Are electricity prices going up? The latest data
Yes, in most of the country. US residential prices averaged 18.16¢ per kWh in August 2026, +3.4% against a year earlier, and +6.5%1 over the last 12 months against the 12 before.
Source: EIA, Electric Power Monthly / EIA-861M sales and revenue by state; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, states. Darker states are higher; DC is the dot. Change between the trailing 12-month average price and the 12 months before it. Period: September 2025 to August 2026.
Show the numbers
| State | Residential change, 12 months |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | +19.8% |
| New Hampshire | +13.8% |
| Maryland | +12.7% |
| Pennsylvania | +12.3% |
| Washington | +11.9% |
| Ohio | +11.7% |
| Virginia | +11.5% |
| New York | +11.2% |
| Illinois | +10.6% |
| New Jersey | +10.2% |
| Idaho | +9.8% |
| Maine | +9.7% |
| Montana | +9.5% |
| Hawaii | +8.8% |
| Indiana | +8.8% |
| South Dakota | +8.2% |
| Michigan | +8.0% |
| Colorado | +7.9% |
| Mississippi | +7.8% |
| Wyoming | +7.5% |
| Arkansas | +7.2% |
| Nebraska | +7.2% |
| Kentucky | +6.8% |
| North Dakota | +6.6% |
| Oklahoma | +6.3% |
| Delaware | +6.1% |
| Missouri | +6.1% |
| Wisconsin | +6.1% |
| Vermont | +6.0% |
| Kansas | +5.9% |
| North Carolina | +5.5% |
| South Carolina | +5.5% |
| Louisiana | +5.3% |
| Alaska | +5.0% |
| New Mexico | +5.0% |
| Iowa | +4.9% |
| Texas | +4.8% |
| Florida | +4.4% |
| Georgia | +4.4% |
| Minnesota | +4.2% |
| Alabama | +3.9% |
| California | +3.7% |
| Tennessee | +3.7% |
| Utah | +3.5% |
| Oregon | +2.2% |
| Arizona | +1.7% |
| Rhode Island | +1.2% |
| West Virginia | +0.9% |
| Massachusetts | +0.8% |
| Nevada | −0.7% |
| Connecticut | −9.0% |
The latest release
EIA's Electric Power Monthly of October 23, 2026 carries data through August 2026. In that month, residential customers paid 18.16¢ per kWh on average, against 17.57¢ per kWh in August 2025. Commercial prices were +4.3% higher than a year earlier and industrial prices +7.3%1. These monthly figures are preliminary and are revised when EIA's annual census arrives.
Over the full 12 months to August 2026, the residential average reached 18.04¢ per kWh, +6.5% against the previous 12 months. The year-to-date average (January to August 2026) was 18.19¢ per kWh, +6.8%1 on the same months of 2025.
Where prices rose fastest
Measured over the last 12 months, the largest residential increases were in the District of Columbia (+19.8%), New Hampshire (+13.8%), Maryland (+12.7%) and Pennsylvania (+12.3%). In 10 of the 50 states and DC the increase was 10% or more over these 12 months. Prices fell in 2 of them; the smallest changes were in Connecticut (−9.0%) and Nevada (−0.7%1).
Source: EIA, Electric Power Monthly / EIA-861M sales and revenue by state. Change between the trailing 12-month average price and the 12 months before it. Period: September 2025 to August 2026.
Show the numbers
| State | Residential change, 12 months |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | +19.8% |
| New Hampshire | +13.8% |
| Maryland | +12.7% |
| Pennsylvania | +12.3% |
| Washington | +11.9% |
| Ohio | +11.7% |
| Virginia | +11.5% |
| New York | +11.2% |
| Illinois | +10.6% |
| New Jersey | +10.2% |
| Idaho | +9.8% |
| Maine | +9.7% |
| Montana | +9.5% |
| Hawaii | +8.8% |
| Indiana | +8.8% |
| United States | +6.5% |
Several of the fastest risers are served by the PJM Interconnection, the grid operator for much of the Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley, where, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's 2026 review of retail prices, the cost of guaranteeing enough power plant capacity added to wholesale costs in 2025; our analysis of PJM capacity costs follows that thread with the regulators' own figures. The full state list is in the price increase ranking.
