Who runs the utilities in Virginia?
Virginia has 3,584,337 residential customers, EIA-861 2024 sales file (98% of EIA's count). Investor-owned 80.1%. Cooperative 17.1%. Municipal 2.6%. State and federal 0.2%. Virginia ranks 23rd of 51 states, investor-owned.
Virginia homes by utility type
Virginia: customers by type, %
- 80.1Investor-owned
- 2.6Municipal
- 17.1Cooperative
- 0.2State and federal
| Virginia type | Utilities | Customers | Share | Price ¢/kWh | Gap ¢ (%) | kWh/mo | Nonmetro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investor-owned | 1 | 2,871,500 | 80.1% | 14.59 | not shown | 1,013 | 38% |
| Municipal | 15 | 94,748 | 2.6% | 13.19 | -1.40 (-10%) | 1,004 | 40% |
| Cooperative | 13 | 612,429 | 17.1% | 13.81 | -0.78 (-5%) | 1,128 | 33% |
| State and federal | 1 | 5,660 | 0.2% | not shown | not shown | 787 | 0% |
Virginia prices by utility type
municipal utilities average 13.2 cents, 1.4 cents (10%) below investor-owned at 14.6; cooperatives average 13.8 cents, 0.8 cents (5%) below investor-owned at 14.6.
Virginia gaps mix cost and customer mix; method.
Virginia: which utilities set the averages
Investor-owned at 14.6 cents and municipal utilities at 13.2 are the widest pair in Virginia, 1.4 cents (11%).
Investor-owned: Virginia Electric & Power Co holds 83% of priced customers at 14.1 cents, group average 14.6. Among 3 with 5,000+ customers, Virginia Electric & Power Co charges 14.1 and Appalachian Power Co 17.0, 2.9 cents apart.
Municipal: City of Danville holds 40% of priced customers at 15.0 cents, group average 13.2. Among 5 with 5,000+ customers, Bristol Virginia Utilities charges 11.0 and City of Salem 15.1, 4.1 cents apart.
Cooperative: Rappahannock Electric Coop holds 28% of priced customers at 14.9 cents, group average 13.8. Among 10 with 5,000+ customers, Powell Valley Electric Coop charges 11.4 and Central Virginia Electric Coop 16.1, 4.7 cents apart.
Virginia territory, rural or urban
Virginia has 133 counties, 40% of them nonmetro in USDA's 2023 codes. Customer-weighted: investor-owned territory is 38% nonmetro; municipal territory is 40% nonmetro; cooperative territory is 33% nonmetro.
Virginia: largest utilities
| Virginia Electric & Power Co | Investor-owned | 2,383,548 | 14.09 | 1,005 | 36% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian Power Co | Investor-owned | 465,283 | 17.02 | 1,048 | 44% |
| Rappahannock Electric Coop | Cooperative | 169,489 | 14.89 | 1,145 | 32% |
| Northern Virginia Elec Coop | Cooperative | 167,274 | 11.57 | 1,144 | 0% |
| Shenandoah Valley Elec Coop | Cooperative | 85,281 | 13.81 | 1,166 | 33% |
| Southside Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 56,846 | 15.48 | 1,108 | 50% |
| City of Danville | Municipal | 37,781 | 15.01 | 994 | 100% |
| Central Virginia Electric Coop | Cooperative | 34,893 | 16.14 | 1,184 | 36% |
| A & N Electric Coop | Cooperative | 33,096 | 13.02 | 927 | 100% |
| Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | 30,016 | 14.50 | 972 | 89% |
| Kentucky Utilities Co | Investor-owned | 22,669 | 14.28 | 1,196 | 83% |
| City of Harrisonburg | Municipal | 18,089 | 11.36 | 938 | 0% |
| Northern Neck Elec Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 17,991 | 16.12 | 1,127 | 83% |
| City of Manassas | Municipal | 13,947 | 11.63 | 993 | 0% |
| Bristol Virginia Utilities | Municipal | 13,633 | 10.99 | 1,197 | 0% |
| City of Salem | Municipal | 11,298 | 15.12 | 920 | 0% |
| Prince George Electric Coop | Cooperative | 10,954 | 13.05 | 1,300 | 17% |
| Powell Valley Electric Coop | Cooperative | 6,589 | 11.42 | 1,095 | 67% |
| Virginia Tech Electric Service | State and federal | 5,660 | 17.18 | 787 | 0% |
Compare your Virginia utility
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Virginia next to its neighbors
Virginia: municipal -10%, cooperative -5% against investor-owned. Gaps are within each state.
| State | Investor-owned | Municipal | Cooperative | Muni gap | Coop gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 80% | 3% | 17% | -10% | -5% |
| District of Columbia | 100% | 0% | 0% | not shown | not shown |
| Kentucky | 54% | 7% | 39% | -1% | +4% |
| Maryland | 90% | 1% | 9% | -45% | -16% |
| North Carolina | 69% | 9% | 22% | -18% | -6% |
| Tennessee | 1% | 66% | 33% | -3% | -3% |
| West Virginia | 100% | 0% | 0% | not shown | not shown |
More
Similar investor-owned share: Utah 81%, Kansas 80%, California 79%, New Mexico 78%
Sources
Virginia: EIA-861 (2024), USDA RUCC (2023); retrieval dates, checksums.
Questions
Which utility type serves most Virginia homes?
Investor-owned utilities, 80.1% of 3,584,337 customers.
Do Virginia co-ops or municipal utilities charge less?
Municipal utilities averaged 13.2 cents per kWh against 14.6 for investor-owned (-10%). Cooperatives averaged 13.8 cents per kWh against 14.6 for investor-owned (-5%).
How many utilities does Virginia have?
EIA-861 (2024) lists 30; residential sales are reported by 19.
Can Virginia customers pick their utility?
No; Virginia shows almost no energy-only supply and the address sets the utility.