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Residential Electricity Prices by State: May 2026

Compare May 2026 average residential electricity prices for all 50 states and Washington, D.C., using EIA data. Download the table and use a rate in the appliance calculator.

The U.S. residential average electricity price was 18.44 cents per kilowatt-hour in May 2026.

State averages ranged from 12.35 cents per kWh in Idaho to 52.00 cents per kWh in Hawaii.

These are statewide monthly averages from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. They are not personal utility rates, posted tariffs, or guaranteed marginal prices.

Data period: May 2026
EIA release date: July 23, 2026
Dataset: EIA API v2, electricity/retail-sales
Sector: Residential
Unit: cents per kilowatt-hour
Download: May 2026 state-price CSV

What the state average means

EIA calculates average retail prices from electricity revenue and sales.

A state average can differ from your bill because of:

  • Utility
  • City or service territory
  • Supply provider
  • Monthly fixed charge
  • Seasonal rate
  • Tier
  • Time-of-use period
  • Taxes and riders
  • Credits
  • Distributed generation
  • Billing adjustments

Use your bill for a personal appliance calculation.

Highest state averages

The five highest May 2026 averages were:

Hawaii (52.00¢), California (33.25¢), New York (29.93¢), Rhode Island (29.46¢), Massachusetts (28.82¢).

Lowest state averages

The five lowest were:

Idaho (12.35¢), Utah (12.96¢), Oklahoma (13.38¢), Nebraska (13.59¢), Nevada (13.60¢).

Cost of 100 kWh

At the U.S. average:

100 \text( kWh) \times \$0.1844 = \$18.44

At Hawaii’s state average:

100 \times \$0.52 = \$52.00

At Idaho’s state average:

100 \times \$0.1235 = \$12.35

This does not include a separately billed fixed charge.

State table

StateMay 2026 residential priceCost of 100 kWhDifference from U.S. average
Alabama16.77¢/kWh$16.77-1.67¢/kWh
Alaska28.23¢/kWh$28.23+9.79¢/kWh
Arizona15.23¢/kWh$15.23-3.21¢/kWh
Arkansas14.36¢/kWh$14.36-4.08¢/kWh
California33.25¢/kWh$33.25+14.81¢/kWh
Colorado16.16¢/kWh$16.16-2.28¢/kWh
Connecticut27.37¢/kWh$27.37+8.93¢/kWh
Delaware19.38¢/kWh$19.38+0.94¢/kWh
District of Columbia25.40¢/kWh$25.40+6.96¢/kWh
Florida15.17¢/kWh$15.17-3.27¢/kWh
Georgia15.84¢/kWh$15.84-2.60¢/kWh
Hawaii52.00¢/kWh$52.00+33.56¢/kWh
Idaho12.35¢/kWh$12.35-6.09¢/kWh
Illinois23.85¢/kWh$23.85+5.41¢/kWh
Indiana18.15¢/kWh$18.15-0.29¢/kWh
Iowa14.14¢/kWh$14.14-4.30¢/kWh
Kansas15.13¢/kWh$15.13-3.31¢/kWh
Kentucky14.98¢/kWh$14.98-3.46¢/kWh
Louisiana14.15¢/kWh$14.15-4.29¢/kWh
Maine28.63¢/kWh$28.63+10.19¢/kWh
Maryland21.77¢/kWh$21.77+3.33¢/kWh
Massachusetts28.82¢/kWh$28.82+10.38¢/kWh
Michigan22.01¢/kWh$22.01+3.57¢/kWh
Minnesota16.95¢/kWh$16.95-1.49¢/kWh
Mississippi16.16¢/kWh$16.16-2.28¢/kWh
Missouri13.68¢/kWh$13.68-4.76¢/kWh
Montana14.67¢/kWh$14.67-3.77¢/kWh
Nebraska13.59¢/kWh$13.59-4.85¢/kWh
Nevada13.60¢/kWh$13.60-4.84¢/kWh
New Hampshire27.33¢/kWh$27.33+8.89¢/kWh
New Jersey23.27¢/kWh$23.27+4.83¢/kWh
New Mexico14.12¢/kWh$14.12-4.32¢/kWh
New York29.93¢/kWh$29.93+11.49¢/kWh
North Carolina15.09¢/kWh$15.09-3.35¢/kWh
North Dakota13.61¢/kWh$13.61-4.83¢/kWh
Ohio19.52¢/kWh$19.52+1.08¢/kWh
Oklahoma13.38¢/kWh$13.38-5.06¢/kWh
Oregon16.27¢/kWh$16.27-2.17¢/kWh
Pennsylvania21.55¢/kWh$21.55+3.11¢/kWh
Rhode Island29.46¢/kWh$29.46+11.02¢/kWh
South Carolina16.18¢/kWh$16.18-2.26¢/kWh
South Dakota15.73¢/kWh$15.73-2.71¢/kWh
Tennessee14.47¢/kWh$14.47-3.97¢/kWh
Texas16.44¢/kWh$16.44-2.00¢/kWh
Utah12.96¢/kWh$12.96-5.48¢/kWh
Vermont24.89¢/kWh$24.89+6.45¢/kWh
Virginia17.61¢/kWh$17.61-0.83¢/kWh
Washington14.95¢/kWh$14.95-3.49¢/kWh
West Virginia16.80¢/kWh$16.80-1.64¢/kWh
Wisconsin19.74¢/kWh$19.74+1.30¢/kWh
Wyoming14.80¢/kWh$14.80-3.64¢/kWh

Use a state average in the calculator

The Appliance Electricity Cost Calculator can load one of these state averages into its rate field.

The selection:

  • Is manual
  • Does not use device location
  • Does not identify a utility
  • Can be overwritten with the reader’s own rate
  • Remains in the browser

Methodology

Source query:

  • Route: electricity/retail-sales
  • Frequency: monthly
  • Data field: price
  • Sector: residential
  • Period: 2026-05
  • State records: 50 states and District of Columbia
  • U.S. average: 18.44 cents/kWh

The public page should display:

  • Data period
  • Release date
  • Retrieval date
  • Source attribution
  • Methodology
  • Revision note
  • CSV digest
  • Next freshness check

Revision and freshness policy

EIA may revise previously published values.

Before publication:

  1. Check the accepted EIA partition.
  2. Check EIA revision notices.
  3. Confirm the current release remains May 2026.
  4. If a newer accepted monthly release exists, update:
    • State table
    • CSV
    • U.S. default
    • Tool state selector
    • Worked examples that use the national rate
    • Page title and metadata
    • Source and artifact digests

Do not silently mix periods.

Important limitations

  • This is a monthly statewide average.
  • It is not an annual average.
  • It is not a forecast.
  • It is not a utility plan.
  • It is not a marginal rate.
  • It may reflect the mix of customers, weather, billing, and rate structures in the month.
  • Fixed customer charges cannot be removed by reducing one appliance’s energy use.

The accepted public CSV SHA-256 digest is cbf8122ee68bc5f56d152898111bf3dbcb2aa36ce5bf40bc9b526107cb3da845.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Table 5.6.A. Values are preliminary and may be revised.