The state with the highest rate has the highest bill: partly true
Partly The claim: “The state with the highest rate has the highest bill” Bill = price times use. Hawaii households use 511 kWh a month on average (rank 50 of 51 for use), Connecticut households 705 (rank 36). Only 4 of the 10 highest prices are also among the 10 highest bills.
Hawaii is #2 on bills
Ranking 51 states by the 2025 home price puts Hawaii first at 40.59 cents. Its typical bill, average kWh per account times that price, is $207.32 a month, 2nd of 51. Connecticut has the largest bill, $207.35, at 29.38 cents, 5th on price.
The two lists agree loosely: rank correlation +0.48. They disagree most for Colorado (22nd on price, 49th on bill) and Louisiana (48th, 22nd).
Price against bill, and the largest rank gaps
Price rank against bill rank: rank correlation +0.48; price against bill in dollars r = +0.54.
Use sets the second half of the bill
Monthly use runs from 480 kWh in California to 1,227 in Louisiana, a factor of 2.6. Prices span a factor of 3.4. A state with mid-range prices and heavy use can top the bill list, and a high-price state with light use can sit mid-table.
All 51 states in price order: bills $99 to $207
| Hawaii | 40.59 | 1 | 511 | $207.32 | 2 | +1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 32.54 | 2 | 480 | $156.17 | 19 | +17 |
| Massachusetts | 30.48 | 3 | 600 | $182.86 | 5 | +2 |
| Rhode Island | 29.46 | 4 | 562 | $165.53 | 9 | +5 |
| Connecticut | 29.38 | 5 | 705 | $207.35 | 1 | -4 |
| Maine | 27.78 | 6 | 532 | $147.80 | 26 | +20 |
| New York | 26.39 | 7 | 586 | $154.64 | 21 | +14 |
| Alaska | 26.09 | 8 | 564 | $147.12 | 27 | +19 |
| New Hampshire | 24.56 | 9 | 639 | $156.93 | 18 | +9 |
| Vermont | 22.92 | 10 | 594 | $136.14 | 33 | +23 |
| New Jersey | 22.63 | 11 | 664 | $150.27 | 23 | +12 |
| District of Columbia | 21.94 | 12 | 639 | $140.18 | 31 | +19 |
| Michigan | 20.01 | 13 | 634 | $126.87 | 38 | +25 |
| Maryland | 19.48 | 14 | 948 | $184.75 | 4 | -10 |
| Pennsylvania | 19.30 | 15 | 843 | $162.56 | 12 | -3 |
| Wisconsin | 18.16 | 16 | 666 | $120.90 | 41 | +25 |
| Illinois | 17.69 | 17 | 722 | $127.65 | 37 | +20 |
| Delaware | 17.13 | 18 | 932 | $159.60 | 16 | -2 |
| Ohio | 16.96 | 19 | 883 | $149.81 | 25 | +6 |
| Indiana | 16.23 | 20 | 957 | $155.35 | 20 | +0 |
| Alabama | 16.10 | 21 | 1,152 | $185.43 | 3 | -18 |
| Colorado | 15.85 | 22 | 678 | $107.40 | 49 | +27 |
| Minnesota | 15.82 | 23 | 742 | $117.46 | 44 | +21 |
| Texas | 15.47 | 24 | 1,118 | $172.93 | 6 | -18 |
| West Virginia | 15.41 | 25 | 1,073 | $165.35 | 10 | -15 |
| Oregon | 15.37 | 26 | 873 | $134.21 | 35 | +9 |
| Arizona | 15.32 | 27 | 1,030 | $157.78 | 17 | -10 |
| Virginia | 15.28 | 28 | 1,067 | $163.07 | 11 | -17 |
| Florida | 15.24 | 29 | 1,099 | $167.50 | 7 | -22 |
| New Mexico | 15.08 | 30 | 654 | $98.59 | 51 | +21 |
| South Carolina | 14.96 | 31 | 1,076 | $160.92 | 13 | -18 |
| Georgia | 14.73 | 32 | 1,091 | $160.67 | 14 | -18 |
| Kansas | 14.56 | 33 | 880 | $128.14 | 36 | +3 |
| Mississippi | 14.03 | 34 | 1,183 | $166.01 | 8 | -26 |
| North Carolina | 14.02 | 35 | 1,044 | $146.26 | 28 | -7 |
| Iowa | 13.72 | 36 | 857 | $117.60 | 43 | +7 |
| Missouri | 13.49 | 37 | 1,063 | $143.32 | 29 | -8 |
| South Dakota | 13.38 | 38 | 1,005 | $134.47 | 34 | -4 |
