Who runs the utilities in Arizona?
Arizona has 3,098,257 residential customers, EIA-861 2024 sales file (99% of EIA's count). Investor-owned 57.0%. Political subdivision 35.2%. Cooperative 6.0%. State and federal 1.3%. Municipal 0.5%. Arizona ranks 40th of 51 states, investor-owned.
Arizona homes by utility type
Arizona: customers by type, %
- 57.0Investor-owned
- 0.5Municipal
- 6.0Cooperative
- 35.2Political subdivision
- 1.3State and federal
| Arizona type | Utilities | Customers | Share | Price ¢/kWh | Gap ¢ (%) | kWh/mo | Nonmetro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investor-owned | 5 | 1,767,111 | 57.0% | 16.26 | not shown | 973 | 33% |
| Municipal | 7 | 15,331 | 0.5% | not shown | not shown | 861 | 0% |
| Cooperative | 9 | 186,416 | 6.0% | 13.02 | -3.24 (-20%) | 846 | 43% |
| Political subdivision | 19 | 1,090,634 | 35.2% | 13.47 | -2.79 (-17%) | 1,209 | 32% |
| State and federal | 5 | 38,765 | 1.3% | 17.81 | +1.55 (+10%) | 624 | 58% |
Arizona prices by utility type
cooperatives average 13.0 cents, 3.2 cents (20%) below investor-owned at 16.3; political-subdivision utilities average 13.5 cents, 2.8 cents (17%) below investor-owned at 16.3; state and federal utilities average 17.8 cents, 1.5 cents (10%) above investor-owned at 16.3.
Arizona gaps mix cost and customer mix; method.
Arizona: which utilities set the averages
State and federal at 17.8 cents and cooperatives at 13.0 are the widest pair in Arizona, 4.8 cents (37%).
Investor-owned: Arizona Public Service Co holds 71% of priced customers at 16.4 cents, group average 16.3. Among 3 with 5,000+ customers, Tucson Electric Power Co charges 15.6 and Arizona Public Service Co 16.4, 0.8 cents apart.
Cooperative: Trico Electric Cooperative Inc holds 28% of priced customers at 14.2 cents, group average 13.0. Among 4 with 5,000+ customers, Mohave Electric Cooperative, Inc. charges 11.2 and Trico Electric Cooperative Inc 14.2, 3.0 cents apart.
Political subdivision: Salt River Project holds 97% of priced customers at 13.5 cents, group average 13.5. Among 3 with 5,000+ customers, Electrical Dist No2 Pinal County charges 13.3 and Electrical Dist No3 Pinal County 13.9, 0.7 cents apart.
State and federal: Navajo Tribal Utility Authority holds 70% of priced customers at 16.6 cents, group average 17.8. Among 2 with 5,000+ customers, Navajo Tribal Utility Authority charges 16.6 and USBIA-San Carlos Project 19.5, 2.9 cents apart.
Arizona territory, rural or urban
Arizona has 15 counties, 47% of them nonmetro in USDA's 2023 codes. Customer-weighted: investor-owned territory is 33% nonmetro; cooperative territory is 43% nonmetro; political-subdivision territory is 32% nonmetro; state or federal territory is 58% nonmetro.
Arizona: largest utilities
| Arizona Public Service Co | Investor-owned | 1,256,120 | 16.45 | 1,034 | 43% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt River Project | Political subdivision | 1,053,407 | 13.46 | 1,211 | 33% |
| Tucson Electric Power Co | Investor-owned | 412,747 | 15.63 | 800 | 0% |
| UNS Electric, Inc | Investor-owned | 95,191 | 16.02 | 924 | 50% |
| Trico Electric Cooperative Inc | Cooperative | 52,450 | 14.17 | 942 | 33% |
| Sulphur Springs Valley E C Inc | Cooperative | 46,008 | 13.49 | 742 | 50% |
| Mohave Electric Cooperative, Inc. | Cooperative | 41,009 | 11.20 | 987 | 0% |
| Navopache Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 40,076 | 13.43 | 612 | 100% |
| Electrical Dist No3 Pinal County | Political subdivision | 32,009 | 13.93 | 1,182 | 0% |
| Navajo Tribal Utility Authority | State and federal | 27,014 | 16.63 | 490 | 67% |
| City of Mesa | Municipal | 15,331 | 16.93 | 861 | 0% |
| USBIA-San Carlos Project | State and federal | 11,432 | 19.49 | 922 | 40% |
| Electrical Dist No2 Pinal County | Political subdivision | 5,218 | 13.27 | 1,064 | 0% |
| Dixie Escalante R E A, Inc | Cooperative | 2,790 | 9.60 | 1,077 | 0% |
| Gila River Indian Utility Authority (GRICUA) | Cooperative | 2,682 | 14.25 | 1,463 | 0% |
| Morenci Water and Electric | Investor-owned | 2,232 | 11.23 | 787 | 100% |
| Garkane Energy Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 1,401 | 11.51 | 1,620 | 0% |
| Ajo Improvement Co | Investor-owned | 821 | 12.56 | 548 | 0% |
| Ak-Chin Electric Utility Authority | State and federal | 319 | 12.95 | 1,310 | 0% |
Compare your Arizona utility
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Arizona next to its neighbors
Arizona: municipal not shown, cooperative -20% against investor-owned. Gaps are within each state.
| State | Investor-owned | Municipal | Cooperative | Muni gap | Coop gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 57% | 0% | 6% | not shown | -20% |
| California | 79% | 15% | 0% | -35% | not shown |
| Colorado | 58% | 16% | 26% | -9% | -1% |
| Nevada | 96% | 1% | 3% | not shown | -6% |
| New Mexico | 78% | 5% | 16% | -7% | +8% |
| Utah | 81% | 14% | 5% | -8% | -25% |
More
Similar investor-owned share: Colorado 58%, Alabama 57%, South Carolina 56%, North Dakota 56%
Sources
Arizona: EIA-861 (2024), USDA RUCC (2023); retrieval dates, checksums.
Questions
Which utility type serves most Arizona homes?
Investor-owned utilities, 57.0% of 3,098,257 customers.
Do Arizona co-ops or municipal utilities charge less?
Cooperatives averaged 13.0 cents per kWh against 16.3 for investor-owned (-20%). Political-subdivision utilities averaged 13.5 cents per kWh against 16.3 for investor-owned (-17%). State and federal utilities averaged 17.8 cents per kWh against 16.3 for investor-owned (+10%).
How many utilities does Arizona have?
EIA-861 (2024) lists 45; residential sales are reported by 19.
Can Arizona customers pick their utility?
No; Arizona shows almost no energy-only supply and the address sets the utility.