State electricity profile · EIA monthly through May 2026
North Carolina Electricity
As of May 2026, residential electricity in North Carolina costs 15.09¢ per kWh (+5.4% vs May 2025). EIA publishes these figures monthly and this page follows them. North Carolina's 2025 annual residential electricity rate is 14.02¢/kWh, 19% below the US average. The rate runs below the national average on a mix that is still only 14% renewable. Commercial, industrial and generation-mix figures follow.
- 15.09¢
- May 2026 rate
- +5.4%
- year over year
- 14.02¢/kWh
- Residential rate
- -19.0%
- vs US average
- 14%
- Renewable
- 5.2M
- Customers
Verify with EIA → · Methodology
14.02¢/kWh residential, 10.25¢/kWh commercial
In the U.S. Energy Information Administration's 2025 annual-frequency retail-sales series, North Carolina's residential average revenue per kWh is 14.02¢/kWh, with a commercial average of 10.25¢/kWh and an industrial average of 7.80¢/kWh; a separate EIA generation series for 2025 reports 14% of the state's generation from renewables.
- 19% below the US average vs national residential average
- 14% renewable generation
The verdict · 2025
North Carolina's residential electricity runs 14.02¢/kWh - 19% below the 17.30¢/kWh national average, cheaper than 68% of other states, with 14% of its power from renewables.
This is EIA state average revenue per kWh across 5.2M reported residential customers, a benchmark for comparing states, not the tariff on any single bill. Source: EIA retail-sales API, annual frequency.
Annual rate change
What changed in the 2025 annual EIA period
- North Carolina's commercial average fell from 10.56¢/kWh to 10.25¢/kWh between the 2024 and 2025 annual-frequency EIA retail-sales periods, a change of -2.9%.
- North Carolina's residential average fell from 14.13¢/kWh to 14.02¢/kWh between the 2024 and 2025 annual-frequency EIA retail-sales periods, a change of -0.8%.
- North Carolina's industrial average rose from 7.77¢/kWh to 7.80¢/kWh between the 2024 and 2025 annual-frequency EIA retail-sales periods, a change of +0.4%.
Who generates North Carolina's electricity
North Carolina has 1,169 operable generating units on EIA's inventory totalling 35,822 MW of net summer capacity. The largest single plant is Roxboro , a conventional steam coal station operated by Duke Energy Progress - (NC) , rated 2,439 MW.
Balancing authorities keep supply and demand matched on the grid; the largest here by capacity are Duke Energy Carolinas, Duke Energy Progress East and PJM Interconnection, LLC.
Showing the 16 largest of 916 operable plants in North Carolina by net summer capacity.
| Plant | Operator | Technology | County | MW |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roxboro | Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | Conventional Steam Coal | – | 2,439 |
| McGuire | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Nuclear | – | 2,316 |
| Belews Creek | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | – | 2,220 |
| Marshall (NC) | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Conventional Steam Coal | – | 2,058 |
| Sherwood H Smith Jr Energy Complex | Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | – | 1,883 |
| Brunswick Nuclear | Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | Nuclear | – | 1,870 |
| Lincoln Combustion | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | – | 1,526 |
| James E. Rogers Energy Complex | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Conventional Steam Coal | – | 1,388 |
| Rowan | Southern Power Co | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | – | 974 |
| Harris (NC) | Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | Nuclear | – | 964 |
| Lee Combined Cycle Plant | Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | – | 888 |
| Wayne County Energy Complex | Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | – | 822 |
| Asheville | Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | – | 814 |
| Cleveland Cnty Generating Facility | Southern Power Co | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | – | 738 |
| Mayo | Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | Conventional Steam Coal | – | 704 |
| L V Sutton Combined Cycle | Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | – | 698 |
| Operating company | Plants | Net summer MW |
|---|---|---|
| Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | 31 | 11,765 |
| Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | 22 | 11,747 |
| Southern Power Co | 4 | 1,790 |
| Cypress Creek Renewables | 129 | 905 |
| North Carolina El Member Corp | 34 | 834 |
| Strata Manager, LLC | 156 | 825 |
| Tennessee Valley Authority | 3 | 492 |
| Carolina Power Partners, LLC | 1 | 486 |
| Virginia Electric & Power Co | 3 | 469 |
| Dominion Renewable Energy | 11 | 435 |
Operable units only, from EIA's generator inventory as reported for 2026-05. Capacity is net summer rating, which is what a unit can reliably deliver in peak conditions rather than its nameplate figure. Ownership and operatorship can differ; the company shown is the one EIA records as operating the unit.