| Wyoming | 13.38 | 39 | 850 | $113.74 | 46 | +7 |
| Kentucky | 13.24 | 40 | 1,132 | $149.82 | 24 | -16 |
| Tennessee | 13.18 | 41 | 1,217 | $160.41 | 15 | -26 |
| Nevada | 13.15 | 42 | 870 | $114.40 | 45 | +3 |
| Oklahoma | 13.12 | 43 | 1,071 | $140.46 | 30 | -13 |
| Washington | 13.11 | 44 | 955 | $125.13 | 40 | -4 |
| Utah | 13.07 | 45 | 777 | $101.51 | 50 | +5 |
| Montana | 12.98 | 46 | 853 | $110.70 | 47 | +1 |
| Arkansas | 12.84 | 47 | 1,074 | $137.88 | 32 | -15 |
| Louisiana | 12.57 | 48 | 1,227 | $154.24 | 22 | -26 |
| Nebraska | 12.34 | 49 | 971 | $119.76 | 42 | -7 |
| Idaho | 11.82 | 50 | 933 | $110.31 | 48 | -2 |
| North Dakota | 11.81 | 51 | 1,073 | $126.80 | 39 | -12 |
Price rank 1 is Hawaii (40.59 ¢) with bill rank 2; bill rank 1 is Connecticut ($207) with price rank 5. 14 states are within 5 places on both lists.
CSVWhere the two lists agree
4 states are in the top 10 on both lists: Hawaii (40.59 ¢, $207), Massachusetts (30.48 ¢, $183), Rhode Island (29.46 ¢, $166), Connecticut (29.38 ¢, $207).
The reverse also happens. The three biggest jumps down from price rank to bill rank are Colorado (22nd on price, 49th on bill), Michigan (13th on price, 38th on bill), Wisconsin (16th on price, 41st on bill); the three biggest jumps up are Louisiana (48th, 22nd), Mississippi (34th, 8th), Tennessee (41st, 15th).
Price times use
Pick a state to fill its price and average monthly use, then change either number.
What the bill figure leaves out
Our typical bill is a statewide average: average use per account from EIA monthly data for 2025 times EIA's average price (revenue divided by kWh sold). It is not a bill from any one utility. Your bill depends on your own use and your own utility, and a home with a heat pump or a pool can use several times the state average.
Map: typical bill by state
- $99 to $121
- $121 to $140
- $140 to $155
- $155 to $165
- $165 to $207
Darker = a larger bill. $99 to $207.
Keep reading
Sources and dates
| Source | Data period | Retrieved | Used here for |
|---|---|---|---|
| EIA electricity retail sales, annual and monthly (API v2) | annual 2010 to 2025, monthly to Jul 2026 | 1 Oct 2026 | Price, average use per account and typical bill, 2025 |
Questions
Does the state with the highest rate have the highest bill?
Not as a rule. Hawaii has the highest price (40.59 ¢) and ranks 2 of 51 on the typical bill, $0.04 behind Connecticut; only 4 of the 10 highest prices are also in the 10 highest bills.
Which state has the highest typical bill?
Connecticut at $207.35 a month on 705 kWh, price 29.38 cents.
Which state has the lowest bill?
New Mexico at $98.59 a month.
How are the bills worked out?
Average kWh per account times the average price for each state, EIA monthly data for 2025, then averaged over the months. It is a statewide average, not any one utility's bill.
Why is the link between price and bill loose?
Use differs by a factor of 2.6 between states, so r = +0.54 between price and bill.
Which state has the biggest gap between its price and bill ranks?
Colorado: 22nd on price and 49th on bill, 27 places apart.
How many states have a top-10 price and a top-10 bill?
4 of the 10 highest-price states are also in the 10 highest bills.
Is the bill the right measure of cost?
It is one view. Burden as a share of income uses the same bill with median income.