Methodology → Freshness Scoring
Freshness Scoring Methodology
Freshness scoring indicates how recently a state's rate data was updated. It helps users and analysts assess data recency at a glance.
Thresholds
Each state has an updated date. We compute days since that date and classify as follows:
- Fresh — Less than 45 days since update
- Aging — 45 to 90 days since update
- Stale — More than 90 days since update
Why freshness matters
Electricity rates change over time. Stale data may not reflect current market conditions. Freshness is factored into the Value Score™ and displayed on state pages and comparison tables so users can weigh recency when making decisions.
Data update cycle
We aim for a monthly review cadence. State rates are updated when new data is published by our sources (e.g., EIA, state PUCs). See data policy for details.
Display
Labels are shown as "Updated X days ago" or "Updated X days ago (data may be outdated)" for stale data. Invalid or missing dates are treated as stale.