Prices against overall inflation
The Bureau of Labor Statistics measures electricity prices in its consumer price survey, a different sample that includes taxes. Its electricity index was +4.4% above a year earlier in September 2026, while overall consumer prices rose +3.7%3. Its average price of electricity for urban consumers was $0.190 per kWh4 in October 2026.
Source: BLS, Consumer Price Index, electricity. Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers, not seasonally adjusted, rebased so January 2019 = 100. October 2025 was not collected (2025 lapse in appropriations), so that month is missing.
Show the numbers
| Month | Electricity index | All items index |
|---|---|---|
| January 2019 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| July 2019 | 103.9 | 101.9 |
| January 2020 | 100.5 | 102.5 |
| July 2020 | 103.7 | 102.9 |
| January 2021 | 102.0 | 103.9 |
| July 2021 | 107.9 | 108.5 |
| January 2022 | 112.9 | 111.7 |
| July 2022 | 124.4 | 117.7 |
| January 2023 | 126.4 | 118.9 |
| July 2023 | 128.1 | 121.4 |
| January 2024 | 131.2 | 122.5 |
| July 2024 | 134.4 | 125.0 |
| January 2025 | 133.6 | 126.2 |
| July 2025 | 141.8 | 128.3 |
| February 2026 | 140.7 | 129.8 |
| August 2026 | 147.0 | 133.1 |
| October 2026 | 145.9 | 134.1 |
What EIA expects next
EIA's November 2026 Short-Term Energy Outlook puts the US residential average at 18.17¢ per kWh for 2026 (partly an estimate) and forecasts 18.68¢ per kWh for 2027, a further +2.8%5. The forecast is national only and is revised every month; the next edition is due December 8, 2026.
Source: EIA, Historical state data, annual sales, revenue and customers; EIA, Short-Term Energy Outlook, November 2026. The forecast is EIA's Short-Term Energy Outlook of November 10, 2026: 2026 combines published months with EIA's estimate, 2027 is a forecast. It is revised every month; the next edition is due December 8, 2026.
Show the numbers
| Year | ¢/kWh | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 12.65¢ | actual |
| 2016 | 12.55¢ | actual |
| 2017 | 12.89¢ | actual |
| 2018 | 12.87¢ | actual |
| 2019 | 13.01¢ | actual |
| 2020 | 13.15¢ | actual |
| 2021 | 13.66¢ | actual |
| 2022 | 15.04¢ | actual |
| 2023 | 16.00¢ | actual |
| 2024 | 16.48¢ | actual |
| 2025 | 17.23¢ | actual |
| 2026 | 18.17¢ | EIA estimate/forecast |
| 2027 | 18.68¢ | EIA forecast |
The longer view
Residential prices have risen in 21 of the 24 years since 2001 in nominal terms; the last annual decline was in 20186. The price history page shows the full series for the country and every state.
Sources
- EIA, Electric Power Monthly / EIA-861M sales and revenue by state; table sales_revenue.xlsx (EPM Table 5.6.A); January 2001 to 2026-08; months since January 2026 preliminary; released October 23, 2026. www.eia.gov
- Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, states; table cb_2025_us_state_20m; 2025. www.census.gov
- BLS, Consumer Price Index, electricity; table CPI-U; through October 2026; released November 10, 2026. www.bls.gov
- BLS, CPI average price data, electricity per kWh; table Average price; released November 10, 2026. www.bls.gov
- EIA, Short-Term Energy Outlook, November 2026; table retail prices ESRCUUS, ESCMUUS, ESICUUS; November 2026 edition; 2026 partly estimated, 2027 forecast; released November 10, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA, Historical state data, annual sales, revenue and customers; table HS861 2010-.xlsx; 2010-2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.