The 100 counties with the highest energy burden
The top 100 are in 25 states; Minnesota has 11 of them. The 100th county, Fayette County, WV, is at 4.6%, against 2.2% for the U.S. 98 of the 100 have a page here.
The 100 counties
| McDowell County | West Virginia | 6,547 | $38,116 | $2,658 | 7.0 | 18.3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Hill County | Georgia | 7,126 | $52,733 | $3,325 | 6.3 | 19.0 |
| Coahoma County | Mississippi | 8,387 | $47,728 | $2,889 | 6.0 | 17.4 |
| Roseau County | Minnesota | 5,833 | $82,464 | $4,732 | 5.7 | 14.1 |
| Wright County | Missouri | 6,825 | $52,718 | $2,999 | 5.7 | 12.8 |
| Washington County | Maine | 13,585 | $65,354 | $3,707 | 5.7 | 16.0 |
| Sanders County | Montana | 5,425 | $60,005 | $3,398 | 5.7 | 17.0 |
| Clay County | Illinois | 5,477 | $69,332 | $3,904 | 5.6 | 14.6 |
| Redwood County | Minnesota | 6,075 | $78,258 | $4,395 | 5.6 | 14.1 |
| Piscataquis County | Maine | 7,654 | $66,140 | $3,676 | 5.6 | 14.7 |
| Schuylkill County | Pennsylvania | 56,987 | $74,772 | $4,138 | 5.5 | 16.0 |
| Jay County | Indiana | 8,091 | $63,655 | $3,438 | 5.4 | 13.6 |
| Holmes County | Mississippi | 5,798 | $44,545 | $2,406 | 5.4 | 18.9 |
| Kossuth County | Iowa | 6,421 | $71,942 | $3,868 | 5.4 | 14.4 |
| Aitkin County | Minnesota | 6,797 | $70,123 | $3,762 | 5.4 | 13.8 |
| Aroostook County | Maine | 29,237 | $64,421 | $3,437 | 5.3 | 13.4 |
| Somerset County | Maine | 22,074 | $65,353 | $3,476 | 5.3 | 14.0 |
| Orleans County | Vermont | 11,528 | $78,509 | $4,165 | 5.3 | 15.1 |
| Oxford County | Maine | 23,183 | $69,078 | $3,599 | 5.2 | 13.8 |
| Williams County | Ohio | 15,381 | $69,256 | $3,588 | 5.2 | 12.7 |
| Caledonia County | Vermont | 12,819 | $79,784 | $4,130 | 5.2 | 14.8 |
| Clearfield County | Pennsylvania | 31,741 | $67,001 | $3,457 | 5.2 | 13.3 |
| Wayne County | Pennsylvania | 19,747 | $75,130 | $3,874 | 5.2 | 14.2 |
| Mingo County | West Virginia | 9,093 | $49,803 | $2,564 | 5.2 | 16.1 |
| Bedford County | Pennsylvania | 19,571 | $70,592 | $3,630 | 5.1 | 13.8 |
| Otero County | Colorado | 7,594 | $57,483 | $2,946 | 5.1 | 11.2 |
| Jackson County | Ohio | 12,453 | $67,191 | $3,440 | 5.1 | 14.4 |
| Texas County | Missouri | 9,335 | $55,495 | $2,829 | 5.1 | 13.2 |
| Claiborne Parish | Louisiana | 5,060 | $45,254 | $2,304 | 5.1 | 12.6 |
| Dallas County | Alabama | 14,753 | $48,470 | $2,463 | 5.1 | 14.8 |
| Concordia Parish | Louisiana | 6,302 | $57,280 | $2,913 | 5.1 | 15.5 |
| Bertie County | North Carolina | 6,984 | $59,642 | $3,029 | 5.1 | 15.5 |
| Taylor County | Wisconsin | 7,754 | $76,723 | $3,886 | 5.1 | 13.7 |
| Coos County | New Hampshire | 13,620 | $73,026 | $3,690 | 5.0 | 10.7 |
| Kanabec County | Minnesota | 6,518 | $80,569 | $4,050 | 5.0 | 12.5 |
| Mitchell County | Georgia | 7,924 | $59,877 | $3,004 | 5.0 | 15.4 |
| Pennington County | Minnesota | 6,150 | $79,869 | $4,010 | 5.0 | 12.3 |
| Somerset County | Pennsylvania | 28,956 | $71,903 | $3,610 | 5.0 | 13.1 |
| Goshen County | Wyoming | 5,069 | $68,765 | $3,450 | 5.0 | 13.5 |
