What’s your neighbor paying for electricity? What’s the average electric bill of a business in Texas? Or Pennsylvania? Where is it more expensive to live — the southeast or southwest? We’ve analyzed the numbers (electricity rates broken down by state/month for the first part of 2016) and came up with answers to those questions — plus more!
Average Electric Bill for Homes
Residential electricity consumers are customers that use electricity in either a home, apartment, condo, townhouse, or trailer. The average home or residence within the United States uses approximately 911 kWh of electricity every month.
If you take the average amount of electricity used per month and multiply it by the average cost per kWh for each state per month, you can determine the average cost of electricity. So, for the state of California in the month of January, the rate of electricity per kWh was 17.76 cents. If you multiply 17.76 by 911 (17.76 x 911) you will see that the average residential cost for electricity in the month of January for the state of California was: $161.00 USD (rounded down to the nearest dollar).
Based on this calculation, the chart below displays each state and the total average cost of electricity for the months between January and June 2016. In the final column, you will see those same monthly averages displayed as a total average.
| STATE | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $100 | $104 | $110 | $113 | $110 | $110 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $108 |
| Alaska | $177 | $180 | $182 | $188 | $190 | $194 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $185 |
| Arizona | $99 | $104 | $107 | $112 | $117 | $114 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $109 |
| Arkansas | $81 | $83 | $87 | $91 | $99 | $93 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $88 |
| California | $161 | $161 | $160 | $112 | $161 | $164 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $153 |
| Colorado | $99 | $102 | $103 | $107 | $106 | $114 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $105 |
| Connecticut | $180 | $188 | $189 | $192 | $197 | $190 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $189 |
| Delaware | $119 | $118 | $121 | $126 | $132 | $123 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $123 |
| DC | $118 | $116 | $120 | $122 | $124 | $117 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $120 |
| Florida | $105 | $103 | $102 | $100 | $98 | $100 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $102 |
| Georgia | $95 | $95 | $101 | $101 | $104 | $111 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $101 |
| Hawaii | $245 | $243 | $249 | $249 | $244 | $250 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $246 |
| Idaho | $86 | $88 | $89 | $89 | $92 | $92 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $89 |
| Illinois | $104 | $108 | $114 | $116 | $121 | $111 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $112 |
| Indiana | $95 | $95 | $102 | $107 | $107 | $103 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $102 |
| Iowa | $95 | $99 | $102 | $106 | $118 | $123 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $108 |
| Kansas | $108 | $114 | $119 | $122 | $125 | $121 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $118 |
| Kentucky | $89 | $88 | $91 | $94 | $95 | $94 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $92 |
| Louisiana | $77 | $77 | $83 | $83 | $84 | $81 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $81 |
| Maine | $160 | $162 | $171 | $130 | $145 | $146 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $152 |
| Maryland | $127 | $127 | $130 | $130 | $133 | $133 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $130 |
| Massachusetts | $176 | $180 | $180 | $188 | $173 | $168 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $177 |
| Michigan | $132 | $135 | $135 | $136 | $139 | $140 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $136 |
| Minnesota | $109 | $110 | $111 | $114 | $118 | $116 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $113 |
| Mississippi | $95 | $94 | $99 | $100 | $99 | $96 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $97 |
| Missouri | $83 | $84 | $91 | $94 | $108 | $114 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $96 |
| Montana | $92 | $95 | $99 | $100 | $104 | $105 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $99 |
| Nebraska | $85 | $89 | $93 | $97 | $100 | $108 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $95 |
| Nevada | $104 | $111 | $111 | $109 | $110 | $103 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $108 |
| New Hampshire | $163 | $167 | $168 | $170 | $168 | $165 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $167 |
| New Jersey | $140 | $141 | $141 | $141 | $140 | $146 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $141 |
