Electric Consumer

Editor: Katerine G., Editor & Data Researcher · Research & publishing: Electric Consumer Editorial Team · Data retrieved · Sources named on this page: EIA-861, EIA retail sales, EIA-860/923, EPA eGRID, Census ACS · How we got these numbers · Report an error

Montana electric companies, rates and outages

EIA counts 7 utilities in Montana, serving 692,539 accounts for a population of 1,105,072.

Milwaukee Road railroad substation No. 10 in Missoula, Montana
MissoulaMT MilwaukeeRoadRRSubstation10. Photo by Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. Illustrative, not a listed utility's plant.

In 2025 Montana homes paid 12.98 ¢/kWh: rank 46 of 51, 25.0% below the U.S. average of 17.30 ¢ (2024: 12.66 ¢).

Calculators for Montana

How it compares

Montana prices
Customer sector2024GapRank
Residential12.66 ¢/kWh-23.2% against the U.S.41 of 511 is highest
Commercial11.87 ¢/kWh-6.9% against the U.S.23 of 511 is highest
Industrial7.59 ¢/kWh-6.6% against the U.S.36 of 511 is highest

Electric companies in Montana

Montana home prices, 2024; lowest filled.

Montana companies
CompanyHome accountsAverage priceReliabilityNet metering
Lower Yellowstone R E A, IncLowest price3,4998.83 ¢/kWh$75 a month at 852 kWhNo data0.0 MW3 systems
USBIA-Mission Valley Power16,2928.91 ¢/kWh$76 a month at 852 kWhNo data0.7 MW90 systems
Flathead Electric Coop Inc63,3179.67 ¢/kWh$82 a month at 852 kWh235 minSAIDI, SAIFI 1.903.6 MW618 systems
Missoula Electric Coop, Inc14,68610.50 ¢/kWh$90 a month at 852 kWh506 minSAIDI, SAIFI 2.191.5 MW315 systems
Yellowstone Valley Elec Co-op21,18213.35 ¢/kWh$114 a month at 852 kWhNo data3.3 MW427 systems
NorthWestern Energy LLC328,12714.23 ¢/kWh$121 a month at 852 kWh118 minSAIDI, SAIFI 0.9571.4 MW9,001 systems
Fergus Electric Coop, Inc6,68215.52 ¢/kWh$132 a month at 852 kWhNo data0.9 MW77 systems

Montana: 2025 and 2026

Montana, data to July 2026.

Montana 2025 average price
12.98 ¢/kWh+2.5% against 2024, U.S. +5.0%
Montana 2025 rank
46 of 51-5 places against 2024
Montana January to Jul 2026
13.95 ¢/kWh+11.3% on Jan-Jul 2025
Montana Last 12 months
13.84 ¢/kWhto July 2026
Montana July 2026
14.99 ¢/kWh+5.0% against July 2025
Montana 2025 costliest month
Jun 14.81 ¢cheapest Jan 11.38 ¢, a 30% spread
Montana Typical 2025 bill
$111 a monthtop Feb $141, low May $88

The Montana residential price averaged 12.98 ¢/kWh in 2025, +2.5% on 2024: Montana ran 2.4 points slower than the nation. From January to July 2026 the Montana average is 13.95 ¢, +11.3% on 2025, 4.2 points above the U.S. change. Seasonality in Montana: 2025 peaked in June at 14.81 ¢ and bottomed in January at 11.38 ¢. A typical residential account in Montana paid about $1,328 for energy over 2025, from $88 in May to $141 in February; use per account ran 685 to 1,212 kWh a month.

Montana price by month, 2024 to Jul 2026

Price by month, Montana: 12 rows
Month202420252026 to Jul
Jan11.9711.3812.86
Feb11.9511.6013.33
Mar12.2011.9313.48
Apr12.5012.3113.90
May13.2412.8814.67
Jun13.5614.8115.14
Jul13.4214.2714.99
Aug13.2814.28No data
Sep13.4514.64No data
Oct13.3214.27No data
Nov12.5112.82No data
Dec11.8812.77No data

12 rows from EIA retail sales.

CSV

What a typical Montana account paid each month

Montana: use per account times price, energy only.

Typical bill by month, Montana: 12 rows
Month20252026 to Jul
Jan131141
Feb141130
Mar119118
Apr92109
May88102
Jun100102
Jul118133
Aug117No data
Sep104No data
Oct95No data
Nov99No data
Dec126No data

12 rows from EIA retail sales.

CSV

What Montana power is made of

In plain words. Coal is the biggest source in Montana (36%), and the power made there is dirtier than the U.S. average per kWh. Plants with 3 MW are planned to retire by 2030. New plants with 80 MW are under construction.