| Webster Parish | Louisiana | 14,801 | $50,987 | $2,556 | 5.0 | 13.7 |
| Letcher County | Kentucky | 8,415 | $49,418 | $2,470 | 5.0 | 13.3 |
| Lincoln County | Montana | 8,882 | $56,119 | $2,806 | 5.0 | 14.0 |
| Howell County | Missouri | 15,433 | $56,442 | $2,818 | 5.0 | 13.0 |
| Wadena County | Minnesota | 5,734 | $67,598 | $3,363 | 5.0 | 10.6 |
| Brown County | Minnesota | 10,926 | $78,577 | $3,895 | 5.0 | 11.5 |
| Carbon County | Pennsylvania | 26,662 | $76,458 | $3,788 | 5.0 | 14.8 |
| Wyoming County | West Virginia | 7,724 | $51,900 | $2,562 | 4.9 | 14.4 |
| Appanoose County | Iowa | 5,028 | $64,689 | $3,190 | 4.9 | 11.9 |
| Polk County | Minnesota | 12,472 | $81,331 | $4,004 | 4.9 | 12.5 |
| Mifflin County | Pennsylvania | 18,612 | $66,640 | $3,273 | 4.9 | 11.3 |
| Lamoille County | Vermont | 11,176 | $88,254 | $4,330 | 4.9 | 16.0 |
| Pike County | Kentucky | 23,967 | $54,236 | $2,656 | 4.9 | 14.6 |
| Pemiscot County | Missouri | 6,275 | $57,233 | $2,804 | 4.9 | 13.5 |
| Perry County | Indiana | 7,586 | $69,705 | $3,411 | 4.9 | 15.8 |
| Jackson County | Wisconsin | 7,990 | $77,217 | $3,773 | 4.9 | 12.7 |
| Franklin County | Maine | 12,276 | $69,836 | $3,397 | 4.9 | 12.7 |
| Martinsville city | Virginia | 5,628 | $55,940 | $2,723 | 4.9 | 11.6 |
| Adair County | Oklahoma | 6,848 | $53,009 | $2,573 | 4.9 | 13.9 |
| Macon County | Alabama | 7,131 | $54,129 | $2,622 | 4.8 | 15.6 |
| Le Flore County | Oklahoma | 17,835 | $59,709 | $2,880 | 4.8 | 13.9 |
| Crawford County | Iowa | 6,214 | $73,027 | $3,515 | 4.8 | 12.4 |
| Allamakee County | Iowa | 5,970 | $77,613 | $3,729 | 4.8 | 13.9 |
| Wayne County | Illinois | 6,848 | $64,547 | $3,098 | 4.8 | 11.0 |
| Greene County | North Carolina | 6,793 | $57,704 | $2,754 | 4.8 | 11.8 |
| Rutland County | Vermont | 25,334 | $79,011 | $3,768 | 4.8 | 14.0 |
| Knott County | Kentucky | 5,563 | $49,786 | $2,368 | 4.8 | 13.2 |
| Clare County | Michigan | 11,935 | $60,143 | $2,856 | 4.8 | 11.5 |
| Fayette County | Iowa | 8,228 | $70,496 | $3,333 | 4.7 | 13.8 |
| Sierra County | New Mexico | 5,285 | $47,942 | $2,267 | 4.7 | 14.3 |
| Cedar County | Missouri | 5,476 | $59,564 | $2,810 | 4.7 | 11.3 |
| McKinley County | New Mexico | 20,913 | $52,320 | $2,466 | 4.7 | 16.4 |
| Lawrence County | Kentucky | 5,721 | $56,255 | $2,641 | 4.7 | 14.2 |
| Buffalo County | Wisconsin | 5,616 | $77,473 | $3,635 | 4.7 | 12.3 |
| Beckham County | Oklahoma | 8,013 | $69,606 | $3,258 | 4.7 | 16.4 |
| Breathitt County | Kentucky | 5,529 | $47,056 | $2,193 | 4.7 | 13.0 |
| Ottawa County | Oklahoma | 11,718 | $58,344 | $2,719 | 4.7 | 12.6 |
| Pike County | Illinois | 5,734 | $74,323 | $3,454 | 4.7 | 13.7 |
| Todd County | Minnesota | 9,767 | $73,701 | $3,419 | 4.6 | 10.6 |
| Washington County | Mississippi | 17,290 | $58,145 | $2,697 | 4.6 | 15.6 |
| Clinton County | Pennsylvania | 14,877 | $71,464 | $3,319 | 4.6 | 11.9 |
| Chippewa County | Minnesota | 5,206 | $75,735 | $3,508 | 4.6 | 11.1 |
| Macon County | Missouri | 5,848 | $64,554 | $2,987 | 4.6 | 12.3 |
| Rusk County | Wisconsin | 6,190 | $69,969 | $3,242 | 4.6 | 11.9 |
