Delaware Electricity Price Trends

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Historical rates by sector, 2016–2025

2025 Residential

17.13¢/kWh

-1.0% vs US avg

Delaware residential electricity costs 17.13¢/kWh in 2025

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration retail-sales series (2025 annual frequency), residential electricity in Delaware costs 17.13¢/kWh, 1% below the national average. Since 2016, the rate has changed +27.6%.

Where Delaware sits: according to EIA's annual retail-sales series, its residential rate changed +27.6% between 2016 and 2025, the 33rd steepest of 51 jurisdictions (the 50 states and the District of Columbia), a steeper move than 36% of the other 50. Ranked on the same 2016 to 2025 window for every state; see the methodology.

Reading the Delaware Price Trend

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's retail-sales series, RateWatt currently holds 2,040 annual state-sector records spanning 2016 through 2025. These are statewide annual averages, not individual utility quotes. See the methodology for source scope and refresh cadence.

Delaware residential electricity moved from 13.42¢/kWh in 2016 to 17.13¢/kWh in 2025, a cumulative change of +27.6% over 10 reporting years. The more recent five-year window changed +36.4% since 2020; comparing the two windows describes whether the pace changed, but does not establish why. Against the national residential benchmark of 17.30¢/kWh, Delaware now sits 1% below the U.S. average for 2025.

Commercial customers in Delaware paid 12.64¢/kWh in 2025, while industrial customers paid 9.64¢/kWh. Sector differences can reflect customer mix, consumption volume, tariff design, and cost allocation; this statewide series does not identify which factor drives a state's gap. Here the residential-to-industrial multiplier is about 1.8x, one descriptive benchmark for comparison with peer states.

EIA reports 5 generation sources for Delaware; ranked by share of generation they run natural gas, solar, coal, petroleum, wind. Of the 11 sources EIA reports somewhere in the country, Delaware records no generation from biomass, geothermal, hydro, nuclear, other or pumped storage. That is an absence in the published series, not a statement that no such capacity exists. This price series and that generation series are published separately and are not joined here, so nothing on this page attributes a price movement to a fuel mix. Adjacent entries in the alphabetical state browser are Connecticut and District of Columbia; their pages carry the same series on the same basis. EIA publishes the annual series once per year and revises prior years without renumbering them, so a figure here can change when a later release restates it.

Within the year, November is the costliest month on average

The annual averages above smooth over a repeating within-year pattern. Across EIA's monthly series, Delaware's residential rate averages about 18.08¢/kWh in November and about 15.13¢/kWh in January, a 17.7% spread around the monthly mean. 24 of the 51 states with a full monthly record sit in this ten-to-twenty percent band. The monthly and annual series summarize the same retail-sales activity at different frequencies; the annual price is revenue divided by sales for the full year, not the arithmetic mean of twelve monthly price ratios.

Within-year profile computed from 36 monthly observations across 3 complete calendar years in EIA's residential series (monthly data begins 2023-01). Partial calendar years are excluded so a newer partial tail cannot bias January–May against later months. Peak and trough are the highest and lowest month averages across that record, not a forecast; the spread is quoted against this state's own monthly mean.

How often the rate has actually fallen

This is not a one-way climb: Delaware's residential rate fell in 3 of 9 steps, more often than most states manage, with the largest drop in 2018 at 0.82¢.

The recent climb is steeper here than in most of the country

Across the full 9-year record Delaware residential prices rose about 2.7% a year. Over the last five they rose about 6.4% a year. That 3.7% step-up is bigger than the one recorded in 92% of states, so the recent path diverged more sharply from this state's own long-run pace than most.

Both figures are compound annual rates over EIA's published residential series, so the five-year and full-record windows are directly comparable; the national comparison ranks all 51 states and DC on the same measure. Annual state-level averages, not individual bills.

Trajectory peers

Which states followed a similar residential price path?

Each state begins at an index of 100 in 2016; the comparison then measures how closely its annual path follows Delaware through 2025. This compares the shape of the EIA series, not the price level, and does not claim that two states share the same market or causes.

Closest path shapes

Nearest matches after each state starts at an index of 100

  1. Maryland +36.9% since 2016
  2. Wisconsin +29.1% since 2016
  3. North Carolina +27.1% since 2016
  4. Missouri +20.3% since 2016
  5. Ohio +36.0% since 2016
  6. Arizona +26.1% since 2016
  7. Idaho +18.8% since 2016
  8. Montana +18.6% since 2016

Other steeper paths

Nearest unused states with a larger 2016–2025 rise

  1. New Jersey +44.0% since 2016
  2. Washington +38.3% since 2016
  3. West Virginia +34.7% since 2016
  4. Pennsylvania +39.2% since 2016
  5. Colorado +31.3% since 2016
  6. Oklahoma +28.6% since 2016

Other gentler paths

Nearest unused states with a smaller 2016–2025 rise

  1. Utah +18.6% since 2016
  2. South Carolina +18.3% since 2016
  3. Wyoming +20.2% since 2016
  4. Minnesota +24.9% since 2016
  5. North Dakota +16.2% since 2016
  6. South Dakota +16.7% since 2016

Calculated from 51 jurisdictions covering the complete 2016–2025 annual window. Directional lists exclude states already shown as the closest matches, so every name appears once.

