Energy rankings: Which states use the most electricity per household?

1. Louisiana
Consumption: 1,201 kWh per month
Price: 11.7 cents/kWh (9th lowest)
Bill: $140.52 per month (7th highest)

The state that consumed the most energy in 2020 also enjoyed some of the lowest electricity rates in the country. Louisiana residents, on average, consumed 14,412 kWh of electricity throughout the year – which is more than double the average consumption of the state whose residents consumed the least amount of electricity. However, the electric rate in Louisiana was only 11.7 cents per kilowatt-hour, the 9th lowest in the country. The state’s lower electric rates meant Louisiana residents did not pay the most in energy bills, despite the top-ranked usage.

2. Tennessee
Consumption: 1,168 kWh per month
Price: 11.25 cents/kWh (5th lowest)
Bill: $131.40 per month (18th highest)

Tennessee didn’t trail far behind Louisiana in terms of energy usage, consuming an average of 14,016 kWh per household in 2020. The average electric price in the state was the 5th lowest in the nation and ranked even lower than in Louisiana. But conversely, state residents received the 18th highest bills because of their high consumption levels.

3. Mississippi
Consumption: 1,146 kWh per month
Price: 11.61 cents/kWh (6th lowest)
Bill: $133.05 per month (17th highest)

Mississippi residents enjoyed a low average electricity rate – the 6th lowest in the nation – but still paid more for electricity than the average U.S. bill. That’s because the average energy usage level in Mississippi is the third-highest in the country. Consuming an average of 1,146 kWh each month in 2020, residents pay more than $130 in monthly energy bills – that’s more than $1,500 in annual energy costs.

4. Alabama
Consumption: 1,145 kWh per month
Price: 13.60 cents/kWh (20th highest)
Bill: $155.72 per month (2nd highest)

Alabama ranked high for electric usage, but unfortunately for state residents, it also ranked high for electric prices at nearly 13.6 cents/kWh. As you may have guessed, this means Alabama’s monthly electric bills were sky-high as well, ranking second in the nation only behind Hawaii.

5. Florida
Consumption: 1,142 kWh per month
Price: 12.45 cents/kWh (33rd highest)
Bill: $142.18 per month (4th highest)

Florida residents consumed 1,142 kWh of energy per month, landing them at the fifth spot on this list. The state’s average electric prices were the 17th-lowest in the nation, but the high usage levels translated into the 4th-highest average electricity bill per month.

6. Texas
Consumption: 1,132kWh per month
Price: 12.24 cents/kWh (34th highest)
Bill: $138.56 per month (11th highest)

The deregulated energy market in Texas means consumers are able to choose from a variety of providers and shop for low electric rates. The top residential provider in the state is TXU Energy. Other leaders include Reliant Energy and Direct Energy. Electric rates in Texas tend to be lower than the U.S. average – and in this case, they were the 16th-lowest. However, high consumption habits meant that Texans paid the 11th-highest energy bills in the nation.

7. Arizona
Consumption: 1,114 kWh per month
Price: 12.75 cents/kWh (30th highest)
Bill: $142.04 per month (5th highest)

Arizona residents had average electric rates that were in the middle of the pack but still ended up paying the 5th-highest monthly energy bill. This is mainly because the state ranks 7th in the nation for high energy consumption.

8. Virginia
Consumption: 1,095 kWh per month
Price: 12.55 cents/kWh (32nd highest)
Bill: $137.42 per month (12th highest)

Falling just slightly behind Arizona in consumption is Virginia, which takes the 8th spot on this list. Virginia residents had the 18th-lowest energy rates in the country but still paid higher bills than average. With a monthly bill of $137.42, Virginia’s high consumption levels ended up costing residents more than $1,600 a year in energy bills.

9. North Dakota
Consumption: 1,085 kWh per month
Price: 12.81 cents/kWh (29th highest)
Bill: $138.99 per month (9th highest)

North Dakota landed the 9th spot on this list for energy usage in 2020, consuming an average of 13,020 kWh of power a year. Although the state’s average electricity price was below the average U.S. rate, residents paid more in energy bills than 41 other states.

