Compare electricity rates by state
Scan average residential rates, then use the estimator to translate cents per kWh into a monthly bill range.
Client-side tool · PII 0
Bill estimator
Estimated monthly bill
Midpoint about $136 at 15.1¢/kWh.
Rate comparison
Residential rate benchmarks
This table compares average residential electricity prices by state. Treat the ranking as a benchmark, not a final bill prediction: a state with a lower average rate can still produce a higher bill when cooling load, electric heat, household usage, or fixed delivery fees are high.
Start with the cents-per-kWh comparison, then use the estimator on this page to test low, typical, and high usage scenarios. If you are comparing utilities inside one state, check each utility page or published tariff because local delivery charges and rider adjustments can matter more than the statewide average.
The most useful comparison is usually directional. Look for large gaps between states, then ask whether the difference comes from energy supply, delivery infrastructure, taxes, weather-driven usage, or plan design. A small rate gap may disappear once real household kWh use and fixed monthly charges are included.
Readers moving between states should also compare climate and housing assumptions. A lower rate in a hotter region can still mean a larger summer bill, while a higher rate in a mild region may be offset by lower usage. The table is most useful when paired with a realistic monthly kWh estimate.
Use rankings as a prompt for deeper questions. If a state appears near the expensive end, check whether the cause is fuel mix, transmission constraints, retail market rules, storm recovery charges, or policy costs. If a state appears cheaper, still confirm whether local utilities add fixed charges that make low-usage households pay more than the average suggests.
A second useful pass is to compare volatility. Some regions have seasonal price pressure, fuel-cost adjustments, or retail plans that can change faster than annual averages. If a household is choosing a plan, the current tariff and contract terms matter more than the statewide ranking.
When the table is used for research, record the data date as well as the rate. Electricity prices can move after fuel-cost updates, storm recovery charges, or annual tariff cases, so a saved benchmark should always be tied to the source period shown by the page.
What the comparison does not include
Average rates usually do not show every bill component a household sees. Your bill may include customer charges, distribution fees, public-purpose program charges, fuel adjustments, time-of-use pricing, demand charges for some plans, or taxes that vary by city and utility.
For that reason, wattbenchs presents ranges and source context instead of telling readers that one state or utility will always be cheaper. The safest workflow is to compare the benchmark, estimate several usage levels, and then verify the current rate schedule before switching plans or changing a household budget.
If a state looks expensive, review whether assistance programs, medical baseline allowances, budget billing, weatherization support, or time-of-use plan changes are available. Those options depend on the utility and household situation, so the comparison page should be treated as the starting point for questions rather than the final answer.
For renters, the better question may be whether electricity is used for heat, hot water, cooking, laundry, or only lights and plug load. For homeowners, insulation, heat pumps, electric vehicles, pool pumps, and solar billing rules can change the result more than a one- or two-cent difference in the statewide benchmark.
For budget planning, compare several bill cases instead of one average. A 500 kWh apartment, a 900 kWh single-family home, and a 1,400 kWh electric-heating home can produce very different conclusions from the same rate table. That is why the estimator remains beside the comparison rather than hidden on a separate page.
When a comparison supports a real decision, save the assumptions used: state, rate, kWh, billing period, and whether the estimate included only energy or also delivery. Those notes make it easier to compare the result with a future bill or explain the difference to a utility representative.
For hardship questions, the ranking should lead to local program research rather than a broad conclusion. Assistance rules, arrears programs, and weatherization support are usually state or utility specific.