State electricity profile · EIA monthly through May 2026
Washington Electricity
As of May 2026, residential electricity in Washington costs 14.95¢ per kWh (+9.5% vs May 2025). EIA publishes these figures monthly and this page follows them. Washington's 2025 annual residential electricity rate is 13.11¢/kWh, 24.2% below the US average. That is a below-average rate alongside 73% renewable generation, the combination the national debate usually treats as a trade-off. The sector and fuel detail below shows how it is built.
- 14.95¢
- May 2026 rate
- +9.5%
- year over year
- 13.11¢/kWh
- Residential rate
- -24.2%
- vs US average
- 73%
- Renewable
- 3.4M
- Customers
Verify with EIA → · Methodology
13.11¢/kWh residential, 10.95¢/kWh commercial
In the U.S. Energy Information Administration's 2025 annual-frequency retail-sales series, Washington's residential average revenue per kWh is 13.11¢/kWh, with a commercial average of 10.95¢/kWh and an industrial average of 6.88¢/kWh; a separate EIA generation series for 2025 reports 73% of the state's generation from renewables.
- 24.2% below the US average vs national residential average
- 73% renewable generation
The verdict · 2025
Washington's residential electricity runs 13.11¢/kWh - 24.2% below the 17.30¢/kWh national average, cheaper than 86% of other states, with 73% of its power from renewables.
This is EIA state average revenue per kWh across 3.4M 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
- Washington's residential average rose from 11.90¢/kWh to 13.11¢/kWh between the 2024 and 2025 annual-frequency EIA retail-sales periods, a change of +10.2%.
- Washington's commercial average rose from 9.99¢/kWh to 10.95¢/kWh between the 2024 and 2025 annual-frequency EIA retail-sales periods, a change of +9.6%.
- Washington's industrial average rose from 6.61¢/kWh to 6.88¢/kWh between the 2024 and 2025 annual-frequency EIA retail-sales periods, a change of +4.1%.
Energy Generation Mix (2025)
How Washington generates its electricity, from the EIA generation series for 2025 (separate from the 2025 retail-sales price figures above). Renewable sources account for 73.4% of generation.
- Hydrorenewable63.6%
- Natural Gas15.9%
- Windrenewable8.4%
- Nuclear7.6%
- Coal3.1%
- Solarrenewable1.3%
- Biomassrenewable0.1%
- Other0.1%
Who generates Washington's electricity
Washington has 377 operable generating units on EIA's inventory totalling 28,973 MW of net summer capacity. The largest single plant is Grand Coulee , a conventional hydroelectric station operated by U S Bureau of Reclamation , rated 7,079 MW.
Balancing authorities keep supply and demand matched on the grid; the largest here by capacity are Bonneville Power Administration, Puget Sound Energy and Seattle City Light.
Showing the 16 largest of 127 operable plants in Washington by net summer capacity.
| Plant | Operator | Technology | County | MW |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Coulee | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Conventional Hydroelectric | – | 7,079 |
| Chief Joseph | USACE Northwestern Division | Conventional Hydroelectric | – | 1,744 |
| Rocky Reach | PUD No 1 of Chelan County | Conventional Hydroelectric | – | 1,254 |
| Wanapum | PUD No 2 of Grant County | Conventional Hydroelectric | – | 1,220 |
| Columbia Generating Station | Energy Northwest- Columbia | Nuclear | – | 1,151 |
| Boundary | City of Seattle - (WA) | Conventional Hydroelectric | – | 1,145 |
| Priest Rapids | PUD No 2 of Grant County | Conventional Hydroelectric | – | 950 |
| Wells | PUD No 1 of Douglas County | Conventional Hydroelectric | – | 796 |
| Lower Monumental | USACE Northwestern Division | Conventional Hydroelectric | – | 675 |
| Transalta Centralia Generation | TransAlta Centralia Gen LLC | Conventional Steam Coal | – | 670 |
| Lower Granite | USACE Northwestern Division | Conventional Hydroelectric | – | 667 |
| Grays Harbor Energy Facility | Invenergy Services LLC | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | – | 595 |
| Little Goose | USACE Northwestern Division | Conventional Hydroelectric | – | 540 |
| Chehalis Generating Facility | PacifiCorp | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | – | 477 |
| Ross | City of Seattle - (WA) | Conventional Hydroelectric | – | 450 |
| Rock Island | PUD No 1 of Chelan County | Conventional Hydroelectric | – | 414 |
| Operating company | Plants | Net summer MW |
|---|---|---|
| U S Bureau of Reclamation | 3 | 7,104 |
| USACE Northwestern Division | 5 | 3,977 |
| Puget Sound Energy Inc | 15 | 2,382 |
| PUD No 2 of Grant County | 2 | 2,170 |
| City of Seattle - (WA) | 6 | 2,017 |
| PUD No 1 of Chelan County | 3 | 1,730 |
| PacifiCorp | 6 | 1,383 |
| Energy Northwest- Columbia | 1 | 1,151 |
| PUD No 1 of Douglas County | 1 | 796 |
| City of Tacoma - (WA) | 7 | 785 |
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.
What Washington's Electricity Data Tells Us
Residential customers in Washington pay 13.11¢/kWh in 2025, across 3.4M metered households, placing the state 24.2% below the national residential average of 17.30¢/kWh. Commercial rates sit at 10.95¢/kWh while industrial buyers pay 6.88¢/kWh. These sector averages describe recorded revenue per kWh; this dataset alone does not establish why they differ. Annual residential sales total 39.0M MWh on roughly $5.1B in utility revenue. Sales and revenue are reported retail-series measures and should not be treated as a local load forecast.