In 2025 Montana plants of 1 MW or more made 26.7 TWh. The biggest sources: coal 36.0%, hydro 31.6%, wind 23.3%. For comparison, coal makes 16.6% of U.S. generation. Wind, solar and hydro together: 56.2% (22.6% for the U.S.). Montana plants only; imports and rooftop solar are not counted.

Montana, share of net generation, %

  • Coal 36.0
  • Natural gas 4.9
  • Nuclear
  • Hydro (conventional) 31.6
  • Wind 23.3
  • Utility-scale solar 1.3
  • Petroleum 1.8
  • Wood, biomass, geothermal, waste 0.1
  • Other 1.0

Fuel groups: prices guide.

Montana, share of net generation and operating capacity: 8 rows
SourceMontana share of generation, %U.S. share, %Montana generation, TWhMontana capacity, MW
Coal36.016.69.621,811
Natural gas4.940.91.32705
Hydro (conventional)31.65.58.442,684
Wind23.310.46.232,147
Utility-scale solar1.36.80.35181
Petroleum1.80.40.4768
Wood, biomass, geothermal, waste0.11.40.046
Other1.00.40.2662

EIA-923 and EIA-860 for Montana, 2025 data, pulled 2 Oct 2026.

CSV

Montana plant pipeline

Montana, megawatts: 6 rows
Montana plantsMW
Operating, utility-scale7,662
Battery storage0
Retiring 2026 to 20303
Retiring after 20300
Under construction80
Planned837

EIA-860 generators in Montana, 2025 data.

CSV

Montana carbon per kWh

Montana plants emitted 1,056 lb of CO₂ per MWh in 2023 (0.479 kg per kWh), against 767 lb for the U.S. An average Montana home using 847 kWh a month accounts for about 406 kg of CO₂ a month at that rate. The rate is for Montana plants, not your supplier.

state and national values: 4 rows
MeasureMontanaU.S.
CO₂, lb per MWh1,056.2767.2
CO₂, kg per kWh0.4790.348
NOx, lb per MWh0.8730.452
SO2, lb per MWh0.8090.359

EPA eGRID2023 for Montana, pulled 2 Oct 2026.

CSV

Montana weather

A normal year in Montana brings 8,999 heating and 161 cooling degree-days (1991 to 2020). 2025 had 8,014 heating (11% below normal) and 237 cooling (47% above normal).

Montana degree-days by year

Heating and cooling degree-days, Montana, 2015 to 2025: 11 rows
Montana yearHeating (HDD)Cooling (CDD)Normal HDDNormal CDD
201577082288999161
201678901808999161
201784482798999161
201887391718999161
201992901478999161
202083002028999161
202182033418999161
202288213138999161
202382042358999161
202480162588999161
202580142378999161

NOAA nClimDiv degree-days for Montana, 2015 to 2025, pulled 2 Oct 2026.

CSV

Montana meters and time-of-use rates

28.4% of Montana home meters are advanced (AMI) meters: 159,504 of 561,324. 2 of 5 reporting utilities offer a home time-of-use rate, and 94,543 home accounts are enrolled in dynamic pricing programs.

EIA-861 meters in Montana, data year 2024, pulled 2 Oct 2026: homes.

Flood claims and flood insurance in Montana

Montana: 315 NFIP flood claims with a loss date in 2015 to 2025, $8.6M paid, median paid claim $10,347; 45th of 55 states and territories by dollars paid. The peak year was 2022 with 119 claims. FEMA counts 0.6% of Montana residential structures as insured, 36th of 51, and the policy file shows 3,713 NFIP policies in force on 8 Sep 2026. Floods damage substations and lines, and in Montana this is claims history, not an outage count.

Montana counties with the most NFIP flood claims
Top counties in MontanaClaims 2015-2025PaidClaims per 1,000 homes
Yellowstone County46$1.0M0.7
Missoula County40$349K0.9
Lewis and Clark County40$178K1.3
Park County37$2.5M3.3
Stillwater County36$1.3M6.0

Montana: flood claims by state, flood claims by county. 315 Montana claims as of 8 Sep 2026, OpenFEMA NFIP; counts under 5 hidden.

Montana charts

Price by sector, Montana

Home 12.66, business 11.87, industry 7.59 ¢ in 2024.

Montana price by sector 2015-2024, 2015 to 2024: 10 rows
YearResidentialCommercialIndustrialGap to U.S. residential
201510.8810.235.32-1.77
201610.9410.195.06-1.61
201710.9510.125.25-1.94
201810.9610.115.19-1.91
201911.1310.415.45-1.88
202011.2410.515.18-1.91
202111.2210.546.24-2.44
202211.3310.687.49-3.71
202312.5412.117.80-3.46
202412.6611.877.59-3.82

10 rows from EIA retail sales.