| New Mexico | $104 | $102 | $104 | $103 | $103 | $111 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $104 |
| New York | $150 | $152 | $153 | $158 | $161 | $162 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $156 |
| North Carolina | $95 | $98 | $106 | $106 | $103 | $103 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $101 |
| North Dakota | $78 | $85 | $89 | $95 | $100 | $103 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $92 |
| Ohio | $109 | $109 | $113 | $116 | $118 | $113 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $113 |
| Oklahoma | $75 | $87 | $93 | $99 | $97 | $91 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $90 |
| Oregon | $92 | $94 | $94 | $95 | $98 | $98 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $95 |
| Pennsylvania | $126 | $127 | $128 | $129 | $131 | $127 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $128 |
| Rhode Island | $167 | $171 | $173 | $177 | $164 | $172 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $170 |
| South Carolina | $106 | $108 | $117 | $116 | $114 | $115 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $113 |
| South Dakota | $92 | $94 | $100 | $103 | $110 | $109 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $101 |
| Tennessee | $90 | $87 | $91 | $93 | $93 | $94 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $91 |
| Texas | $99 | $100 | $102 | $102 | $101 | $101 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $110 |
| Utah | $96 | $96 | $97 | $97 | $100 | $104 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $98 |
| Vermont | $151 | $153 | $155 | $159 | $162 | $160 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $157 |
| Virginia | $97 | $99 | $101 | $109 | $109 | $111 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $104 |
| Washington | $82 | $83 | $83 | $84 | $86 | $87 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $84 |
| West Virginia | $97 | $97 | $100 | $102 | $103 | $101 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $100 |
| Wisconsin | $125 | $128 | $129 | $131 | $136 | $136 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $131 |
| Wyoming | $95 | $96 | $98 | $100 | $105 | $107 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $100 |
Looking at the electric bills and rates for specific areas can give us a lot of information about the energy market for specific areas, as well within the United States. For example, as we approached June, the average residential rate by state increases. The reason for this is because the weather started to get hotter heading into summer and more people started to use air conditioning units. In fact, this was something the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicted. They estimated a 4.5% year-over-year increase in towards the third quarter of 2016.
During the winter months, January through to March, many areas within the United States saw a much milder winter compared to 2015 and 2014. These states include Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, and several other southwestern states. Many of these states saw a decrease in their electricity rates and total monthly cost during this season (compared to 2015). The EIA supports this, indicating that total sales of electricity dropped by 4.9% in the first half of 2016 compared to the first half of 2015.
In June of this year, residential rates averaged 12.7 cents per kWh. Overall, this is 1.5% lower than residential rates in June 2015. Now that the summer months are coming to an end, experts estimate that the rates will continue to fall towards the end of the year by 0.6%.
Average Electric Bill for Businesses
Commercial electricity rates are calculated a bit differently from residential rates. These rates on average tend to be much higher, simply because they consume so much more electricity on a monthly basis. The average commercial business uses approximately 6,000 kWh each month.
To calculate the average cost of commercial electricity for any business within the United States, you simply take the kWh rate of the state for the month and multiply it by 6000. For example, the rate of electricity for Louisiana in March was: 8.9 cents per kWh. If we multiply 8.9 by 6000 (8.9 x 6000) we find that the average cost of electricity was $534 (rounded down to the nearest dollar). While Louisiana happens to be a state with lower electricity rates compared to Alaska or Hawaii, the average commercial customer in the United States will pay around $664 per month for electricity.
Keep in mind that electricity rates vary wildly from business to business as different industries use or consume electricity in many different ways.
Take a look at the chart below to view the average monthly electric bill for commercial electricity (by state) from January to June 2016. In the column on the far right, the cost shown is the total average amount by state for the same period.
