Electricity Prices by State (July 2026 EIA Data)
Short answer: U.S. homes paid an average of 18.31¢ per kWh in July 2026, 4.9% more than in July 2025 (17.45¢). Prices rose year over year in 45 of 51 states (counting D.C.).
Most expensive: Hawaii (48.00¢), California (33.61¢), Maine (32.41¢). Cheapest: Louisiana (12.72¢), Nevada (12.77¢), Utah (13.12¢).
Residential electricity price by state, July 2026
Ranked from most to least expensive. Figures are average cents per kilowatt-hour paid by residential customers, as published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration on September 24, 2026.
| # | State | July 2026 | July 2025 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | 48.00¢ | 39.36¢ | +22.0% | |
| 2 | California | 33.61¢ | 32.66¢ | +2.9% | |
| 3 | Maine | 32.41¢ | 27.98¢ | +15.8% | |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 30.49¢ | 30.07¢ | +1.4% | |
| 5 | New York | 29.90¢ | 26.22¢ | +14.0% | |
| 6 | Alaska | 28.83¢ | 27.30¢ | +5.6% | |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 28.29¢ | 26.18¢ | +8.1% | |
| 8 | New Hampshire | 26.60¢ | 22.79¢ | +16.7% | |
| 9 | District of Columbia | 25.21¢ | 23.04¢ | +9.4% | |
| 10 | New Jersey | 25.19¢ | 25.32¢ | -0.5% | |
| 11 | Connecticut | 24.16¢ | 27.60¢ | -12.5% | |
| 12 | Vermont | 23.75¢ | 22.14¢ | +7.3% | |
| 13 | Michigan | 23.05¢ | 20.55¢ | +12.2% | |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | 21.72¢ | 19.51¢ | +11.3% | |
| 15 | Maryland | 21.41¢ | 18.83¢ | +13.7% | |
| 16 | Ohio | 19.45¢ | 17.38¢ | +11.9% | |
| 17 | Illinois | 19.22¢ | 17.22¢ | +11.6% | |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 19.06¢ | 18.25¢ | +4.4% | |
| 19 | Delaware | 18.48¢ | 16.58¢ | +11.5% | |
| 20 | Virginia | 17.55¢ | 15.78¢ | +11.2% | |
| 21 | Minnesota | 17.45¢ | 16.92¢ | +3.1% | |
| 22 | Colorado | 17.00¢ | 15.99¢ | +6.3% | |
| 23 | Indiana | 16.73¢ | 16.18¢ | +3.4% | |
| 24 | Alabama | 16.40¢ | 15.93¢ | +3.0% | |
| 25 | Georgia | 16.27¢ | 15.56¢ | +4.6% | |
| 26 | Missouri | 16.09¢ | 15.56¢ | +3.4% | |
| 27 | New Mexico | 16.09¢ | 15.80¢ | +1.8% | |
| 28 | Iowa | 15.99¢ | 15.31¢ | +4.4% | |
| 29 | Oregon | 15.97¢ | 15.61¢ | +2.3% | |
| 30 | Texas | 15.88¢ | 15.36¢ | +3.4% | |
| 31 | West Virginia | 15.78¢ | 15.43¢ | +2.3% | |
| 32 | South Carolina | 15.47¢ | 14.70¢ | +5.2% | |
| 33 | Arizona | 15.38¢ | 15.34¢ | +0.3% | |
| 34 | South Dakota | 15.37¢ | 14.52¢ | +5.9% | |
| 35 | Kansas | 15.27¢ | 14.46¢ | +5.6% | |
| 36 | North Carolina | 15.16¢ | 13.37¢ | +13.4% | |
| 37 | Florida | 15.03¢ | 15.11¢ | -0.5% | |
| 38 | Montana | 14.99¢ | 14.27¢ | +5.0% | |
| 39 | Washington | 14.71¢ | 13.45¢ | +9.4% | |
| 40 | Mississippi | 14.54¢ | 13.58¢ | +7.1% | |
| 41 | Wyoming | 14.36¢ | 14.64¢ | -1.9% | |
| 42 | Oklahoma | 14.35¢ | 13.52¢ | +6.1% | |
| 43 | Arkansas | 14.33¢ | 13.26¢ | +8.1% | |
| 44 | Kentucky | 13.81¢ | 13.13¢ | +5.2% | |
| 45 | Nebraska | 13.78¢ | 12.84¢ | +7.3% | |
| 46 | Idaho | 13.73¢ | 12.28¢ | +11.8% | |
| 47 | Tennessee | 13.71¢ | 13.21¢ | +3.8% | |
| 48 | North Dakota | 13.41¢ | 13.31¢ | +0.8% | |
| 49 | Utah | 13.12¢ | 13.45¢ | -2.5% | |
| 50 | Nevada | 12.77¢ | 12.39¢ | +3.1% | |
| 51 | Louisiana | 12.72¢ | 13.12¢ | -3.0% | |
| U.S. average | 18.31¢ | 17.45¢ | +4.9% |
What stands out
- Hawaii is in a category of its own at 48.00¢/kWh, and also posted the biggest jump in the table (+22.0% versus July 2025).
- New England and New York saw steep increases: New Hampshire +16.7%, Maine +15.8% and New York +14.0%. Connecticut went the other way, falling 12.5%, the largest drop of any state.
- California remains the most expensive state in the lower 48 at 33.61¢/kWh, more than 2.5 times the cheapest states.
- The cheapest power is in the South and Mountain West: Louisiana, Nevada, Utah, North Dakota and Tennessee were all under 14¢/kWh.
These percentages are our calculations from the EIA table: (July 2026 − July 2025) ÷ July 2025.
What this average does and doesn't tell you
EIA's state average is total residential electricity revenue divided by total residential kWh sold in that month. It is a good yardstick for comparing states and for rough estimates, but it is not your rate:
- It blends every utility and plan in the state, including fixed customer charges spread across kWh.
- It is a single month. Rates and usage patterns change with the season, so a July figure can differ from what you pay in January.
- July 2026 values are the latest available and may be revised by EIA in later releases.
To estimate a specific appliance, plug your state or your own rate into our electricity cost calculator.
How often this page is updated
EIA publishes Electric Power Monthly with roughly a two-month lag. We update this table after each new release and note the data month at the top of the page.
Sources
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A. Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector, by State, July 2026 and 2025, released September 24, 2026.