Which state has the cheapest electricity?

North Dakota, at an average 11.64 cents/kWh for residential customers in February 2026 (EIA). The cheapest states cluster in the Northwest and the Gulf/Mountain regions.

Which state has the most expensive electricity?

Hawaii, at 43.00 cents/kWh in February 2026 — 3.7 times the cheapest state. New England and California follow.

Can I choose my electric company?

You can never choose the distribution utility — it is fixed by address. 15 states (including DC) let residential customers choose the supply portion of the electric bill, and 16 allow gas supply choice. Each state page explains the local rules and links the official shopping site.

Is gas or electric heating cheaper?

Nationally, utility natural gas costs about $15 per million BTU versus $52 for electric resistance heat — but a heat pump (COP 2.5-3) narrows that to roughly $19, and state prices vary widely. See your state page for local numbers.

Electricity Rates by State (February 2026): Average ¢/kWh, Cheapest Utilities & Retail Choice

The average US residential electricity price was 17.6¢/kWh in February 2026 (EIA). Across states it ranged from 11.6¢/kWh in North Dakota to 43.0¢/kWh in Hawaii — a 3.7× spread. 15 states (plus DC where applicable) allow residential electric supply choice and 16 allow gas supply choice; your distribution utility is always fixed by address. At typical usage (10,800 kWh/yr) the gap between a 11.6¢ state and a 43.0¢ state is about $3,387/yr.

Average residential price map (February 2026, ¢/kWh)

¢/kWh:under 1212-1515-1818-2222-2828+ · ● = electric supply choice

Tap a state for its utilities, rates, fuel comparison, and supplier-choice rules. Dot = residential electric retail choice.

All states: price, choice status, cheapest major utility

Residential electricity by state — EIA monthly average (February 2026), EIA-861 2024 utility-weighted average, retail choice, and cheapest major utility (2024 ¢/kWh)
State	February 2026 ¢/kWh	2024 avg ¢/kWh	Electric choice	Gas choice	Cheapest major utility (2024)
North Dakota	11.64	11.45	no	no	Montana-Dakota Utilities Co — 11.72¢
Nebraska	11.79	11.42	no	yes	Nebraska Public Power District — 10.63¢
Missouri	12.17	12.85	no	no	Cuivre River Electric Coop Inc — 11.07¢
Idaho	12.63	11.60	no	no	Avista Corp — 11.62¢
Arkansas	12.73	12.32	no	no	Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co — 11.49¢
Iowa	12.74	13.49	no	no	MidAmerican Energy Co — 11.01¢
Tennessee	12.82	12.42	no	no	Middle Tennessee E M C — 11.76¢
Louisiana	12.87	11.73	no	no	City of Lafayette — 10.12¢
Oklahoma	12.89	12.22	no	no	Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co — 11.78¢
Wyoming	13.04	12.11	no	yes	PacifiCorp — 13.44¢
South Dakota	13.24	13.02	no	no	NorthWestern Energy — 12.56¢
Montana	13.33	12.75	no	no	Flathead Electric Coop Inc — 9.67¢
Utah	13.33	12.19	no	no	PacifiCorp — 12.52¢
Kentucky	13.42	12.80	no	yes	Salt River Electric Coop Corp — 10.88¢
Washington	14.11	11.91	no	no	PUD No 1 of Benton County — 8.81¢
Georgia	14.13	14.09	no	yes	Jackson Electric Member Corp — 11.38¢
Nevada	14.38	15.00	no	no	Sierra Pacific Power Co — 14.52¢
West Virginia	14.41	15.06	no	no	The Potomac Edison Company — 12.59¢
North Carolina	14.64	14.13	no	no	EnergyUnited Elec Member Corp — 11.54¢
Oregon	14.64	14.81	no	no	City of Eugene — 13.07¢
Mississippi	14.72	13.40	no	no	Entergy Mississippi LLC — 13.21¢
New Mexico	15.07	14.10	no	no	El Paso Electric Co — 10.16¢
Kansas	15.11	13.93	no	no	Evergy Metro — 13.13¢
Minnesota	15.39	15.64	no	no	Otter Tail Power Co — 11.34¢
Texas	15.41	14.96	yes	no	Champion Energy Services — 9.98¢
Florida	15.80	14.14	no	no	City of Lakeland — 11.40¢
Virginia	15.96	14.41	no	yes	Northern Virginia Elec Coop — 11.57¢
Arizona	16.03	14.93	no	no	Salt River Project — 13.46¢
Indiana	16.06	14.78	no	yes	Duke Energy Indiana, LLC — 12.75¢
South Carolina	16.15	14.19	no	no	South Carolina Public Service Authority — 11.38¢
Alabama	16.18	15.19	no	no	City of Huntsville — 11.45¢
Delaware	16.27	16.32	yes	no	Delaware Electric Cooperative — 14.22¢
Colorado	16.79	14.88	no	no	City of Fort Collins — 13.21¢
Ohio	17.52	16.62	yes	yes	South Central Power Company — 14.87¢
Illinois	17.83	15.06	yes	yes	MidAmerican Energy Co — 9.99¢
Wisconsin	18.74	17.30	no	no	Northern States Power Co — 15.83¢
Michigan	20.00	19.37	yes	yes	Indiana Michigan Power Co — 17.00¢
Maryland	20.08	17.54	yes	yes	The Potomac Edison Company — 13.83¢
Pennsylvania	20.30	17.23	yes	yes	PECO Energy — 16.16¢
New Jersey	23.12	19.16	yes	yes	Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) — 15.65¢
Vermont	23.27	22.11	no	no	Green Mountain Power Corp — 22.09¢
District of Columbia	23.97	16.57	yes	yes	Pepco (Potomac Electric Power) — 16.57¢
Alaska	25.79	24.26	no	no	Chugach Electric Assn Inc — 21.24¢
New Hampshire	26.52	22.97	yes	no	Public Service Co of NH — 22.65¢
Rhode Island	29.45	28.07	yes	no	The Narragansett Electric Co — 28.26¢
New York	29.99	24.16	yes	yes	National Grid (Niagara Mohawk) — 17.22¢
Massachusetts	30.46	27.12	yes	yes	NSTAR Electric Company — 29.91¢
Connecticut	30.77	28.66	yes	no	Eversource (Connecticut Light & Power) — 28.51¢
Maine	32.17	24.05	yes	no	Central Maine Power Co — 23.43¢
California	33.22	29.08	no	yes	Turlock Irrigation District — 16.34¢
Hawaii	43.00	42.86	no	no	Hawaiian Electric Co Inc — 42.87¢