CSV

Largest utilities, SAIDI

Median of 3 reporters here: 235.2 minutes.

min

  • NorthWestern Energy LLC117.9
  • Flathead Electric Coop Inc235.2
  • Missoula Electric Coop, Inc505.9
  • U.S. median99.5

Montana, SAIDI of the largest Montana utilities: EIA-861 survey.

CSV

Median SAIDI by year, 2015-2024

187 minutes in 2015, 235 in 2024.

Median SAIDI by year, Montana, 2015 to 2024: 10 rows
YearMontana medianGap to U.S. median reporter
2015187+86
2016121+19
2017210+115
2018168+67
2019137+39
2020173+76
2021165+69
2022223+120
2023160+61
2024235+136

10 rows from EIA-861 survey.

CSV

Who serves each county

Montana counties shaded by utilities listing them; the table shows the top twelve.

Montana counties by number of electric utilitiesGarfieldPetroleumBeaverheadDanielsMadisonSheridanCarterToolePowder RiverFallonSweet GrassLewis and ClarkRavalliMeagherWheatlandCusterFlatheadHillSilver BowLincolnGallatinJudith BasinPrairieTetonValleyParkJeffersonBroadwaterPonderaPhillipsFergusMcConeDeer LodgeGolden ValleyLibertyBlainePowellMineralGraniteDawsonStillwaterWibauxTreasureRosebudLakeMusselshellCascadeChouteauRooseveltCarbonMissoulaBig HornYellowstoneSandersRichland

1 utility 2 3 4 or more

Montana counties: first 12 of 55 rows
CountyUtilitiesNames
Sanders5Avista Corp; Flathead Electric Coop Inc; NorthWestern Energy LLC; Northern Lights, Inc; USBIA-Mission Valley Power
Big Horn4NorthWestern Energy LLC; Powder River Energy Corp; WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration; Yellowstone Valley Elec Co-op
Carbon4Flathead Electric Coop Inc; NorthWestern Energy LLC; WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration; Yellowstone Valley Elec Co-op
Missoula4Bonneville Power Administration; Missoula Electric Coop, Inc; NorthWestern Energy LLC; USBIA-Mission Valley Power
Richland4Lower Yellowstone R E A, Inc; McKenzie Electric Coop Inc; Montana-Dakota Utilities Co; WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration
Yellowstone4Fergus Electric Coop, Inc; NorthWestern Energy LLC; WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration; Yellowstone Valley Elec Co-op
Blaine3Fergus Electric Coop, Inc; NorthWestern Energy LLC; WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration
Cascade3Fergus Electric Coop, Inc; NorthWestern Energy LLC; WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration
Chouteau3Fergus Electric Coop, Inc; NorthWestern Energy LLC; WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration
Dawson3Lower Yellowstone R E A, Inc; Montana-Dakota Utilities Co; WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration
Granite3Bonneville Power Administration; Missoula Electric Coop, Inc; NorthWestern Energy LLC
Lake3Flathead Electric Coop Inc; Missoula Electric Coop, Inc; USBIA-Mission Valley Power

55 rows from EIA-861 Service Territory, Census 2023 county outlines.

CSV

Analyst note

Montana residential power was 40th highest of 51 in 2015 at 10.88 ¢ and is 41st in 2024 at 12.66 ¢, so the state slid down 1 places. The U.S. figure went 12.65 to 16.48 ¢ while Montana went +16.4%. The biggest annual move was 2023 at +10.7%; the latest year, 2024, came in at +1.0% against +3.0% for the U.S. Business customers paid 10.23 ¢ in 2015 and 11.87 ¢ in 2024, a gap to homes of -0.65 ¢ then and -0.79 ¢ now; industry went from 5.32 to 7.59 ¢ (+42.7%). Reliability worsened at the 3 Montana utilities that report in both years: their median SAIDI went from 187 minutes in 2015 to 235 in 2024, +26%, against a U.S. median reporter of 99. NorthWestern Energy LLC is the largest by accounts with 415,323, 60.0% of the 692,539 accounts in Montana, and the top three hold 74.3%. Territory overlaps: 47 of 55 counties are listed by two or more utilities, led by Sanders with 5.

At 12.66 ¢/kWh, Montana residential power is mid-table in the country: 41st of 51, 3.82 ¢ below the U.S. figure. Since 2015 the residential price moved +16.4% against +30.3% nationally, so Montana has slipped behind the national trend by 13.9 points.

Businesses pay 0.79 ¢ less than households here (-6.2%); business is under home price in 51 of 51. The median of 3 reporting utilities is 235.2 SAIDI minutes, 2.36 times the national median. The top three utilities hold 90.8% of accounts, so a few reliability records set the state picture.

