Electricity Rates Insights

According to official U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data from the May 2026 Electric Power Monthly release, residential electricity rates vary significantly across the nine U.S. Census Divisions. While the national residential electricity price averaged 18.44 cents per kWh ($0.1844/kWh), regional averages ranged from a high of 28.14 cents per kWh in New England to a low of 14.75 cents per kWh in the West North Central division. For a standard household consuming 1,000 kWh per month, this regional pricing disparity translates into a monthly bill burden spread of $133.90—from $281.40 per month in New England down to $147.50 per month in the Midwest.

The U.S. residential electricity price spread across contiguous states reaches 3.3x according to EIA reporting, ranging from 8.07¢/kWh in New Mexico and 9.03¢/kWh in Oklahoma to 26.27¢/kWh in California and 26.71¢/kWh in Rhode Island. For a standard 1,000 kWh monthly household consumption, this regional rate disparity creates a $176.80 monthly energy cost gap ($2,121.60 annually) before utility fixed fees and taxes.

The May 2026 EIA Electricity Monthly Update reported a U.S. residential average retail price of 18.44 cents/kWh, up 6.2% from May 2025. For a household using 1,000 kWh in a month, that national average works out to about $184.40 for the energy portion of the bill, before fixed charges, taxes, riders, and utility-specific fees.