10. Georgia
Consumption: 1,081 kWh per month
Price: 12.97 cents/kWh (27th highest)
Bill: $140.21 per month (8th highest)

Only 4 kWh of usage separates Georgia from North Dakota on this list. Although Georgia’s usage level is a little bit lower than North Dakota, the state’s energy bills sit a few dollars higher. That’s because Georgia’s average energy rate is the 27th-highest in the nation. With a monthly bill of just over $140, Georgians paid an average of $1,680 in energy costs a year in 2020.

1. Hawaii
Consumption: 537 kWh per month
Price: 34.3 cents/kWh (highest)
Bill: $184.19 per month (highest)

In a reversal from Louisiana, which saw the highest average consumption but lower prices in 2020, Hawaii residents consumed the least energy but were subject to the highest prices. So, even though average consumption in the Aloha State was less than half that of the Pelican State, Hawaii residents on average paid $43 more on their monthly bills, which, at $184.19, ranked the highest in the nation.

2. Alaska
Consumption: 552 kWh per month
Price: 23.21 cents/kWh (4th highest)
Bill: $128.12 per month (21st highest)

Alaska’s energy prices were the 4th-highest in the nation, so despite boasting the 2nd-lowest consumption in the U.S., residents still saw their electric bills reaching nearly $130 per month.

3. Vermont
Consumption: 567 kWh per month
Price: 19.56 cents/kWh (8th highest)
Bill: $110.91 per month (14th lowest)

Vermont’s average consumption levels are similar to Alaska’s, but Vermont residents paid less for electricity because their energy prices were lower on average than what Alaska residents had to pay. Still, Vermont’s energy price was the 8th-highest in the country, but the low usage levels allowed residents to enjoy energy bills far below the nation’s average.

4. Maine
Consumption: 570 kWh per month
Price: 17.99 cents/kWh (9th highest)
Bill: $102.54 per month (8th lowest)

Maine’s average electric consumption was so low that even though prices in the state were the 9th highest in the nation, residents’ monthly bills were just barely over $100. At $102 per month (that’s $82 less per month than Hawaii), residents in the deregulated state received the 8th lowest bills in the nation.

5. California
Consumption: 572 kWh per month
Price: 23.44 cents/kWh (2nd highest)
Bill: $134.08 per month (15th highest)

California has the most utility customers out of any other state – 13.4 million – but on average, those customers kept consumption low in 2020. Thanks to their restrained usage, in a state where electric prices were 2nd highest in the nation, residents only had to pay the 15th-highest electricity bills.

6. Rhode Island
Consumption: 594 kWh per month
Price: 23.35 cents/kWh (3rd highest)
Bill: $138.70 per month (10th highest)

The 6th-lowest state in terms of electric consumption was also the 3rd-highest state in terms of energy prices, landing Rhode Island at the 10th-highest spot for energy bills in 2020. Rhode Island residents paid approximately $138 a month for electricity.

7. New York
Consumption: 602 kWh per month
Price: 20.46 cents/kWh (7th highest)
Bill: $123.17 per month (28th highest)

Despite possible misconceptions about the state that’s home to “The City that Never Sleeps,” New Yorkers were fairly conservative with their energy usage in 2020, consuming 602 kWh per household each month. That was low enough to offset the 7th highest electric prices in the U.S. – at approximately $123 per month, New York residents received the 22nd-lowest utility bills.

8. Massachusetts
Consumption: 602 kWh per month
Price: 23.48 cents/kWh (2nd highest)
Bill: $141.35 per month (6th highest)

Massachusetts tied with New York in energy consumption with an average of 602 kWh a month. But despite the state’s low energy usage levels, residents paid the 6th-highest energy bills in the nation. This is because the average energy rate in Massachusetts was 60% higher than the nation’s average.

9. New Hampshire
Consumption: 630 kWh per month
Price: 20.67 cents/kWh (6th highest)
Bill: $130.22 per month (19th highest)

As previously stated, New Hampshire and its southern neighbor Massachusetts shared similar usage levels and energy rates. New Hampshire had the slight edge, however – despite consuming more energy each month, they paid almost $10 less in monthly electricity bills.

10. New Mexico
Consumption: 670 kWh per month
Price: 14.64 cents/kWh (13th highest)
Bill: $98.08 per month (3rd lowest)

New Mexico hit the sweet spot between low average household consumption and (relatively) low electric prices, meaning residents paid the 3rd-lowest electric bills in the nation in 2020. New Mexico residents, on average, paid less than $100 for their monthly electricity usage – totaling less than $1,000 per year.