Electricity Affordability in the United States
Electricity affordability measures how expensive electricity is relative to typical usage. States with lower rates and lower estimated bills are generally more affordable. This page explains how affordability varies across the United States and links to state-level analysis.
National Context
Nationally, electricity prices vary widely. At 900 kWh per month—a common residential usage level—estimated monthly bills range from under $100 in some states to over $350 in others.
The national average residential rate is 17.57¢/kWh, which translates to an estimated monthly bill of about $158.13 at 900 kWh.
Hawaii has the highest average rate (41.30¢/kWh); Idaho has the lowest (11.74¢/kWh).
State Differences
Electricity costs vary widely across states due to generation mix, transmission costs, regulations, and demand. States with abundant hydropower or natural gas often have lower rates; those with higher renewable mandates or imported power may have higher rates and higher estimated bills.
Electricity Affordability by State
Explore electricity affordability in each state:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District Of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Affordability Rankings
- Affordability Rankings — Deterministic affordability ranking across normalized states.
- Most Affordable Electricity by State — States ranked by estimated monthly electricity bill at 900 kWh. Lower bill = more affordable.
- Least Affordable Electricity by State — States ranked by estimated monthly electricity bill at 900 kWh. Higher bill = less affordable.
- Rate Rankings (High to Low) — Deterministic ranking of average state rates from highest to lowest.
- Rate Rankings (Low to High) — Deterministic ranking of average state rates from lowest to highest.
Related Pages
- Electricity cost by state — Current rates and estimated costs
- Average electricity bill — Monthly bill estimates by state
- Electricity inflation — How prices have changed over time
- Electricity cost comparison — Compare costs between states
- Electricity cost of living — Electricity's role in household cost of living
- Explore solar vs grid electricity economics — Grid electricity price context for solar
- Electricity price volatility — Which states have more volatile electricity prices
Related topics: Electricity inflation · Electricity price volatility · Electricity topics hub · Electricity data
Related pages
Electricity Trends | Electricity Insights | Knowledge Hub | Datasets