State electricity profile · 2024
California Electricity
California's residential electricity rate is 31.97¢/kWh, 94% above the US average. Keep scrolling for the commercial and industrial breakdown and generation mix, per EIA filings.
- 31.97¢/kWh
- Residential rate
- +94.0%
- vs US average
- 56%
- Renewable
- 14.2M
- Customers
Verify with EIA → · Methodology
The verdict · 2024
California's residential electricity runs 31.97¢/kWh - 94% above the 16.48¢/kWh national average, pricier than 98% of states, with 56% of its power from renewables.
Rate is the EIA state average across all 14.2M residential customers, a benchmark for comparing states, not the rate on any single bill. Source: EIA Form-861.
What California's Electricity Data Tells Us
31.97¢/kWh is what a typical residential customer in California pays for electricity in 2024, reaching 14.2M metered households, placing the state 94% above the national residential average of 16.48¢/kWh. Commercial customers pay 25.54¢/kWh while industrial buyers pay 21.53¢/kWh, reflecting the cost differentials that come from voltage level, load factor, and contract length across EIA Form-861 survey respondents. Residential sales for the year came to 85.9M MWh, generating about $27.4B in utility revenue, a useful yardstick for sizing local demand against the grid mix that serves it.
The single largest fuel source in California is natural gas, responsible for 35.6% of what's generated in-state; in second place is solar, at 33.0% and hydro supplying 12.1%. California's renewable share, spanning solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass, sits at 56.2% of total output, a figure that matters because each renewable megawatt-hour displaces fuel costs that otherwise flow through to retail bills. A portfolio this clean typically carries lower marginal generation costs once capacity is built, though transmission upgrades can offset part of the saving.
Looking back across EIA records, residential prices in California moved from 17.39¢/kWh in 2016 to 31.97¢/kWh in 2024, a 83.8% shift over that window. Comparable-priced neighbors include Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, which gives a peer set for sanity-checking local quotes. For anyone negotiating a supplier contract, weighing an energy-efficiency upgrade, or modeling a household budget, the combination of current rate, multi-year trend, and generation mix offers a sturdier footing than any single data point on its own.
+94.0%
vs the US residential average
2%
of states have higher residential rates
56%
renewable share, above the US mix
14.2M
residential customers served
How California compares
Cents per kWh, EIA Form 861. Pick a benchmark above to compare California against the US average or a peer state.
Residential Price History
| Year | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 31.97¢/kWh | +8.3% |
| 2023 | 29.51¢/kWh | +14.2% |
| 2022 | 25.84¢/kWh | +13.2% |
| 2021 | 22.82¢/kWh | +11.6% |
| 2020 | 20.45¢/kWh | +6.8% |
| 2019 | 19.15¢/kWh | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 18.84¢/kWh | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 18.31¢/kWh | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 17.39¢/kWh | - |
Energy Generation Mix
How California generates its electricity. Renewable sources account for 56.2% of generation.
- Natural Gas35.6%
- Solarrenewable33.0%
- Hydrorenewable12.1%
- Nuclear7.6%
- Windrenewable6.4%
- Geothermalrenewable4.3%
- Other0.5%
- Biomassrenewable0.3%
- Coal0.1%
Market Overview
Residential Revenue
$27.4B
Commercial Revenue
$29.4B
Residential Sales
85.9M MWh
Residential Customers
14.2M
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does electricity cost in California? ▼
How much of California's electricity is renewable? ▼
Are electricity prices going up in California? ▼
What are commercial and industrial electricity rates in California? ▼
What is the cheapest energy source in California? ▼
Where does RateWatt's California electricity data come from? ▼
States with Similar Electricity Prices
Using California's numbers
This is the state average, use it as a benchmark, not a quote for your address.
- California sits 94% above the national average, see exactly where it lands among all 50 states. See the rankings
- Check the multi-year trend before you judge the rate, a low price rising fast can cost more over a decade than a steady one. California price trend
- Compare California side by side with the US average and peer states using the tool above, then estimate your own bill from your monthly kWh. Cost calculator
Figures are EIA state averages by sector. Your actual rate depends on your utility, plan, and usage, see our disclaimer.
Energy Guides
Understanding Electricity Rates
What ¢/kWh means and how your bill is calculated
Why Prices Vary by State
Generation mix, regulation, and geography
US Energy Sources Explained
How each fuel source powers the grid
Renewable vs Fossil Fuel Costs
LCOE comparison and the cost crossover
Cheapest States for Electricity
Which states pay the least and why
Primary source data for California
Every figure on this page traces to these official federal datasets.
- 📊 EIA State Energy Profile, California State energy database
- ⚡ EIA Electric Power Monthly Generation and price statistics
- 🌿 EPA eGRID Power-grid emissions database
- ☀️ NREL solar resource maps Solar potential by location
- 💨 NREL wind resource maps Wind potential by location
- ⚛️ NRC reactor data Nuclear operating status
- ⚡ FERC market data Transmission and market prices
- 🏛️ NARUC commissions State public utility commissions
- 📖 EIA energy mapping system Interactive federal energy map
Related
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Every figure on RateWatt is rendered directly from official U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data, no number is typed in by an editor. State prices and generation mix are pulled directly from the EIA's published tables for this state. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15.