How to read these rankings

Each ranking sorts every U.S. state and DC on a single dimension, lowest residential cents per kWh, highest renewable share of net generation, or highest total retail sales, using the most recent annual EIA release. Rankings are descriptive rather than normative: one measure does not explain a state rate, household bill, consumption mix, or policy. Use the per-state pages to read the underlying record before drawing comparisons across rankings.

The cheapest-electricity ranking sorts every state by its average residential cents per kWh as reported in the EIA retail-sales API. It reports the size and order of the annual state averages, not their cause. A state's position can change from one annual period to the next, so use the profile trend and a current utility tariff for a local decision.

The most-renewable ranking is computed as renewable net generation (hydro plus wind plus solar plus geothermal plus biomass) divided by total net generation, expressed as a percentage. This measures generation mix, not capacity factor or consumption mix. Always pair the renewable share with the absolute generation figures on each state's profile page rather than treating the percentage as a complete picture of electricity use.

The most-expensive ranking is the inverse of the cheapest ranking and uses the same residential cents per kWh metric. The highest-consumption ranking sorts by total retail sales in megawatt-hours (residential plus commercial plus industrial), so it is distinct from the rate rankings. None of these rankings should be read as a single-dimensional verdict on a state's energy policy or affordability, they are sorting tools that surface the underlying EIA data in a comparable format. Read our methodology for the full computation rules and caveats.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electricity. See our methodology for transformations.