| Waldo County | Maine | 17,263 | $78,065 | $3,608 | 4.6 | 13.4 |
| Osceola County | Michigan | 8,877 | $66,856 | $3,091 | 4.6 | 11.9 |
| Cass County | Iowa | 5,771 | $75,010 | $3,460 | 4.6 | 13.1 |
| Hertford County | North Carolina | 8,353 | $57,913 | $2,669 | 4.6 | 12.6 |
| Hale County | Alabama | 5,403 | $52,991 | $2,439 | 4.6 | 14.5 |
| Clay County | Kentucky | 7,110 | $45,154 | $2,078 | 4.6 | 13.1 |
| Floyd County | Kentucky | 14,282 | $51,994 | $2,395 | 4.6 | 13.5 |
| Jackson County | Oklahoma | 9,835 | $72,712 | $3,344 | 4.6 | 16.1 |
| Cambria County | Pennsylvania | 55,541 | $68,903 | $3,161 | 4.6 | 11.9 |
| Hamilton County | Iowa | 6,203 | $75,977 | $3,469 | 4.6 | 12.7 |
| Sibley County | Minnesota | 5,882 | $87,990 | $4,026 | 4.6 | 11.9 |
| Price County | Wisconsin | 6,630 | $67,673 | $3,093 | 4.6 | 11.3 |
| Logan County | West Virginia | 12,375 | $58,312 | $2,666 | 4.6 | 14.3 |
| Yazoo County | Mississippi | 8,807 | $51,735 | $2,361 | 4.6 | 17.0 |
| Hill County | Montana | 6,218 | $68,253 | $3,110 | 4.6 | 13.5 |
| Wyoming County | Pennsylvania | 10,788 | $80,023 | $3,646 | 4.6 | 12.4 |
| Fayette County | West Virginia | 15,938 | $58,438 | $2,663 | 4.6 | 15.8 |
Click a header to sort. Counties without a link have no county page on this site.
Where the top 100 are
Minnesota 11; Pennsylvania 10; Maine 7; Iowa 7; Kentucky 7; Missouri 6; West Virginia 5; Wisconsin 5. The other 17 states with a county on the list have 5 or fewer each.
What they have in common
The 100 counties average $64,746 of household income and $3,220 a year on home energy, against $100,474 and $2,241 for the U.S. Income is the larger part of the gap: the energy bill is 144% of the U.S. figure, income 64%.
How the list is built
All 3,138 counties in the DOE LEAD 2022 update with data are ranked by yearly electricity, gas and other-fuel cost over household income. Counties under 5,000 households are left out, since small-county estimates swing widely. We also left out 3 larger counties whose LEAD electricity cost is more than 2.5 times the state average, which looks like a modeling artifact rather than real bills: Cook County, GA ($7,607 a year against a Georgia average of $1,732, burden 12.2%); Washington County, GA ($5,209 a year against a Georgia average of $1,732, burden 9.1%); Renville County, MN ($3,832 a year against a Minnesota average of $1,277, burden 6.7%). State summaries: energy burden by state.
Sources
DOE LEAD Tool, 2022 update (OEDI submission 6219), county tables.
Questions
Which county has the highest energy burden?
McDowell County, WV: 7.0% of income, $2,658 a year on energy against $38,116 of income (6,547 households).
Why only counties with 5,000 households?
LEAD figures for small counties rest on few survey records and move a lot, so the list would be mostly small places.
Is the burden here electricity only?
No. It adds gas and other home fuels.
Do the counties on this list have bills above the U.S. average?
On average the 100 counties spend $3,220 a year on energy against $2,241 nationally; the larger difference is in income.