CT
residential
Delaware
DE
residential
District of Columbia
DC
residential
Florida
FL
residential
Georgia
GA
residential
Hawaii
HI
residential
Residential rates · 2025
Cheapest Electricity
Generation mix · 2025
Greenest Electricity Grids
What this data tells you
U.S. residential electricity prices vary by roughly a factor of three across states, driven by fuel mix, regulatory structure (regulated vs. deregulated markets), transmission constraints, and climate-driven demand. States with abundant hydropower and natural gas (Washington, Idaho, Louisiana) consistently sit at the low end; import-dependent island and isolated grids (Hawaii, Alaska) sit at the high end. Renewable share has risen across most states since 2015, but the relationship between higher renewable penetration and retail price is non-linear: rapid build-out can pressure prices upward in the short term while delivering long-run savings as fuel costs fall away.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electricity (Retail Sales of Electricity to Ultimate Customers; State Electricity Profiles). See our methodology for how we transform EIA tables into the views above.
How to use these numbers
A state average tells you where your state stands, not what you'll pay.
- Compare your state against the cheapest (North Dakota, 11.81¢) and the priciest (Hawaii, 40.59¢) to see how much of the gap is structural. See the rankings
- Open your state to read residential, commercial, and industrial rates side by side, plus the fuel mix behind them. Browse all states
- Check the multi-year trend before you judge a rate, a low price that is rising fast can cost more over a decade than a steady one. See national trend
- Estimate your own bill from your monthly kWh and your state rate. Cost calculator
Figures are EIA state-level averages by sector. Your actual rate depends on your utility, plan, and usage, see our disclaimer.
Guides & Analysis
Plain-language explainers written to help you read the underlying EIA data correctly.
Electricity Rates Explained
What cents per kWh means and how bills are calculated.
Why Prices Vary
What makes electricity cheap or expensive by state.
Energy Sources Explained
Gas, coal, nuclear, wind, solar, how each powers the grid.
Cheapest States for Electricity
All 50 states ranked by cents per kWh and why costs differ.
Renewable vs. Fossil Fuel Costs
How solar, wind, gas, and coal compare on LCOE.
Understanding Rate Structures
Flat, tiered, and time-of-use pricing, demand charges, and fees.
Comparing Utility Costs Across States
How to compare electricity costs fairly between states.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does RateWatt get its energy price data?
All data comes from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), part of the Department of Energy. EIA collects electricity and natural gas price data from utilities across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
How often are energy prices updated?
EIA publishes monthly state-level electricity and natural gas price data, typically with a 2-3 month lag. We update our database when new EIA releases become available.
Is RateWatt free?
Yes, RateWatt is completely free. You can look up energy prices for any state, view price trends, and compare rates across states without any account or payment.
Why do energy prices vary so much between states?
State energy prices are influenced by fuel sources (coal, natural gas, nuclear, renewables), local regulations, transmission costs, climate-driven demand, and market structure. States with abundant hydropower or natural gas typically have lower rates.
The 10 cheapest states (2025)
Residential average revenue per kWh from the EIA retail-sales API.
- North Dakota
North Dakota
12 ¢/kWh
- Idaho
Idaho
12 ¢/kWh
- Nebraska
Nebraska
12 ¢/kWh
- Louisiana
Louisiana
13 ¢/kWh
- Arkansas
Arkansas
13 ¢/kWh
- Montana
Montana
13 ¢/kWh
- Utah
Utah
13 ¢/kWh
- Washington
Washington
13 ¢/kWh
- Oklahoma
Oklahoma
13 ¢/kWh
- Nevada
Nevada
13 ¢/kWh
What this shows Every state here sits well below the 17.30¢/kWh national residential average, driven by cheap hydro, in-state natural gas, or both.
The US electricity bill keeps climbing
National average residential rate, 2016 to 2025.
- US residential avg
- 17.30¢/kWh 38% since 2016
- 2016 → 2025
- US residential average: 2016, 12.6¢
- US residential average: 2017, 12.9¢
- US residential average: 2018, 12.9¢
- US residential average: 2019, 13¢
- US residential average: 2020, 13.2¢
- US residential average: 2021, 13.7¢
- US residential average: 2022, 15¢
- US residential average: 2023, 16¢
- US residential average: 2024, 16.5¢
- US residential average: 2025, 17.3¢
Up 38% since 2016, EIA annual-frequency retail-sales data. See the full trend →
How the rate records are built
How RateWatt works, and why you can trust these figures
What RateWatt publishes
RateWatt tracks U.S. state electricity prices and generation mix. All data comes from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), part of the Department of Energy, which collects electricity price data from utilities across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
From EIA release to rate table
- Pull the source series. Download EIA retail-sales API rows (price, revenue, sales, and customer counts by state and sector) and EIA generation data by source for each state.
- Check the series. Cross-reference against the EIA State Energy Data System (SEDS) historical time series to confirm trend consistency before publishing.
- Build the table. Compute average retail electricity prices and generation-mix breakdowns directly from the source tables, and refresh the database when new EIA releases become available.
Corrections and utility independence
RateWatt is independent and is not affiliated with the EIA or the Department of Energy. Found an error or a stale figure? Get in touch via the contact page. See our methodology for full source attribution.
Questions about electricity records
Where does RateWatt get its energy price data?
All data comes from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), part of the Department of Energy. EIA collects electricity and natural gas price data from utilities across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
How often are energy prices updated?
EIA publishes monthly state-level electricity and natural gas price data, typically with a 2-3 month lag. We update our database when new EIA releases become available.
Is RateWatt free?
Yes, RateWatt is completely free. You can look up energy prices for any state, view price trends, and compare rates across states without any account or payment.
Why do energy prices vary so much between states?
State energy prices are influenced by fuel sources (coal, natural gas, nuclear, renewables), local regulations, transmission costs, climate-driven demand, and market structure. States with abundant hydropower or natural gas typically have lower rates.
Every headline figure on this homepage is rendered from RateWatt's stored EIA retail-sales and generation series; no number is typed in by an editor. National averages, cheapest/priciest states, and renewable leaders are computed live from the same tables used on rankings and state pages. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2025.