(Last updated May 3rd, 2022)
Electricity bills are relentless – they come every month, and there’s little alternative except to pay them. But some months are more painful for residential electricity than others. Most state electricity comparisons are made on the basis of electricity rates, usually expressed in cents per kilowatt-hours (kWh). It’s a number that doesn’t mean much to average users, who care more about that figure on the bottom line of their electricity bills.
That’s why we publish the SaveOnEnergy.com® Electricity Bill Report, a monthly look factoring the latest average state energy rates and average power usage in each state to show what’s happening with the monthly electricity bills across the country. The May 2022 Report uses the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s data for January to show that Utah residents paid the lowest electricity bills in the country on average. On the other side, Hawaii residents paid the highest electricity bills of any state.
How does your state stack up?
10 states with the lowest electricity bills
| State | February rate (cents/kWh) | Avg. monthly usage (kWh) | Avg. bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | 10.59 | 769 | $81.44 |
| New Mexico | 13.24 | 670 | $88.71 |
| Montana | 10.42 | 869 | $89.40 |
| Wyoming | 10.32 | 858 | $89.68 |
| Idaho | 9.75 | 711 | $93.11 |
| Colorado | 13.63 | 955 | $96.91 |
| Washington | 10.03 | 721 | $97.19 |
| Iowa | 11.33 | 865 | $98.00 |
| Nebraska | 9.78 | 1013 | $99.07 |
| Oregon | 10.92 | 969 | $100.03 |
Digging into those numbers provides some surprises. Colorado residents paid 13.63 cents/kWh for electricity – the 18th-highest electric rate in the country. So how do they have such low bills? Their monthly energy usage is lower than the consumption in many other states.
Which states have the highest bills?
What about the other side of the equation? Hawaii recorded the lowest residential electricity average monthly usage at 537 kWh, but its high monthly rate of 38.15 cents/kWh in February landed it at the top of highest electric bills list.
10 states with the highest electricity bills
| State | February rate (cents/kWh) | Avg. monthly usage (kWh) | Avg. bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 38.15 | 537 | $204.87 |
| Connecticut | 26.48 | 711 | $188.27 |
| Florida | 13.70 | 1142 | $156.45 |
| Massachusetts | 25.59 | 602 | $154.05 |
| Rhode Island | 25.69 | 1,145 | $152.60 |
| Alabama | 13.15 | 594 | $150.57 |
| California | 25.59 | 1,132 | $146.37 |
| Arizona | 12.69 | 1,114 | $141.37 |
| South Carolina | 13.07 | 1,081 | $141.29 |
| New Hampshire | 22.15 | 572 | $139.55 |
We’ve outlined the best and the worst bills. See how your state did in this chart (1 = lowest bills):
Average electricity bills in all 50 states
| State | February rate (cents/kWh) | Avg. monthly usage (kWh) | Avg. bill | Cost ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 13.15 | 1,145 | $150.57 | 45 |
| Alaska | 22.10 | 552 | $121.99 | 27 |
| Arizona | 12.69 | 1,114 | $141.37 | 43 |
| Arkansas | 10.24 | 1,060 | $108.54 | 17 |
| California | 25.59 | 572 | $146.37 | 44 |
| Colorado | 13.63 | 711 | $96.91 | 6 |
| Connecticut | 26.48 | 711 | $188.27 | 49 |
| Delaware | 12.24 | 932 | $114.08 | 22 |
| Florida | 13.70 | 1,142 | $156.45 | 48 |
| Georgia | 11.90 | 1,081 | $128.64 | 35 |
| Hawaii | 38.15 | 537 | $204.87 | 50 |
| Idaho | 9.75 | 955 | $93.11 | 5 |
| Illinois | 14.05 | 721 | $101.30 | 11 |
| Indiana | 13.43 | 938 | $125.97 | 31 |
| Iowa | 11.33 | 865 | $98.00 | 8 |
| Kansas | 12.68 | 883 | $111.96 | 20 |
| Kentucky | 11.44 | 1,073 | $122.75 | 29 |
| Louisiana | 10.50 | 1,201 | $126.11 | 32 |
| Maine | 20.95 | 570 | $119.42 | 26 |
| Maryland | 14.06 | 957 | $134.55 | 38 |
| Massachusetts | 25.59 | 602 | $154.05 | 47 |
| Michigan | 17.13 | 676 | $115.80 | 23 |
| Minnesota | 13.17 | 775 | $102.07 | 12 |
