Hot states have the biggest bills: partly true
Partly The claim: “Hot states have the biggest bills” Only 4 of the 10 hottest states are among the 10 highest bills. Hot states use somewhat more power, and their prices run lower than in the coolest states (14.6 against 15.6 cents, medians).
Heat and bills: r = +0.35
Cooling degree-days are NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for each state. The typical bill is average kWh per account times the average price (EIA monthly, 2025). Across 48 states the link between cooling degree-days and the bill is +0.35, with monthly use +0.64 and price -0.32.
The 10 hottest states, from Florida to Arkansas, have a median bill of $159 and a median use of 1,090 kWh; the 10 coolest, $125 and 789 kWh.
Each dot is a state
48 states; r = +0.35 for the bill, +0.64 for use in kWh, -0.32 for price. Hawaii, DC and Alaska have no usable degree-day figure in our file.
Summer peaks inside a yearly average
Heat does raise bills in the hot months: the table below shows January and July for the five hottest states. A yearly average blends all twelve months, and hot states pay lower prices (14.6 cents against 15.6 in the coolest ten, medians), which takes back part of the extra use. Among the 10 highest bills the median cooling degree-days figure is 1,134, against 873 for all 48 states.
Hot states, month by month
| State | January 2025 | July 2025 | Highest month | Typical month (average) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $153 | $215 | $223 | $168 |
| Arizona | $126 | $253 | $262 | $157 |
| Texas | $174 | $226 | $232 | $171 |
| Louisiana | $153 | $213 | $213 | $153 |
| Mississippi | $180 | $212 | $212 | $166 |
The hottest and the coolest five
Hottest, with cooling degree-days, monthly use and typical bill: Florida 3,581, 1,103 kWh, $168; Arizona 3,063, 1,030 kWh, $157; Texas 2,808, 1,110 kWh, $171; Louisiana 2,695, 1,225 kWh, $153; Mississippi 2,181, 1,184 kWh, $166.
Coolest: Washington 182, 945 kWh, $124; Montana 195, 853 kWh, $111; Vermont 223, 592 kWh, $135; Oregon 232, 866 kWh, $134; Maine 239, 534 kWh, $148.
All 51 states, hottest first: bills $95 to $207
| Florida | 3,581 | 1 | 1,103 | $167.85 | 6 | 15.21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 3,063 | 2 | 1,030 | $157.21 | 15 | 15.26 |
| Texas | 2,808 | 3 | 1,110 | $170.86 | 5 | 15.40 |
| Louisiana | 2,695 | 4 | 1,225 | $153.26 | 20 | 12.52 |
| Mississippi | 2,181 | 5 | 1,184 | $166.03 | 7 | 14.03 |
| Nevada | 2,166 | 6 | 867 | $115.05 | 42 | 13.26 |
| Alabama | 1,946 | 7 | 1,145 | $184.30 | 3 | 16.09 |
| South Carolina | 1,945 | 8 | 1,067 | $161.25 | 12 | 15.12 |
| Oklahoma | 1,919 | 9 | 1,064 | $140.52 | 27 | 13.21 |
| Arkansas | 1,763 | 10 | 1,076 | $138.42 | 28 | 12.87 |
| Georgia | 1,726 | 11 | 1,077 | $158.67 | 13 | 14.74 |
| North Carolina | 1,470 | 12 | 1,044 | $146.15 | 25 | 14.00 |
| Kansas | 1,457 | 13 | 876 | $126.42 | 35 | 14.44 |
| Tennessee | 1,415 | 14 | 1,181 | $156.07 | 17 | 13.22 |
| Missouri | 1,265 | 15 | 1,038 | $137.98 | 29 | 13.30 |
| Kentucky | 1,227 | 16 | 1,094 | $143.74 | 26 | 13.13 |
| Delaware | 1,140 | 17 | 920 | $157.81 | 14 | 17.15 |
| Maryland | 1,140 | 18 | 945 | $184.43 | 2 | 19.53 |
| Virginia | 1,129 | 19 | 1,067 | $163.05 | 10 | 15.28 |
| New Mexico | 1,002 | 20 | 638 | $94.66 | 48 | 14.85 |
| Nebraska | 995 | 21 | 973 | $117.23 | 41 | 12.05 |
| California | 930 | 22 | 493 | $154.64 | 19 | 31.35 |
| Indiana | 912 | 23 | 938 | $149.72 | 22 | 15.96 |
| Illinois | 888 | 24 | 716 | $126.56 | 34 | 17.67 |
| New Jersey | 858 | 25 | 670 | $150.63 | 21 | 22.48 |
| Iowa | 809 | 26 | 861 | $117.34 | 40 | 13.62 |
| West Virginia | 802 | 27 | 1,073 | $165.08 | 9 | 15.39 |