Washington prices its sectors in step: 44 of 51 residential against 45 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. Hydro carries the majority of Washington's in-state generation at 63.6%, though not the whole grid: natural gas supplies 15.9% and wind a further 8.4%. It is the leading fuel in 4 states. Renewable fuels (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and biomass) account for 73.4% of Washington's electricity output. These shares describe in-state generation, not a utility-specific customer bill.
Looking back across EIA records, residential prices in Washington moved from 9.48¢/kWh in 2016 to 13.11¢/kWh in 2025, a 38.3% shift over that window. States charging a similar rate include Oklahoma, Utah, Nevada, a useful peer set for a sanity check. Hydro is the one leading fuel whose availability is weather, not a purchase. A dry year in Washington means replacing water with something bought on a market, so the rate above is stable in ordinary years and carries a drought exposure no fuel contract can hedge. 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 Washington can pay well above it.
-24.2%
Much cheaper vs the US residential average
86%
of states have higher rates — Among the cheapest
73%
Significant renewable — above the 25% US mix
3.4M
residential customers served
Residential Price History
Washington residential average revenue per kWh moved from 9.48¢/kWh in 2016 to 13.11¢/kWh in 2025 (38.3% over the window).
- Washington residential avg
- 13.11¢/kWh 38.3% since 2016
- 2016 → 2025
- Washington residential: 2016, 9.48¢
- Washington residential: 2017, 9.66¢
- Washington residential: 2018, 9.75¢
- Washington residential: 2019, 9.71¢
- Washington residential: 2020, 9.87¢
- Washington residential: 2021, 10.1¢
- Washington residential: 2022, 10.3¢
- Washington residential: 2023, 11¢
- Washington residential: 2024, 11.9¢
- Washington residential: 2025, 13.1¢
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, retail-sales API · annual frequency. Washington full trend →
Washington Average Price by Sector and Year (¢/kWh)
The chart above tracks households only. In 2025, Washington households paid 13.11¢/kWh while businesses paid 10.95¢/kWh, a 19.7% residential premium, a moderate household-versus-business gap. 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 | 13.11¢/kWh | 10.95¢/kWh | 6.88¢/kWh |
| 2024 | 11.90¢/kWh | 9.99¢/kWh | 6.61¢/kWh |
| 2023 | 10.98¢/kWh | 9.92¢/kWh | 6.35¢/kWh |
| 2022 | 10.26¢/kWh | 9.49¢/kWh | 6.17¢/kWh |
| 2021 | 10.11¢/kWh | 9.14¢/kWh | 5.81¢/kWh |
| 2020 | 9.87¢/kWh | 8.92¢/kWh | 5.08¢/kWh |
| 2019 | 9.71¢/kWh | 8.75¢/kWh | 4.80¢/kWh |
| 2018 | 9.75¢/kWh | 8.72¢/kWh | 4.71¢/kWh |
| 2017 | 9.66¢/kWh | 8.57¢/kWh | 4.60¢/kWh |
| 2016 | 9.48¢/kWh | 8.43¢/kWh | 4.43¢/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 Washington's residential rate sits nationally
2025 average revenue per kWh across every reporting state
13.11¢/kWh Top 16% most affordable More affordable than 86% 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 Washington compares
Average revenue per kWh, EIA retail-sales API. Pick a benchmark above to compare Washington against the US average or a peer state.
Market Overview
Residential Revenue
$5.1B
Commercial Revenue
$3.7B
Residential Sales
39.0M MWh
Residential Customers
3.4M
Using Washington's numbers
A grid this renewable is close to the end of the supply-build phase, so Washington's rate is increasingly set by what it costs to keep power available in the hours renewables do not cover, not by adding more of them.
- Washington sits 24.2% 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. Washington price trend
- Compare Washington 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.
States with Similar Electricity Prices
Other states led by hydro
These grids also report hydro 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 Washington? ▼
Where does Washington's residential electricity rate rank nationally? ▼
How much of Washington's electricity is renewable? ▼
Are electricity prices going up in Washington? ▼
What are commercial and industrial electricity rates in Washington? ▼
Which energy sources generate the most electricity in Washington? ▼
Where does RateWatt's Washington electricity data come from? ▼
Read with Washington: cheapest states for electricity
Where Washington'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, Washington 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 Washington
The 39 utilities that reported bundled residential service in Washington 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puget Sound Energy Inc | Investor Owned | 1.1M | 14.63¢ |
| City of Seattle - (WA) | Municipal | 460.0K | 14.09¢ |
| PUD No 1 of Snohomish County | Political Subdivision | 346.5K | 11.51¢ |
| Avista Corp | Investor Owned | 246.1K | 11.87¢ |
| PUD No 1 of Clark County - (WA) | Political Subdivision | 219.5K | 10.41¢ |
| City of Tacoma - (WA) | Municipal | 180.4K | 10.81¢ |
| PacifiCorp | Investor Owned | 114.5K | 11.08¢ |
| PUD No 1 of Benton County | Political Subdivision | 50.1K | 8.81¢ |
| PUD No 1 of Cowlitz County | Political Subdivision | 48.3K | 8.80¢ |
| PUD No 2 of Grant County | Political Subdivision | 42.5K | 6.01¢ |
| PUD No 1 of Chelan County | Political Subdivision | 42.1K | 3.67¢ |
| Inland Power & Light Company | Cooperative | 41.7K | 8.98¢ |
| PUD No 1 of Grays Harbor County | Political Subdivision | 39.9K | 12.52¢ |
| Peninsula Light Company | Cooperative | 35.5K | 10.50¢ |
| PUD No 3 of Mason County | Political Subdivision | 34.0K | 13.79¢ |
Showing the 15 largest of 39 reporting utilities. The 7 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.