| Mississippi | 11.75 | 1,146 | $134.66 | 39 |
| Missouri | 10.00 | 1,028 | $102.80 | 13 |
| Montana | 10.42 | 858 | $89.40 | 3 |
| Nebraska | 9.78 | 1,013 | $99.07 | 9 |
| Nevada | 13.18 | 973 | $128.24 | 34 |
| New Hampshire | 22.15 | 630 | $139.55 | 41 |
| New Jersey | 15.77 | 683 | $107.71 | 16 |
| New Mexico | 13.24 | 670 | $88.71 | 2 |
| New York | 21.58 | 602 | $129.91 | 36 |
| North Carolina | 11.21 | 1,041 | $116.70 | 24 |
| North Dakota | 9.64 | 1,085 | $104.59 | 15 |
| Ohio | 12.67 | 873 | $110.61 | 19 |
| Oklahoma | 10.40 | 1,078 | $112.11 | 21 |
| Oregon | 10.92 | 916 | $100.03 | 10 |
| Pennsylvania | 14.48 | 846 | $122.50 | 28 |
| Rhode Island | 25.69 | 594 | $152.60 | 46 |
| South Carolina | 13.07 | 1,081 | $141.29 | 42 |
| South Dakota | 11.27 | 1,037 | $116.87 | 25 |
| Tennessee | 10.89 | 1,168 | $127.20 | 33 |
| Texas | 12.28 | 1,132 | $139.01 | 40 |
| Utah | 10.59 | 769 | $81.44 | 1 |
| Vermont | 19.21 | 567 | $108.92 | 18 |
| Virginia | 12.07 | 1,095 | $132.17 | 37 |
| Washington | 10.03 | 969 | $97.19 | 7 |
| West Virginia | 11.92 | 1,051 | $125.28 | 30 |
| Wisconsin | 14.96 | 694 | $103.82 | 14 |
| Wyoming | 10.32 | 869 | $89.68 | 4 |
| United States | 13.83 | 893 | $123.50 |
How have electricity bills changed since last year?
Bills in Maine increased by the greatest percentage from a year ago, going up 29 percent since February 2021. Bills in Oklahoma and Arkansas decreased by 58% and 26.8% respectively. States like South Dakota, Wyoming, New Jersey, Texas, Iowa and Montana experienced slight decreases in electricity bills since last February.
10 states with the largest increase in electricity bills
| State | February 2022 avg. bill | February 2021 avg. bill | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maine | $119.42 | $92.57 | 29% |
| Hawaii | $204.87 | $173.72 | 17.9% |
| Connecticut | $188.27 | $161.33 | 16.7% |
| New Hampshire | $139.55 | $121.40 | 14.9% |
| Florida | $156.45 | $136.13 | 14.9% |
| New York | $129.91 | $113.06 | 14.9% |
| Illinois | $101.30 | $88.47 | 14.5% |
| California | $146.37 | $128.87 | 13.6% |
| Massachusetts | $154.05 | $136.35 | 13.0% |
| Maryland | $134.55 | $119.24 | 12.8% |
States with the smallest increase in electricity bills
| State | February 2022 avg. bill | February 2021 avg. bill | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | $112.11 | $266.81 | -58% |
| Arkansas | $108.54 | $148.29 | -26.8% |
| South Dakota | $116.87 | $127.65 | -8.4% |
| Wyoming | $89.68 | $94.37 | -5% |
| New Jersey | $107.74 | $118.18 | -3.7% |
| Texas | $139.01 | $144.22 | -3.6% |
| Iowa | $98.00 | $100.51 | -2.5% |
| Montana | $89.40 | $91.63 | -2.4% |
| Oregon | $100.03 | $100.30 | -0.3% |
| North Carolina | $116.70 | $115.86 | 0.7% |
What to do about high bills?
The first thing you can do is reduce the amount of energy you use. There are a lot of ways to lower your home’s energy consumption and, as a result, pay less on energy bills. Some energy-saving tips are easy and painless.
To reduce your energy consumption, it helps to know where you are using power in your home. You can use the SaveOnEnergy usage calculator to estimate your home’s energy consumption.
For residents or businesses in deregulated areas, another way to lower your energy bills is to find lower electricity supply rates. Deregulated states allow energy consumers to choose the company that provides their energy. Click on your state, enter your ZIP code, and explore whether you can lower your electricity rate:
| California | Connecticut | Illinois |
| Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts |
| New Hampshire | New Jersey | New York |
| Ohio | Pennsylvania | Texas |
SaveOnEnergy.com will continue to track monthly electricity bills. Bookmark this page to see which state residents are getting the best and worst deals on electricity.
(Last updated May 3rd, 2022)