Monthly column: EIA state-level average residential price, February 2026. 2024 column: volume-weighted average across each state's bundled-service utilities from EIA-861 filings (revenue ÷ sales). "Cheapest major utility" = lowest 2024 average among utilities with ≥50,000 residential customers. Choice = residential retail supply choice; the wires company is set by address everywhere.

National heating-fuel scoreboard ($ per million BTU, site energy)

US average residential energy prices normalized to $/MMBTU
Fuel	Native price	As of	$ per MMBTU
Utility natural gas	$1.453 /therm	Feb 2026	14.53
Propane	$2.674 /gal	Mar 30, 2026	29.24
Heating oil (No. 2)	$5.535 /gal	Mar 30, 2026	39.96
Electricity (resistance)	17.65 ¢/kWh	Feb 2026	51.73

Conversions: 1 kWh = 3,412 BTU; 1 therm = 100,000 BTU; heating oil 138,500 BTU/gal; propane 91,452 BTU/gal. Site-energy prices — appliance efficiency changes delivered-heat cost: a 95% AFUE gas furnace delivers heat near the gas figure, while a heat pump at seasonal COP 2.5–3 cuts the effective electric figure by 60–70%. State-level fuel tables are on each state page.

Questions people ask

Which state has the cheapest electricity?: North Dakota, at an average 11.64 cents/kWh for residential customers in February 2026 (EIA). The cheapest states cluster in the Northwest and the Gulf/Mountain regions.
Which state has the most expensive electricity?: Hawaii, at 43.00 cents/kWh in February 2026 — 3.7 times the cheapest state. New England and California follow.
Can I choose my electric company?: You can never choose the distribution utility — it is fixed by address. 15 states (including DC) let residential customers choose the supply portion of the electric bill, and 16 allow gas supply choice. Each state page explains the local rules and links the official shopping site.
Is gas or electric heating cheaper?: Nationally, utility natural gas costs about $15 per million BTU versus $52 for electric resistance heat — but a heat pump (COP 2.5-3) narrows that to roughly $19, and state prices vary widely. See your state page for local numbers.

Browse all 51 state guides

About these numbers. Rates shown are averages computed from federal regulatory filings (EIA Form 861) and public tariff databases — confirm with your utility before making decisions; your actual rate depends on your tariff, usage, and riders. Distribution utility is determined by address and generally cannot be chosen; in retail-choice states you may choose your supplier for the supply portion of the bill. Savings figures use 10,800 kWh/yr (US average residential usage) and are estimates, not quotes. EnergySavings is an independent data project by CertiHomes and is not affiliated with any utility, supplier, or government agency.