| Ohio | 793 | 28 | 874 | $147.75 | 24 | 16.90 |
| Pennsylvania | 705 | 29 | 839 | $161.92 | 11 | 19.29 |
| South Dakota | 688 | 30 | 984 | $131.14 | 32 | 13.32 |
| New York | 619 | 31 | 586 | $154.76 | 18 | 26.39 |
| Connecticut | 606 | 32 | 705 | $206.63 | 1 | 29.31 |
| Michigan | 580 | 33 | 635 | $127.17 | 33 | 20.03 |
| Rhode Island | 562 | 34 | 562 | $165.65 | 8 | 29.48 |
| Utah | 538 | 35 | 761 | $99.03 | 47 | 13.02 |
| Massachusetts | 517 | 36 | 595 | $180.94 | 4 | 30.41 |
| Wisconsin | 513 | 37 | 667 | $120.60 | 38 | 18.08 |
| Idaho | 488 | 38 | 933 | $110.37 | 45 | 11.83 |
| Minnesota | 455 | 39 | 744 | $117.66 | 39 | 15.83 |
| North Dakota | 444 | 40 | 1,070 | $126.40 | 36 | 11.82 |
| Colorado | 328 | 41 | 658 | $103.30 | 46 | 15.69 |
| New Hampshire | 300 | 42 | 640 | $156.98 | 16 | 24.53 |
| Wyoming | 278 | 43 | 835 | $111.60 | 43 | 13.37 |
| Maine | 239 | 44 | 534 | $147.77 | 23 | 27.69 |
| Oregon | 232 | 45 | 866 | $133.88 | 31 | 15.46 |
| Vermont | 223 | 46 | 592 | $134.81 | 30 | 22.79 |
| Montana | 195 | 47 | 853 | $110.81 | 44 | 12.99 |
| Washington | 182 | 48 | 945 | $124.40 | 37 | 13.17 |
| Alaska | No data | No data | 564 | $147.20 | - | 26.11 |
| District of Columbia | No data | No data | 639 | $140.04 | - | 21.92 |
| Hawaii | No data | No data | 515 | $207.87 | - | 40.40 |
Hottest Florida 3,581 CDD with a $168 bill (6th); coolest Washington 182 CDD, $124. r = +0.35 for the bill.
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Pick a state to see its heat and its bill.
Limits
A degree-day normal averages over the whole state, while a bill belongs to one home. We do not have air-conditioning ownership by state, so we cannot say how much of the use is cooling. Alaska, District of Columbia and Hawaii have no usable degree-day record in our file; Alaska's normal in the NOAA file is a negative number.
Map: cooling degree-days by state
- 182 to 488
- 488 to 705
- 705 to 1,129
- 1,129 to 1,763
- 1,763 to 3,581
Darker = hotter. Florida 3,581, Washington 182.
Keep reading
Sources and dates
| Source | Data period | Retrieved | Used here for |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOAA NCEI nClimDiv statewide heating and cooling degree-days | 2015 to 2025, normals 1991 to 2020 (files dated 4 Sep 2026) | 2 Oct 2026 | Cooling degree-days, 1991 to 2020 normals |
| EIA electricity retail sales, annual and monthly (API v2) | annual 2010 to 2025, monthly to Aug 2026 | 26 Oct 2026 | Price, use per account and typical bill, 2025 |
Questions
Do hot states have the biggest electric bills?
Not on average: r = +0.35 between cooling degree-days and the typical monthly bill across 48 states.
Which hot state has the highest bill?
Alabama among the 10 hottest, at $184.30 a month (3rd of 51).
Which state has the highest bill overall?
Connecticut at $206.63, with 606 cooling degree-days (rank 32 of 48).
Do hot states use more electricity?
A little: r = +0.64 with monthly kWh. The 10 hottest use a median 1,090 kWh a month against 789 in the 10 coolest.
Are hot-state prices higher or lower?
r = -0.32 between cooling degree-days and price; medians are 14.57 cents (hot) and 15.57 (cool).
What are cooling degree-days?
A measure of how far daily temperatures sit above a base temperature, summed over the year. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 state normals are used here.
Why do some states have no figure?
Alaska, District of Columbia and Hawaii have no usable figure in the NOAA statewide degree-day file we use.
How is the typical bill defined?
Average kWh per account times the average price, EIA monthly data for 2025, averaged over the months. It is a statewide average, not any one utility's bill.