Residential
Commercial
Industrial
US Average (Residential)
6.7¢ 9.4¢ 12.0¢ 14.7¢ 17.3¢ 201620182020202220242025 Delaware residential, 2025: 17.13¢ per kWh Delaware residential, 2024: 16.57¢ per kWh Delaware residential, 2023: 15.73¢ per kWh Delaware residential, 2022: 13.71¢ per kWh Delaware residential, 2021: 12.52¢ per kWh Delaware residential, 2020: 12.56¢ per kWh Delaware residential, 2019: 12.55¢ per kWh Delaware residential, 2018: 12.53¢ per kWh Delaware residential, 2017: 13.35¢ per kWh Delaware residential, 2016: 13.42¢ per kWh Delaware commercial, 2025: 12.64¢ per kWh Delaware commercial, 2024: 12.20¢ per kWh Delaware commercial, 2023: 11.83¢ per kWh Delaware commercial, 2022: 10.98¢ per kWh Delaware commercial, 2021: 9.48¢ per kWh Delaware commercial, 2020: 9.18¢ per kWh Delaware commercial, 2019: 9.53¢ per kWh Delaware commercial, 2018: 9.65¢ per kWh Delaware commercial, 2017: 9.89¢ per kWh Delaware commercial, 2016: 10.07¢ per kWh Delaware industrial, 2025: 9.64¢ per kWh Delaware industrial, 2024: 8.49¢ per kWh Delaware industrial, 2023: 7.85¢ per kWh Delaware industrial, 2022: 8.79¢ per kWh Delaware industrial, 2021: 7.60¢ per kWh Delaware industrial, 2020: 6.70¢ per kWh Delaware industrial, 2019: 7.70¢ per kWh Delaware industrial, 2018: 7.95¢ per kWh Delaware industrial, 2017: 7.78¢ per kWh Delaware industrial, 2016: 8.11¢ per kWh US residential average, 2025: 17.30¢ per kWh US residential average, 2024: 16.48¢ per kWh US residential average, 2023: 16.00¢ per kWh US residential average, 2022: 15.04¢ per kWh US residential average, 2021: 13.66¢ per kWh US residential average, 2020: 13.15¢ per kWh US residential average, 2019: 13.01¢ per kWh US residential average, 2018: 12.87¢ per kWh US residential average, 2017: 12.89¢ per kWh US residential average, 2016: 12.55¢ per kWh
Annual average revenue per kilowatt-hour for Delaware by sector and the US residential benchmark. Focus or tap a point for its year and exact value; the full values are also listed in the table below.

2025 Rate

17.13¢/kWh

vs National Avg

-1.0%

5-Year Change

+36.4%

Since 2016

+27.6%

Annual Average Prices

Year Residential US Avg
2025 17.13¢/kWh +3.4% 17.30¢/kWh
2024 16.57¢/kWh +5.3% 16.48¢/kWh
2023 15.73¢/kWh +14.7% 16.00¢/kWh
2022 13.71¢/kWh +9.5% 15.04¢/kWh
2021 12.52¢/kWh -0.3% 13.66¢/kWh
2020 12.56¢/kWh +0.1% 13.15¢/kWh
2019 12.55¢/kWh +0.2% 13.01¢/kWh
2018 12.53¢/kWh -6.1% 12.87¢/kWh
2017 13.35¢/kWh -0.5% 12.89¢/kWh
2016 13.42¢/kWh 12.55¢/kWh

Provider record

Largest bundled residential providers EIA reports for Delaware

EIA-861 table 6 lists 9 reporting entities here for 2024, ordered by residential customer count. A provider's appearance is not evidence that it serves every address or that a household can choose it.

ProviderOwnershipResidential customersEIA average price
Delmarva PowerInvestor Owned275,01817.23¢/kWh
Delaware Electric CooperativeCooperative104,83914.22¢/kWh
City of Dover - (DE)Municipal21,60115.52¢/kWh
City of Newark - (DE)Municipal11,88818.99¢/kWh
Town of Middletown - (DE)Municipal9,07117.12¢/kWh
City of Milford - (DE)Municipal7,16915.17¢/kWh
Tesla Inc.Behind the Meter3,32716.02¢/kWh
Sunrun Inc.Behind the Meter39012.98¢/kWh
SunnovaBehind the Meter1918.12¢/kWh

“Average price” is EIA's reported residential revenue divided by sales, not a tariff, plan offer, or bill quote. Source: EIA Electric Sales, Revenue, and Average Price, table 6.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are electricity prices going up in Delaware?
From 2016 to 2025, residential electricity in Delaware changed from 13.42¢/kWh to 17.13¢/kWh (+27.6%). Over the past 5 years, the change was +36.4%.
How does Delaware's electricity price compare to the national average?
Delaware's residential electricity rate of 17.13¢/kWh is 1% below the national average of 17.30¢/kWh (2025).
What do businesses pay for electricity in Delaware?
Commercial electricity in Delaware costs 12.64¢/kWh (2025), compared to 17.13¢/kWh for residential customers. These are separate statewide sector averages; this series does not identify why they differ.
Where does this price trend data come from?
All electricity price data is from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the official federal statistics agency for energy data. The table, chart, rankings, and long-window changes use annual statewide averages in cents per kilowatt-hour; the within-year profile uses EIA's separate monthly statewide series.

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Prices in cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Annual averages.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electricity (Retail Sales of Electricity to Ultimate Customers). See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by RateWatt