By revenue, Montana electricity splits 42.8% residential, 35.4% commercial and 21.8% industrial; by kWh the split is 36.6%, 32.3% and 31.0%. Residential accounts are the largest revenue source here. Home accounts are 80.5% of 692,539 accounts and use 852 kWh a month, a commercial account 3,397 and an industrial one 34,645.

Facts

Residents (ACS 2023)
1,105,072452,683 households
Electric accounts
692,539627 per 1,000 residents
Residential price
12.66 ¢/kWh-3.82 ¢ against the U.S.
Commercial price
11.87 ¢/kWh-0.88 ¢ against the U.S.
Industrial price
7.59 ¢/kWh-0.54 ¢ against the U.S.
Residential since 2015
+16.4%-13.9 points vs U.S.
Retail sales
15.6 TWh14,087 kWh a resident
Utilities listed
75 cooperative, 1 investor owned, 1 federal
Median SAIDI
235.2 min3 utilities, 2.36x U.S.
Net-metered capacity
81 MW10,531 installations
Top three utilities
90.8%of utility accounts
Business minus home
-0.79 ¢-6.2% of the home price
Counties with 2+ utilities
47 of 55most: Sanders, 5 utilities

Data tables

Montana: price by year

YearHomeBusinessIndustryHome vs U.S.
201510.8810.235.32-1.77
201610.9410.195.06-1.61
201710.9510.125.25-1.94
201810.9610.115.19-1.91
201911.1310.415.45-1.88
202011.2410.515.18-1.91
202111.2210.546.24-2.44
202211.3310.687.49-3.71
202312.5412.117.80-3.46
202412.6611.877.59-3.82

Questions on Montana

What is the average residential electricity price in Montana?

12.66 cents in 2024, which is -3.82 cents against the U.S. figure.

How has Montana residential power changed since 2015?

It went from 10.88 to 12.66 cents, +16.4% in total, -13.9 points against the U.S.

How many electric utilities operate in Montana?

7 utilities have Montana as their largest state, and 3 of them report SAIDI.

What net-metered capacity do Montana utilities report?

81 MW over 10,531 installations.

How many accounts per 1,000 people in Montana?

627: 692,539 accounts for 1,105,072 residents.

Is commercial power cheaper than residential in Montana?

Businesses pay 11.87 ¢ and homes 12.66 ¢, a difference of -0.79 ¢.

What did Montana residential electricity cost in 2025?

Montana averaged 12.98 cents per kWh, +2.5% against 12.66 in 2024, and 46 of 51 among states.

Are Montana residential electricity prices rising in 2026?

Montana is +4.2 points against the U.S.: 13.95 cents from January to July 2026, +11.3% on 2025.

When in 2025 did Montana residential power cost most, June or January?

June at 14.81 cents in Montana; January was the lowest at 11.38, a 30% spread.

Does Montana residential power cost less than the national average in 2026?

4.27 cents below the national average; Montana 13.95 cents over January to July 2026, +11.3% on 2025.

States with a similar home price

Closest to Montana at 12.66 ¢/kWh, by 2024 average home price.

More on Montana

How Montana ranks and compares

Montana is 6th cheapest of 51 on price (12.98 ¢); 30th of 44 on outage minutes (150 min); 40th cleanest grid (1,056 lb CO2 per MWh); 41st highest income burden (1.90%).

All rankings, price, income and outages explorer, compare two states.

Help paying the bill in Montana

Montana has $23.6 million in federal energy-assistance money for FY2026, shutoff rules and phone lines. Open the Montana help page.

Counties in Montana ranked: highest and lowest energy burden, storm reports and old homes, county by county.

More on Montana

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In 2025 Montana homes paid 12.98 ¢/kWh: rank 46 of 51, 25.0% below the U.S. average of 17.30 ¢ (2024: 12.66 ¢).

Cite this page

Underlying data are U.S. government works (EIA, Census Bureau). Our tables and charts: CC BY 4.0, credit Electric Consumer. The access date fills in when you open this page.

APA

Electric Consumer. (2026). Montana electricity rates 2025: price per kWh, utilities and outages. Data as of 2 October 2026. Retrieved [date accessed], from https://electricconsumer.org/states/montana.html

MLA

Electric Consumer. “Montana electricity rates 2025: price per kWh, utilities and outages.” Electric Consumer, data as of 2 October 2026, https://electricconsumer.org/states/montana.html. Accessed [date accessed].

Chicago

Electric Consumer. “Montana electricity rates 2025: price per kWh, utilities and outages.” Data as of 2 October 2026. Accessed [date accessed]. https://electricconsumer.org/states/montana.html.

BibTeX

@misc{usedata_states_montana,
  author = "Electric Consumer",
  title = {Montana electricity rates 2025: price per kWh, utilities and outages},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://electricconsumer.org/states/montana.html},
  note = {Data as of 2 October 2026. Accessed [date accessed]}
}
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