Where are residential electricity bills increasing the most in the U.S.?

(October 12, 2020)

Average residential electricity prices in the U.S. fell slightly in the October Choose Energy Rate Report, but that drop doesn’t mean prices fell everywhere. The October average of 13.26 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) represented a decrease of 0.2 percent from September.

The Rate Report is based on the latest data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The October report reflects July pricing.

The biggest percentage rate increase came in Iowa, where rates jumped 9.2 percent month over month to 14.74 cents/kWh. That was nearly twice the percentage increase in No. 2 New Jersey. Following are the states where rates increased by the largest percentage.

Low rates don’t always correspond to low bills. That’s because of the other factor involved in how much consumers pay for electricity – their usage. For example, Louisiana residents paid the lowest rate in the October report – 9.34 cents/kWh, but their bills were the 25^th highest in the U.S. – $115.07. That’s because their usage is the nation’s highest.

So which state had the highest increase in bills for the rates shown in the October report? That again would be Iowa, where average bills increased $10.75 over the month before. Following are the states where average bills increased by the largest amount.

While the national average fell only slightly in the October report, some states recorded much larger percentage decreases. Rates in Delaware fell 10 percent from the previous month to 11.90 cents/kWh. Overall, the decreased in 32 states.

Following are the states where rates decreased by the largest percentage:

Bills also didn’t increase in every state. The largest monthly decrease came in Delaware, where residents on average pocketed an extra $12.54.  More common were the savings in Texas, where residents on average spent $1.94 cents less in July.

Following are the states where average bills decreased by the largest amount.

Arthur Murray directs content strategy for ChooseEnergy.com, taking advantage of more than 20 years of newspaper and magazine experience. His articles have appeared on Zillow.com, Business.com, Nasdaq.com, and USNews.com, among others. Reach out to us with any questions or concerns.