Who runs the utilities in Iowa?
Iowa has 1,243,287 residential customers, EIA-861 2024 sales file (86% of EIA's count). Investor-owned 84.5%. Cooperative 10.8%. Municipal 4.7%. Iowa ranks 19th of 51 states, investor-owned.
Iowa homes by utility type
Iowa: customers by type, %
- 84.5Investor-owned
- 4.7Municipal
- 10.8Cooperative
| Iowa type | Utilities | Customers | Share | Price ¢/kWh | Gap ¢ (%) | kWh/mo | Nonmetro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investor-owned | 3 | 1,050,298 | 84.5% | 13.58 | not shown | 761 | 76% |
| Municipal | 135 | 58,919 | 4.7% | 11.78 | -1.81 (-13%) | 686 | 37% |
| Cooperative | 43 | 134,070 | 10.8% | 13.45 | -0.14 (-1%) | 1,202 | 65% |
Iowa: 156 short-form utilities with 239,287 customers (all sectors) have no residential split, so the sales file reaches 86% of homes.
Iowa prices by utility type
municipal utilities average 11.8 cents, 1.8 cents (13%) below investor-owned at 13.6; cooperatives average 13.4 cents, 0.1 cents (1%) below investor-owned at 13.6.
Iowa gaps mix cost and customer mix; method.
Iowa: which utilities set the averages
Investor-owned at 13.6 cents and municipal utilities at 11.8 are the widest pair in Iowa, 1.8 cents (15%).
Investor-owned: MidAmerican Energy Co holds 60% of priced customers at 11.0 cents, group average 13.6. Among 2 with 5,000+ customers, MidAmerican Energy Co charges 11.0 and Interstate Power and Light Co 17.9, 6.9 cents apart.
Municipal: City of Ames holds 42% of priced customers at 12.1 cents, group average 11.8. Among 3 with 5,000+ customers, Cedar Falls Utilities charges 10.4 and Board of Water Electric & Communications 12.6, 2.2 cents apart.
Cooperative: Linn County REC holds 23% of priced customers at 14.2 cents, group average 13.4. Among 10 with 5,000+ customers, North West Rural Electric Coop charges 9.3 and MiEnergy Cooperative 16.9, 7.6 cents apart.
Iowa territory, rural or urban
Iowa has 99 counties, 78% of them nonmetro in USDA's 2023 codes. Customer-weighted: investor-owned territory is 76% nonmetro; municipal territory is 37% nonmetro; cooperative territory is 65% nonmetro.
Iowa: largest utilities
| MidAmerican Energy Co | Investor-owned | 632,436 | 11.01 | 792 | 75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interstate Power and Light Co | Investor-owned | 417,153 | 17.90 | 714 | 79% |
| Linn County REC | Cooperative | 30,323 | 14.23 | 850 | 33% |
| City of Ames | Municipal | 24,979 | 12.10 | 570 | 0% |
| Eastern Iowa Light & Power Coop | Cooperative | 20,749 | 13.56 | 1,134 | 58% |
| Cedar Falls Utilities | Municipal | 17,772 | 10.42 | 786 | 33% |
| Midland Power Coop | Cooperative | 11,939 | 13.60 | 1,407 | 65% |
| Maquoketa Valley Rrl Elec Coop | Cooperative | 11,051 | 13.76 | 1,059 | 67% |
| Board of Water Electric & Communications | Municipal | 10,123 | 12.63 | 808 | 100% |
| Iowa Lakes Electric Coop | Cooperative | 9,714 | 13.78 | 1,444 | 100% |
| North West Rural Electric Coop | Cooperative | 9,400 | 9.26 | 2,198 | 91% |
| Access Energy Coop | Cooperative | 8,850 | 14.95 | 1,060 | 90% |
| East-Central Iowa Rural Elec Coop | Cooperative | 7,368 | 13.28 | 1,346 | 55% |
| Consumers Energy Coop | Cooperative | 6,922 | 15.00 | 1,019 | 40% |
| MiEnergy Cooperative | Cooperative | 6,006 | 16.91 | 976 | 100% |
| Heartland Power Coop | Cooperative | 4,351 | 12.67 | 1,528 | 100% |
| Butler County Rural Elec Coop | Cooperative | 3,898 | 15.43 | 1,357 | 86% |
| Prairie Energy Coop | Cooperative | 3,440 | 14.34 | 1,279 | 100% |
| City of Maquoketa | Municipal | 2,805 | 13.15 | 696 | 100% |
| City of Independence | Municipal | 2,719 | 13.82 | 648 | 100% |
| Amana Society Service Co | Investor-owned | 709 | 15.53 | 803 | 100% |
| City of Preston | Municipal | 521 | 15.39 | 600 | 100% |
| Federated Rural Electric Assn | Cooperative | 53 | 11.82 | 1,304 | 100% |
| Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | 6 | 17.00 | 1,389 | 100% |
Compare your Iowa utility
- Pick a utility.
Iowa next to its neighbors
Iowa: municipal -13%, cooperative -1% against investor-owned. Gaps are within each state.
More
Similar investor-owned share: Wisconsin 86%, New York 85%, Vermont 81%, Utah 81%
Sources
Iowa: EIA-861 (2024), USDA RUCC (2023); retrieval dates, checksums.
Questions
Which utility type serves most Iowa homes?
Investor-owned utilities, 84.5% of 1,243,287 customers.
Do Iowa co-ops or municipal utilities charge less?
Municipal utilities averaged 11.8 cents per kWh against 13.6 for investor-owned (-13%). Cooperatives averaged 13.4 cents per kWh against 13.6 for investor-owned (-1%).
How many utilities does Iowa have?
EIA-861 (2024) lists 181; residential sales are reported by 24.
Can Iowa customers pick their utility?
No; Iowa shows almost no energy-only supply and the address sets the utility.