Free tool · 2025 EIA rates

Electricity cost calculator

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's 2025 annual retail-sales series, US residential average revenue is 17.30¢/kWh. Enter usage and a state to build a rate-only monthly estimate, not a live utility bill.

17.30¢
US average rate
51
States covered
DOE EIA
Data source

What the rates imply for one household

According to EIA's 2025 annual retail-sales averages, the same 886 kWh household would estimate $104.64/mo in North Dakota versus $359.63/mo in Hawaii (3.4x high-to-low rate spread around the 17.30¢ national average).

11.81¢
North Dakota (lowest average)
17.30¢
US residential average
40.59¢
Hawaii (highest average)
3.4×
high-to-low rate spread

Benchmark uses EIA state averages × 886 kWh (EIA-reported US household monthly average). Fixed charges and tariff tiers are excluded.

Estimate a rate-only monthly electricity bill by state

According to EIA's 2025 annual-frequency retail-sales series, US residential average revenue is 17.30¢ per kWh. This calculator multiplies your entered usage by a state's EIA average to create a comparable rate-only benchmark; it is not a utility bill estimate because it excludes tariff terms, fixed charges, and tiers. Source: EIA electricity/retail-sales.

Default is the EIA-reported US household average of 886 kWh/month

US average electricity rate by sector (2025)

Average revenue per kWh, in cents, the calculator uses residential rates.

Value
  • Residential
    17.3
  • Commercial
    13.41
  • Industrial
    8.62

What this shows Households pay the most per kWh, about double the industrial rate, so the residential figure above is the right benchmark for a home electricity bill.

Source EIA retail-sales API, annual frequency As of 2025

What this rate-only estimate measures

According to EIA's 2025 annual retail-sales averages used on this page, residential prices range from 11.81¢/kWh in North Dakota to 40.59¢/kWh in Hawaii. These figures are reported state averages of utility revenue per kWh sold; they do not identify a household's tariff, fixed charges, or why a state's average differs.

At the national average of 17.30¢/kWh, an 886 kWh month estimates about $153.28 before utility-specific charges. Compare the same annual series on the cheapest-electricity ranking or open any state profile.

Limits of the benchmark

This tool multiplies usage by one EIA state-average residential rate. It excludes customer charges, demand charges, tiered or time-of-use schedules, taxes, and rider adjustments. A shareable link stores only the kWh and state you entered so you can reopen the same rate-only scenario; it is not a quote from your utility.

RateWatt publishes the compiled EIA averages with vintage and methodology on every related page. For source documentation, use the EIA electricity/retail-sales browser and RateWatt's methodology. Informational use only; see the disclaimer.

State rate data coverage

Coverage is all 50 states plus Washington, DC (51 jurisdictions in the 2025 residential series loaded for this calculator). Sector averages for commercial and industrial appear in the chart above for context; the interactive estimate uses the residential series only.

Next registry reads

Stay with EIA-derived comparisons: rate averages, not advice.

  • See how your state ranks against all 50 states + DC. Rankings
  • Open your state's full rate, trend, and generation profile. All states
  • Read how EIA averages map to bill line items. Rate guide

Estimates use EIA state-average rates; your utility, plan, and usage set your actual bill.

Every rate on this calculator is rendered from RateWatt's stored EIA annual-frequency retail-sales series for 2025; no rate is typed in by an editor. The estimate multiplies your entered kWh by the selected state's residential average; it excludes utility-specific fees, tiers, and riders. Report errors via /contact or the editorial & corrections policy. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2025.