This is a current-year monthly comparison, separate from RateWatt's annual state table. It uses the latest complete release in EIA Electric Power Monthly table 5.6.A, with residential records for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The year-over-year column compares the same calendar month, which avoids treating winter and summer demand patterns as a rate trend.

What the monthly rate measures

EIA's average residential price is residential electricity revenue divided by residential sales for a state and month. It blends the utilities and residential rate schedules reported in that state. It is useful for a like-for-like statewide comparison, but it is not a posted tariff, an offer from a supplier, or a prediction of one household's bill.

Why this differs from the annual state ranking

A monthly snapshot is more current but more sensitive to weather, billing adjustments, utility reporting, and seasonal customer use. The annual table smooths twelve months and is the better long-run benchmark. This page answers what the EIA's complete May 2026 release reports; the annual cheapest-state ranking answers which states were lowest across a full reporting year.

Year-over-year movers in May

Comparing the same calendar month removes winter-versus-summer seasonality from the change column. In this release, 45 jurisdictions rose versus May 2025 and 6 fell.

Largest residential increase

Hawaii shows the largest residential year-over-year increase at +10.97¢, moving from 41.03¢/kWh to 52.00¢/kWh.

Largest residential decline

Connecticut shows the largest residential year-over-year decline at -4.22¢, moving from 31.59¢/kWh to 27.37¢/kWh.

National averages by customer sector

EIA publishes the same revenue-over-sales measure for residential, commercial, and industrial customers. For May 2026 the sales-weighted US averages are 18.44¢/kWh residential, 13.54¢/kWh commercial, and 8.71¢/kWh industrial.

US weighted averages, May 2026

Commercial electricity rates by state

Commercial averages use the same EIA monthly release. In May 2026, commercial statewide prices run from 7.38¢/kWh in North Dakota to 46.19¢/kWh in Hawaii.

All states · commercial ¢/kWh

Industrial electricity rates by state

Industrial statewide averages for May 2026 range from 4.45¢/kWh in New Mexico to 41.90¢/kWh in Hawaii.

All states · industrial ¢/kWh

Where residential and commercial averages diverge

Subtracting each state's commercial average from its residential average for the same month shows where the two EIA customer classes differ most. A positive gap means the residential statewide average sits above the commercial average; a negative gap means commercial sits higher.

Widest residential-over-commercial gap

California shows the largest residential premium at +9.15¢ (33.25¢/kWh residential versus 24.10¢/kWh commercial).

Widest commercial-over-residential gap

Tennessee shows the largest commercial premium at +0.95¢ (14.47¢/kWh residential versus 13.52¢/kWh commercial).

Residential minus commercial, all states

Source, coverage, and limits

Figures come from EIA Electric Power Monthly table 5.6.A. A month appears here only when residential, commercial, and industrial records cover all 50 states and DC. Statewide averages are not utility quotes and do not include a household's fixed customer charge, time-of-use periods, or taxes.

Related RateWatt surfaces

For a full-year residential benchmark see the annual cheapest-state ranking. State profiles under /states carry annual history and generation mix for the same EIA series.

How to read this registry page

Start with the current monthly residential rate, then compare the commercial and industrial tables for the same month. Open a state's profile for annual history. For a household bill, the serving utility's posted tariff and expected kilowatt-hour use remain the authoritative inputs; this page is a comparable statewide EIA average.