| STATE | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $654 | $657 | $654 | $662 | $661 | $669 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $660 |
| Alaska | $1056 | $1058 | $1059 | $1101 | $1103 | $1117 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $1083 |
| Arizona | $575 | $592 | $585 | $604 | $664 | $672 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $615 |
| Arkansas | $471 | $478 | $477 | $479 | $492 | $508 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $484 |
| California | $825 | $828 | $829 | $825 | $874 | $963 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $858 |
| Colorado | $506 | $526 | $539 | $568 | $573 | $615 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $555 |
| Connecticut | $920 | $968 | $966 | $943 | $951 | $960 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $951 |
| Delaware | $604 | $639 | $630 | $609 | $637 | $599 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $620 |
| DC | $698 | $745 | $694 | $712 | $699 | $694 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $708 |
| Florida | $574 | $578 | $552 | $540 | $534 | $535 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $552 |
| Georgia | $579 | $568 | $559 | $569 | $578 | $595 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $574 |
| Hawaii | $1484 | $1420 | $1439 | $1398 | $1415 | $1481 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $1440 |
| Idaho | $446 | $455 | $459 | $461 | $465 | $498 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $464 |
| Illinois | $502 | $508 | $519 | $520 | $541 | $343 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $489 |
| Indiana | $553 | $564 | $575 | $585 | $574 | $573 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $571 |
| Iowa | $492 | $513 | $507 | $520 | $566 | $640 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $540 |
| Kansas | $595 | $615 | $622 | $616 | $626 | $634 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $618 |
| Kentucky | $545 | $558 | $563 | $567 | $564 | $568 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $561 |
| Louisiana | $502 | $505 | $534 | $516 | $505 | $486 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $508 |
| Maine | $732 | $739 | $735 | $683 | $735 | $698 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $720 |
| Maryland | $656 | $657 | $657 | $660 | $669 | $663 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $660 |
| Massachusetts | $924 | $959 | $933 | $933 | $891 | $919 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $927 |
| Michigan | $613 | $635 | $623 | $625 | $642 | $639 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $630 |
| Minnesota | $570 | $570 | $567 | $586 | $597 | $592 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $580 |
| Mississippi | $603 | $589 | $587 | $562 | $558 | $571 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $579 |
| Missouri | $469 | $487 | $487 | $493 | $561 | $639 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $523 |
| Montana | $570 | $592 | $614 | $616 | $626 | $630 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $608 |
| Nebraska | $508 | $513 | $517 | $519 | $527 | $573 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $526 |
| Nevada | $489 | $520 | $498 | $482 | $483 | $475 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $491 |
| New Hampshire | $874 | $886 | $874 | $869 | $865 | $841 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $868 |
| New Jersey | $712 | $710 | $724 | $721 | $745 | $804 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $736 |
| New Mexico | $572 | $562 | $561 | $539 | $555 | $607 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $566 |
| New York | $787 | $801 | $814 | $827 | $815 | $907 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $825 |
| North Carolina | $514 | $522 | $511 | $509 | $513 | $517 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $514 |
| North Dakota | $506 | $537 | $535 | $558 | $547 | $558 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $540 |
| Ohio | $575 | $590 | $590 | $595 | $600 | $589 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $590 |
| Oklahoma | $410 | $417 | $403 | $411 | $432 | $468 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $423 |
| Oregon | $520 | $532 | $532 | $532 | $535 | $527 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $529 |
| Pennsylvania | $565 | $574 | $567 | $571 | $560 | $547 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $564 |
| Rhode Island | $945 | $964 | $933 | $907 | $862 | $868 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $923 |
| South Carolina | $593 | $605 | $594 | $586 | $591 | $634 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $601 |
| South Dakota | $525 | $534 | $533 | $559 | $573 | $582 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $554 |
| Tennessee | $586 | $586 | $595 | $578 | $573 | $606 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $588 |
| Texas | $456 | $457 | $453 | $442 | $463 | $468 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $456 |
| Utah | $491 | $497 | $495 | $509 | $559 | $586 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $523 |
| Vermont | $852 | $858 | $863 | $869 | $889 | $874 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $868 |
| Virginia | $491 | $489 | $485 | $489 | $491 | $497 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $490 |
| Washington | $497 | $511 | $508 | $498 | $493 | $500 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $501 |
| West Virginia | $543 | $568 | $573 | $569 | $561 | $552 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $561 |
| Wisconsin | $462 | $648 | $648 | $651 | $664 | $688 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $657 |
| Wyoming | $547 | $548 | $563 | $565 | $586 | $585 | – | – | – | – | – | – | $565 |
For commercial electricity rates, they remain pretty much unchanged from last year’s rates. While the weather does have a similar impact on commercial rates when compared to residential rates, many commercial buildings do not see the same dips and rises because they use so much more energy (and in different ways).
According to the EIA, we can expect the rates of 2016 to rise or grow by 1% for 2017.
Please note that these average electric bills are estimated averages and for informational purposes only — please do not make any decisions best upon these numbers. Electric bills vary wildly depending on your individual electric rate, square footage, energy requirements, etc. These estimates also do not include any provider or utility related fees and charges.