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Kansas electricity rate hike the nation's largest

Residents paid 22.5% more than for the previous month

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By Arthur Murray May 7th, 2019
2 min read

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Kansas residents paid 22.5% more for electricity month-over-month.

Kansas electricity rates increased 22.5 percent

Residential electricity rates in Kansas have increased 22.5 percent, according to the monthly Choose Energy® Rate Report. Choose Energy analysts used the latest information from the U.S. Energy Information Administration to reach that decision. Customers in the Jayhawk State paid 12.61 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) for their power – the 34th highest rate in the nation.

Even with the increase, Kansas residents paid less than the average U.S. residential rate in February: 12.70 cents/kWh, up about 1.8 percent compared with the previous month.

The other good news: The hike in Kansas was the only double-digit increase for the month among the 50 states.

Following are the 10 largest percentage increases, their February rate (in cents/kWh), and the hike from the previous month:

State February % change
Kansas 12.61 22.5
Pennsylvania 13.57 8.2
California 19.82 8.2
Oklahoma 9.5 8.0
Alabama 12.72 7.3
South Carolina 12.69 6.7
Rhode Island 24.17 6.6
North Carolina 11.65 6.0
Connecticut 22.77 5.6
Hawaii 33.57 4.6

Only one state had a double-digit percentage decrease – Maine, where rates went down 29.1 percent from January. Residents there paid 11.69 cents/kWh. That was among 14 states where rates declined month-over-month.

Here are the 10 largest percentage decreases, their February rate (in cents/kWh), and the hike from the previous month:

State February % change
Maine 11.69 -29.1
Idaho 9.52 -3.2
Missouri 9.1 -1.9
Minnesota 12.53 -1.7
North Dakota 9.03 -1.4
Delaware 12.08 -1.3
Florida 11.85 -1.2
South Dakota 10.47 -0.9
Montana 10.72 -0.9
Tennesee 10.69 -0.8

The nation’s highest and lowest electricity rates

But percentages tell only part of the story. The highest residential electricity prices in the new Rate Report are in Hawaii – 33.57 cents/kWh. That was a 4.6 percent increase from the previous month. Following are the states with the highest rates:

State February State February
Hawaii 33.57 Michigan 15.08
Rhode Island 24.17 Wisconsin 14.15
Massachusetts 23.28 Pennsylvania 13.57
Connecticut 22.77 Maryland 13.4
Alaska 21.83 Alabama 12.72
New Hampshire 20.2 South Carolina 12.69
California 19.82 Kansas 12.61
New York 17.64 New Mexico 12.6
Vermont 16.67 Minnesota 12.53
New Jersey 16.24 Illinois 12.45

Which state’s residents paid the lowest electricity rates? North Dakota customers paid 9.03 cents/kWh – less than a third of what their counterparts in Hawaii were charged. Following are the states with the lowest rates:

State February State February
North Dakota 9.03 Kentucky 10.32
Missouri 9.1 South Dakota 10.47
Louisiana 9.15 Wyoming 10.61
Arkansas 9.32 Tennesee 10.69
Washington 9.4 Montana 10.72
Oklahoma 9.5 Oregon 10.79
Idaho 9.52 Georgia 10.79
Nebraska 9.54 Mississippi 11.15
West Virginia 9.98 Virginia 11.47
Utah 10.14 Iowa 11.63

Where do states with the lowest rates get their electricity?

Of the 20 states with the lowest rates in February, exactly half – including the two with the cheapest prices – got the largest chunk of their electricity from burning coal. Five others got the bulk of their power from natural gas.

Here are the 20 states with the lowest rates for electricity, the largest source of that power, and the percentage generated by that source:

State Main source of electricity % of power from that source
North Dakota Coal 61.0
Missouri Coal 76.1
Louisiana Natural gas 69.6
Arkansas Coal 34.0
Washington Hydroelectric 65.9
Oklahoma Natural gas 47.2
Idaho Hydroelectric 53.8
Nebraska Coal 59.9
West Virginia Coal 92.8
Utah Coal 67.1
Kentucky Coal 77.8
South Dakota Hydroelectric 39.6
Wyoming Coal 86.8
Tennesee Nuclear 50.4
Montana Coal 55.1
Oregon Hydroelectric 51.6
Georgia Natural gas 48.6
Mississippi Natural gas 77.5
Virginia Natural gas 61.5
Iowa Coal 45.8

As for the states with the highest prices, 10 generated the largest percentage of their power from natural gas, while five burned coal. Following are the 20 states with the highest rates for electricity, the largest source of electricity generation, and the percentage generated by that source:

State Main source of electricity % of power from that source
Hawaii Petroleum 65.8
Rhode Island Natural gas 89.0
Massachusetts Natural gas 65.0
Connecticut Natural gas 48.7
Alaska Natural gas 53.4
New Hampshire Nuclear 66.3
California Natural gas 49.4
New York Natural gas 35.4
Vermont Hydroelectric 59.8
New Jersey Natural gas 52.9
Michigan Coal 36.8
Wisconsin Coal 47.2
Pennsylvania Natural gas 39.8
Maryland Natural gas 44.5
Alabama Natural gas 35.5
South Carolina Nuclear 59.3
Kansas Coal 44.5
New Mexico Coal 47.2
Minnesota Coal 33.1
Illinois Nuclear 52.8

For complete rates by state information, including comparisons to the same month of 2018, see the Choose Energy Electricity Rates by State page. For more information about energy generation by various sources, including solar, wind, and nuclear, see the Choose Energy Data Center.

Arthur directs ChooseEnergy.com’s newsroom, taking advantage of nearly 30 years of newspaper and magazine experience. A native of Virginia, Arthur attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated with a bachelor’s in journalism. Reach out to us with any questions or concerns.