Contents
- US electricity retail prices statistics: August 2026 national averages by customer sector
- US electricity retail prices statistics: August residential prices across states
- US electricity retail prices statistics: commercial and industrial rates by state
- US electricity retail prices statistics: transportation and all-sector averages
- US electricity retail prices statistics: August 2025–2026 comparisons
- U.S. annual electricity retail prices in 2025
- Reading the figures in context
- Sources
US electricity retail prices statistics: August 2026 national averages by customer sector
The U.S. average price of electricity sold to ultimate customers varied substantially by end-use sector in August 2026. Residential customers averaged 18.16 cents per kilowatthour (kWh), compared with 14.47 cents for commercial customers and 9.64 cents for industrial customers. Transportation customers averaged 14.86 cents, while the all-sectors average was 14.87 cents per kWh.
| Customer sector | August 2026 average (cents per kWh) |
|---|---|
| Residential | 18.16 |
| Commercial | 14.47 |
| Industrial | 9.64 |
| Transportation | 14.86 |
| All sectors | 14.87 |
These are national averages for the specified customer sectors, not the price paid by every household or business. The residential figure was 3.29 cents per kWh above the all-sectors average; the industrial figure was 5.23 cents below it. Comparing sectors describes differences in average retail prices, not differences in total electricity bills, which also depend on how much electricity customers use. EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A.
US electricity retail prices statistics: August residential prices across states
Residential averages in August 2026 ranged from 12.87 cents per kWh in Louisiana among the listed examples to 47.18 cents in Hawaii. California’s average was 29.75 cents, while North Dakota’s was 13.31 cents. These selected state values illustrate a broad spread; they are not a complete ranking of all states.
| State or area | Residential average (cents per kWh) |
|---|---|
| Hawaii | 47.18 |
| California | 29.75 |
| North Dakota | 13.31 |
| Louisiana | 12.87 |
| Pacific Noncontiguous census division | 40.79 |
The Pacific Noncontiguous figure is for a census division, a regional grouping, and should not be read as a separate state observation. Its 40.79-cent average is below Hawaii’s state value but above California’s. All figures in this section are August 2026 preliminary estimates. EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A.
US electricity retail prices statistics: commercial and industrial rates by state
The selected commercial and industrial observations show that sector differences vary by location. Hawaii’s August 2026 averages were 43.55 cents per kWh for commercial customers and 39.33 cents for industrial customers. California recorded 30.02 cents commercially and 24.12 cents industrially. Texas’s commercial average was 8.96 cents, while the industrial average in New Mexico was 5.08 cents and in Tennessee 6.92 cents.
| State | Commercial (cents per kWh) | Industrial (cents per kWh) |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 43.55 | 39.33 |
| California | 30.02 | 24.12 |
| Texas | 8.96 | — |
| New Mexico | — | 5.08 |
| Tennessee | — | 6.92 |
A dash means no value is included here for that state-sector combination; it does not mean zero. These examples are useful for comparing the cited observations but do not identify the highest or lowest state in either sector. EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A.
US electricity retail prices statistics: transportation and all-sector averages
Transportation-sector averages also differed among the selected states. Rhode Island’s August 2026 price was 22.58 cents per kWh, and Wisconsin’s was 20.22 cents. Texas was 6.56 cents. For all sectors combined, Hawaii averaged 43.04 cents, California 29.02 cents, and North Dakota 8.91 cents per kWh. The Pacific Noncontiguous census division’s all-sectors average was 36.46 cents.
| State or area | Transportation (cents per kWh) | All sectors (cents per kWh) |
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 22.58 | — |
| Wisconsin | 20.22 | — |
| Texas | 6.56 | — |
| Hawaii | — | 43.04 |
| California | — | 29.02 |
| North Dakota | — | 8.91 |
| Pacific Noncontiguous census division | — | 36.46 |
The national all-sectors average was 14.87 cents per kWh. As with the sector-specific examples above, the state and regional entries are selected observations rather than a full state table. EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A.
US electricity retail prices statistics: August 2025–2026 comparisons
The paired August observations show that year-to-year movement was not uniform across the examples. Connecticut’s residential average was 24.51 cents per kWh in August 2026, down from 30.17 cents in August 2025, a decrease of 5.66 cents. Maine moved in the opposite direction: its residential average rose from 28.14 to 32.11 cents, an increase of 3.97 cents.
| State and sector | August 2025 | August 2026 | Change (cents per kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut residential | 30.17 | 24.51 | −5.66 |
| Maine residential | 28.14 | 32.11 | +3.97 |
| Massachusetts commercial | 23.15 | 24.11 | +0.96 |
| New Hampshire industrial | 16.95 | 17.26 | +0.31 |
| New Mexico industrial | 6.37 | 5.08 | −1.29 |
| Texas transportation | 3.76 | 6.56 | +2.80 |
| New York all sectors | 22.76 | 24.60 | +1.84 |
| Vermont all sectors | 18.64 | 20.01 | +1.37 |
| U.S. total, all sectors | 14.15 | 14.87 | +0.72 |
The U.S. all-sectors average was 0.72 cents per kWh higher in August 2026 than in August 2025. Among these selected examples, residential prices fell in Connecticut and Florida but rose in Maine; industrial prices rose in New Hampshire and fell in New Mexico. The comparisons cover the same month in two years, not full-year averages or a complete account of annual price movements. The 2026 figures are preliminary, while the 2025 figures are final. EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A.
U.S. annual electricity retail prices in 2025
Full-year averages offer a different view from a single month. In 2025, the U.S. annual average retail electricity price across customer types was about 13.63 cents per kWh. By major utility customer type, the annual averages were 17.30 cents for residential customers, 13.41 cents for commercial customers, 8.62 cents for industrial customers, and 13.83 cents for transportation customers.
| Customer type | 2025 annual average (cents per kWh) |
|---|---|
| Residential | 17.30 |
| Commercial | 13.41 |
| Industrial | 8.62 |
| Transportation | 13.83 |
| All customer types | About 13.63 |
The annual average across all customer types ranged from 35.72 cents per kWh in Hawaii to 8.20 cents in North Dakota. This is a state comparison for the 2025 annual average across customer types. It is not directly interchangeable with the August 2026 state observations above: the measurement periods differ, and the 2026 figures are preliminary monthly estimates. EIA, Prices and factors affecting prices.
Reading the figures in context
The figures measure average retail prices to ultimate customers, expressed in cents per kilowatthour. They are organized by customer sector and geography, so a national residential average, a state industrial average, and a regional all-sectors average describe different populations and should be compared only with those scopes in mind.
The August 2026 values are preliminary estimates based on a cutoff model sample. The paired August 2025 values are final. Annual 2025 averages cover the year and come from EIA’s explanatory page. Consequently, the monthly and annual figures answer different questions: one captures a particular month, while the other summarizes a full year. These observations show how averages differ by sector, state, and period, but do not by themselves explain why those differences occur. EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A; EIA, Prices and factors affecting prices.