Who runs the utilities in Idaho?
Idaho has 833,282 residential customers, EIA-861 2024 sales file (96% of EIA's count). Investor-owned 87.4%. Cooperative 9.2%. Municipal 3.4%. Idaho ranks 16th of 51 states, investor-owned.
Idaho homes by utility type
Idaho: customers by type, %
- 87.4Investor-owned
- 3.4Municipal
- 9.2Cooperative
| Idaho type | Utilities | Customers | Share | Price ¢/kWh | Gap ¢ (%) | kWh/mo | Nonmetro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investor-owned | 1 | 728,147 | 87.4% | 11.77 | not shown | 908 | 68% |
| Municipal | 11 | 28,142 | 3.4% | 9.25 | -2.52 (-21%) | 951 | 0% |
| Cooperative | 14 | 76,993 | 9.2% | 11.04 | -0.73 (-6%) | 1,181 | 72% |
Idaho prices by utility type
municipal utilities average 9.2 cents, 2.5 cents (21%) below investor-owned at 11.8; cooperatives average 11.0 cents, 0.7 cents (6%) below investor-owned at 11.8.
Idaho gaps mix cost and customer mix; method.
Idaho: which utilities set the averages
Investor-owned at 11.8 cents and municipal utilities at 9.2 are the widest pair in Idaho, 2.5 cents (27%).
Investor-owned: Idaho Power Co holds 72% of priced customers at 11.8 cents, group average 11.8. Among 3 with 5,000+ customers, Avista Corp charges 11.6 and PacifiCorp 12.1, 0.5 cents apart.
Municipal: City of Idaho Falls alone has a price, 28,142 customers at 9.2 cents.
Cooperative: Kootenai Electric Cooperative holds 39% of priced customers at 12.2 cents, group average 11.0. Among 4 with 5,000+ customers, United Electric Co-op, Inc charges 7.9 and Kootenai Electric Cooperative 12.2, 4.3 cents apart.
Idaho territory, rural or urban
Idaho has 44 counties, 68% of them nonmetro in USDA's 2023 codes. Customer-weighted: investor-owned territory is 68% nonmetro; municipal territory is 0% nonmetro; cooperative territory is 72% nonmetro.
Idaho: largest utilities
| Idaho Power Co | Investor-owned | 525,751 | 11.76 | 916 | 67% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avista Corp | Investor-owned | 128,226 | 11.62 | 882 | 78% |
| PacifiCorp | Investor-owned | 74,170 | 12.11 | 899 | 64% |
| Kootenai Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | 30,378 | 12.21 | 1,131 | 67% |
| City of Idaho Falls | Municipal | 28,142 | 9.25 | 952 | 0% |
| Northern Lights, Inc | Cooperative | 18,511 | 11.49 | 1,083 | 67% |
| Fall River Rural Elec Coop Inc | Cooperative | 15,433 | 11.11 | 1,166 | 80% |
| United Electric Co-op, Inc | Cooperative | 5,100 | 7.89 | 1,646 | 100% |
| Salmon River Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 2,383 | 9.00 | 1,326 | 100% |
| Inland Power & Light Company | Cooperative | 2,115 | 8.92 | 1,455 | 67% |
| Lower Valley Energy Inc | Cooperative | 1,636 | 7.23 | 1,069 | 50% |
| Raft Rural Elec Coop Inc | Cooperative | 1,391 | 9.18 | 1,493 | 75% |
| Missoula Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 46 | 10.00 | 1,257 | 100% |
Compare your Idaho utility
- Pick a utility.
Idaho next to its neighbors
Idaho: municipal -21%, cooperative -6% against investor-owned. Gaps are within each state.
More
Similar investor-owned share: Michigan 89%, New Hampshire 88%, Wisconsin 86%, New York 85%
Sources
Idaho: EIA-861 (2024), USDA RUCC (2023); retrieval dates, checksums.
Questions
Which utility type serves most Idaho homes?
Investor-owned utilities, 87.4% of 833,282 customers.
Do Idaho co-ops or municipal utilities charge less?
Municipal utilities averaged 9.2 cents per kWh against 11.8 for investor-owned (-21%). Cooperatives averaged 11.0 cents per kWh against 11.8 for investor-owned (-6%).
How many utilities does Idaho have?
EIA-861 (2024) lists 26; residential sales are reported by 13.
Can Idaho customers pick their utility?
No; Idaho shows almost no energy-only supply and the address sets the utility.