Market Overview
Residential Revenue
$9.1B
Commercial Revenue
$5.2B
Residential Sales
64.6M MWh
Residential Customers
5.2M
What North Carolina's Electricity Data Tells Us
Residential customers in North Carolina pay 14.02¢/kWh in 2025, across 5.2M metered households, placing the state 19% below the national residential average of 17.30¢/kWh. Commercial rates sit at 10.25¢/kWh while industrial buyers pay 7.80¢/kWh. These sector averages describe recorded revenue per kWh; this dataset alone does not establish why they differ. Annual residential sales total 64.6M MWh on roughly $9.1B in utility revenue. Sales and revenue are reported retail-series measures and should not be treated as a local load forecast.
North Carolina prices its sectors in step: 35 of 51 residential against 37 industrial. A state this consistent is the exception rather than the rule, and it means the residential figure above is a fair proxy for how the whole grid is priced. No single fuel reaches half of North Carolina's in-state generation. Natural gas leads at 40.2%, with nuclear at 31.9% close enough behind that the mix reads as a balance rather than a clear lead. It is the leading fuel in 26 states. Renewable fuels (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and biomass) account for 14.4% of North Carolina's electricity output. These shares describe in-state generation, not a utility-specific customer bill.
Looking back across EIA records, residential prices in North Carolina moved from 11.03¢/kWh in 2016 to 14.02¢/kWh in 2025, a 27.1% shift over that window. States charging a similar rate include Mississippi, Iowa, Missouri, a useful peer set for a sanity check. Because gas sets the price of the marginal megawatt-hour on a grid built around it, North Carolina's residential rate tracks the fuel market with a lag: a gas-price winter shows up on bills months later, and a cheap gas year works its way through the same way. Read the number as a floor rather than a promise. A statewide average this far under the national figure is usually held down by a few large low-cost generators, and a household on the wrong side of a service-territory boundary in North Carolina can pay well above it.
-19.0%
Cheaper vs the US residential average
68%
of states have higher rates — Below-average cost
14%
Low renewable share — below the 25% US mix
5.2M
residential customers served
Energy Generation Mix (2025)
How North Carolina generates its electricity, from the EIA generation series for 2025 (separate from the 2025 retail-sales price figures above). Renewable sources account for 14.4% of generation.
- Natural Gas40.2%
- Nuclear31.9%
- Coal13.3%
- Solarrenewable10.2%
- Hydrorenewable3.4%
- Windrenewable0.7%
- Other0.1%
- Petroleum0.1%
- Biomassrenewable0.1%
Residential Price History
North Carolina residential average revenue per kWh moved from 11.03¢/kWh in 2016 to 14.02¢/kWh in 2025 (27.1% over the window).
- North Carolina residential avg
- 14.02¢/kWh 27.1% since 2016
- 2016 → 2025
- North Carolina residential: 2016, 11¢
- North Carolina residential: 2017, 10.9¢
- North Carolina residential: 2018, 11.1¢
- North Carolina residential: 2019, 11.4¢
- North Carolina residential: 2020, 11.4¢
- North Carolina residential: 2021, 11.3¢
- North Carolina residential: 2022, 11.6¢
- North Carolina residential: 2023, 12.9¢
- North Carolina residential: 2024, 14.1¢
- North Carolina residential: 2025, 14¢
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, retail-sales API · annual frequency. North Carolina full trend →
North Carolina Average Price by Sector and Year (¢/kWh)
The chart above tracks households only. In 2025, North Carolina households paid 14.02¢/kWh while businesses paid 10.25¢/kWh, a 36.8% residential premium, a wider household-versus-business gap than most states. Every year EIA has published is below, so a single year can be read across all three sectors rather than assembled from three separate EIA queries.
| Year | Residential | Commercial | Industrial |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14.02¢/kWh | 10.25¢/kWh | 7.80¢/kWh |
| 2024 | 14.13¢/kWh | 10.56¢/kWh | 7.77¢/kWh |
| 2023 | 12.93¢/kWh | 9.67¢/kWh | 7.15¢/kWh |
| 2022 | 11.62¢/kWh | 8.75¢/kWh | 6.54¢/kWh |
| 2021 | 11.32¢/kWh | 8.50¢/kWh | 6.14¢/kWh |
| 2020 | 11.38¢/kWh | 8.69¢/kWh | 6.31¢/kWh |
| 2019 | 11.42¢/kWh | 8.81¢/kWh | 6.30¢/kWh |
| 2018 | 11.09¢/kWh | 8.58¢/kWh | 6.33¢/kWh |
| 2017 | 10.94¢/kWh | 8.44¢/kWh | 6.20¢/kWh |
| 2016 | 11.03¢/kWh | 8.62¢/kWh | 6.31¢/kWh |
Average revenue per kilowatt-hour, U.S. Energy Information Administration annual-frequency retail-sales series. Revenue per kWh is what customers in each sector actually paid on average, not an advertised tariff rate. Years with no EIA figure for a sector show —.
