Who runs the utilities in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts has 2,811,855 residential customers, EIA-861 2024 sales file (96% of EIA's count). Investor-owned 90.8%. Municipal 9.2%. Massachusetts ranks 11th of 51 states, investor-owned.
Massachusetts homes by utility type
Massachusetts: customers by type, %
- 90.8Investor-owned
- 9.2Municipal
| Massachusetts type | Utilities | Customers | Share | Price ¢/kWh | Gap ¢ (%) | kWh/mo | Nonmetro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investor-owned | 3 | 2,552,302 | 90.8% | 32.18 | not shown | 479 | 14% |
| Municipal | 40 | 259,553 | 9.2% | 16.50 | -15.68 (-49%) | 712 | 0% |
| Political subdivision | 2 | 0 | none | none | not shown | none | no county data |
| State and federal | 1 | 0 | none | none | not shown | none | no county data |
In Massachusetts, 1,624,506 customers (58%) are energy-only accounts with a competitive supplier.
Massachusetts prices by utility type
municipal utilities average 16.5 cents, 15.7 cents (49%) below investor-owned at 32.2.
Massachusetts gaps mix cost and customer mix; method.
Massachusetts: which utilities set the averages
Investor-owned at 32.2 cents and municipal utilities at 16.5 are the widest pair in Massachusetts, 15.7 cents (95%).
Investor-owned: Massachusetts Electric Co holds 57% of priced customers at 33.6 cents, group average 32.2. Among 3 with 5,000+ customers, NSTAR Electric Company charges 29.9 and Fitchburg Gas & Elec Light Co 40.1, 10.2 cents apart.
Municipal: City of Taunton holds 14% of priced customers at 21.5 cents, group average 16.5. Among 16 with 5,000+ customers, Town of Hudson charges 13.4 and City of Taunton 21.5, 8.1 cents apart.
Massachusetts territory, rural or urban
Massachusetts has 14 counties, 21% of them nonmetro in USDA's 2023 codes. Customer-weighted: investor-owned territory is 14% nonmetro; municipal territory is 0% nonmetro.
Massachusetts: largest utilities
| NSTAR Electric Company | Investor-owned | 1,303,076 | 29.91 | 458 | 18% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Electric Co | Investor-owned | 1,210,113 | 33.60 | 492 | 8% |
| City of Taunton | Municipal | 35,684 | 21.46 | 622 | 0% |
| Town of Reading | Municipal | 27,405 | 15.86 | 789 | 0% |
| Fitchburg Gas & Elec Light Co | Investor-owned | 26,290 | 40.08 | 504 | 0% |
| City of Chicopee | Municipal | 23,218 | 16.16 | 699 | 0% |
| City of Peabody | Municipal | 22,546 | 15.71 | 715 | 0% |
| City of Westfield | Municipal | 16,200 | 17.59 | 668 | 0% |
| Town of Shrewsbury | Municipal | 15,713 | 14.27 | 731 | 0% |
| City of Holyoke | Municipal | 15,040 | 16.58 | 599 | 0% |
| Town of Middleborough | Municipal | 14,884 | 15.84 | 792 | 0% |
| Town of Braintree | Municipal | 14,039 | 15.79 | 707 | 0% |
| City of Norwood | Municipal | 13,601 | 17.67 | 552 | 0% |
| Nantucket Electric Co | Investor-owned | 12,823 | 35.11 | 806 | 100% |
| Town of North Attleborough | Municipal | 12,607 | 15.91 | 762 | 0% |
| Town of Danvers | Municipal | 11,594 | 16.45 | 693 | 0% |
| Town of Hudson | Municipal | 11,448 | 13.39 | 760 | 0% |
| Town of Wellesley | Municipal | 9,437 | 16.20 | 978 | 0% |
| Town of Mansfield | Municipal | 9,399 | 15.16 | 725 | 0% |
| Town of Littleton | Municipal | 6,738 | 14.12 | 850 | 0% |
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Massachusetts next to its neighbors
Massachusetts: municipal -49%, cooperative not shown against investor-owned. Gaps are within each state.
| State | Investor-owned | Municipal | Cooperative | Muni gap | Coop gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 91% | 9% | 0% | -49% | not shown |
| Connecticut | 96% | 4% | 0% | -37% | not shown |
| New Hampshire | 88% | 0% | 12% | not shown | +5% |
| New York | 85% | 1% | 0% | -68% | not shown |
| Rhode Island | 99% | 1% | 0% | not shown | not shown |
| Vermont | 81% | 6% | 13% | not shown | +5% |
More
Similar investor-owned share: Hawaii 93%, Illinois 93%, Maryland 90%, Ohio 89%
Sources
Massachusetts: EIA-861 (2024), USDA RUCC (2023); retrieval dates, checksums.
Questions
Which utility type serves most Massachusetts homes?
Investor-owned utilities, 90.8% of 2,811,855 customers.
Do Massachusetts co-ops or municipal utilities charge less?
Municipal utilities averaged 16.5 cents per kWh against 32.2 for investor-owned (-49%).
How many utilities does Massachusetts have?
EIA-861 (2024) lists 46; residential sales are reported by 20.
Can Massachusetts customers pick their utility?
Not the wires: 58% of Massachusetts customers choose an energy supplier, and the local utility still delivers.