Four census regions
Average Electric Bills by Region
Climate sets how much electricity a household uses; the age and geography of the delivery network sets what each kilowatt-hour costs. Those two forces pull in opposite directions, which is why the cheapest rates and the highest bills often sit in the same region.
The four census regions
Northeast
9 states · avg $165.78/mo · 26.81¢/kWhThe nine states from Maine to Pennsylvania. Old housing stock, expensive delivery infrastructure, and the highest concentration of deregulated residential supply markets in the country.
Midwest
12 states · avg $140.95/mo · 17.18¢/kWhTwelve states across the Great Lakes and Plains. Cold winters push heating load onto gas more often than electricity, which keeps average electric bills below the national figure in most of them.
South
17 states · avg $170.79/mo · 16.70¢/kWhSixteen states plus the District of Columbia. Long cooling seasons and widespread electric heating produce the highest average consumption in the country, even where the rate per kilowatt-hour is low.
West
13 states · avg $141.17/mo · 19.89¢/kWhThirteen states from the Rockies to Hawaii. The widest spread of any region — mild coastal climates with low consumption alongside the highest rates in the nation.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration. Rates are the residential average for May 2026; consumption is Annual 2024.
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