Where North Carolina's residential rate sits nationally
2025 average revenue per kWh across every reporting state
14.02¢/kWh Top 34% most affordable More affordable than 68% of 50 other states
all reporting states, equal-width bands
Each bar spans 5¢/kWh. Taller bars contain more states; the dashed marker locates this state. Hover, focus or tap a bar for its exact count and share.
Source U.S. Energy Information Administration, retail-sales API · 2025 annual frequency
How North Carolina compares
Average revenue per kWh, EIA retail-sales API. Pick a benchmark above to compare North Carolina against the US average or a peer state.
States with Similar Electricity Prices
Other states led by natural gas
These grids also report natural gas as their largest generation share in the latest EIA mix — a different peer set from the price neighbors above.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does electricity cost in North Carolina? ▼
Where does North Carolina's residential electricity rate rank nationally? ▼
How much of North Carolina's electricity is renewable? ▼
Are electricity prices going up in North Carolina? ▼
What are commercial and industrial electricity rates in North Carolina? ▼
Which energy sources generate the most electricity in North Carolina? ▼
Where does RateWatt's North Carolina electricity data come from? ▼
Using North Carolina's numbers
With renewables still a small share of generation here, the figures above describe a mix that has further to travel than most. Watch what North Carolina builds when its existing thermal capacity retires, because that is the decision the next decade of rates is made of.
- North Carolina sits 19% below 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. North Carolina price trend
- Compare North Carolina 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, computed as revenue divided by sales, so delivery and taxes are inside them but not broken out. Your actual rate depends on your utility, plan, and usage, see our disclaimer.
Read with North Carolina: cheapest states for electricity
Where North Carolina's figures come from
Every price and generation figure on this page is drawn from the EIA series below, and from nothing else.
- 📊 EIA State Energy Profile, North Carolina State energy database
- ⚡ EIA Electric Power Monthly The monthly and annual price series behind every rate here
- 🌿 EIA generation by source The in-state generation shares quoted above
- 📖 Our methodology Source-to-figure lineage, and further federal energy references
Utilities serving North Carolina
The 55 utilities that reported bundled residential service in North Carolina to EIA Form 861 (2024), largest first. Entity prices below are Form 861 averages for that release, not the same survey as the 2025 retail-sales statewide average above, and not a household tariff. What an individual household pays depends on which of these serves its address.
| Utility | Ownership | Customers | Avg ¢/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | Investor Owned | 1.9M | 13.94¢ |
| Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | Investor Owned | 1.4M | 15.54¢ |
| EnergyUnited Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | 122.0K | 11.54¢ |
| Virginia Electric & Power Co | Investor Owned | 108.7K | 13.93¢ |
| Brunswick Electric Member Corp | Cooperative | 105.6K | 13.66¢ |
| Union Electric Membership Corp - (NC) | Cooperative | 84.6K | 13.37¢ |
| Jones-Onslow Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | 79.7K | 13.09¢ |
| Fayetteville Public Works Commission | Municipal | 76.0K | 12.21¢ |
| Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp - (NC) | Cooperative | 71.9K | 14.59¢ |
| Rutherford Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | 70.7K | 13.13¢ |
| Greenville Utilities Comm | Municipal | 65.7K | 11.97¢ |
| Lumbee River Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | 64.4K | 12.81¢ |
| Wake Electric Membership Corp | Cooperative | 53.3K | 13.42¢ |
| South River Elec Member Corp | Cooperative | 45.7K | 13.30¢ |
| Carteret-Craven El Member Corp | Cooperative | 38.9K | 12.15¢ |
Showing the 15 largest of 55 reporting utilities. The 5 serving 100.0K+ residential customers link to a full profile. Presence in EIA Form 861 is not evidence that a utility is available at a given address or that a customer may choose it.
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. Statewide prices use the EIA retail-sales annual series (2025). Generation mix uses a separate EIA generation series (2025). Utility rows use Form EIA-861 (2024) and are not averaged into the statewide retail-sales figure. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2025.