About Kilowatt Atlas
An Independent Guide to What Americans Pay for Electricity
Kilowatt Atlas explains what households across the United States pay for electricity. We start from official federal data, show the math, and write plain answers for every state.
- 51
- States and DC covered
- 144.8 million
- Homes in the data
- Final 2025
- EIA data year
- October 7, 2026
- Data released by EIA
Why we built it
Electricity bills are hard to read
A bill mixes the energy you used, the cost of delivering it, fees and taxes. The price per kilowatt-hour is rarely stated, and few people know whether what they pay is high or low for their state.
We wanted one reference that answers the plain question first: what do households in your state pay, and is your bill normal? Every answer starts from official data, and every page shows where the numbers came from.
Kilowatt Atlas is an independent publication. It is not owned by a utility, a regulator or an energy supplier.
What we publish (6)
What you will find here
Every section below is published. Each one names its sources and shows the date its data was read.
- Rates by stateLivePrice per kWh, average monthly bill and average use for all 50 states and DC, ranked and compared.
- Average billsLiveWhat apartments, townhouses, houses and mobile homes typically pay, with the math shown.
- Tools and guidesLiveCalculators for bills and appliances, and plain explanations of the charges on your statement.
- Utilities and choiceLiveProfiles of the 600 largest utilities, how retail choice works and switching guides for each choice state.
- Costs and incentivesLiveWhat appliances and electric cars cost to run in every state, and what rebates and net metering look like.
- Bill helpLiveThe official LIHEAP office in every state, and plain guides to shutoff rules, payment plans and local help.
Sources and method
Where the numbers come from
Federal datasets carry the site. The two main ones are below, and the data sources page lists the rest. We link to each so you can check any figure yourself.
U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 (final 2025 data)
Prices, average bills, monthly use, customer counts, ownership type and service areas.
Open the sourceEIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2020, Table CE4.1
Typical monthly use for apartments, townhouses, detached houses and mobile homes.
Open the sourceThe two formulas behind most numbers
Average price = revenue divided by kilowatt-hours sold
Average bill = revenue divided by customers, then by 12 months
These are statewide averages for residential customers. Your own bill depends on your utility, your rate plan, the season and how much you use, so treat the averages as a yardstick, not a quote.
How we work
Four rules we follow on every page
Start from official data
Figures come from federal statistical programs, not from marketing pages or press releases.
Show the math
Each average is revenue divided by sales or by customers. Where a number is rounded or limited, we say so on the page.
Date everything
Pages show the data year and the day a person last reviewed them. We never change a date to look fresh.
Correct in public
When we find a mistake, we fix it, note it in the corrections log and keep the old value on record.
Our limits
What we are not
- We are not a utility, a regulator or an energy supplier.
- We are not affiliated with the companies we describe.
- We cannot change your bill, start service or take payments.
- Our figures are estimates for planning, not a quote.
For account questions, contact your utility or your state public utility commission.
How the site is funded
Payments never change a number
The site does not sell anything and does not take payment to change a figure, a ranking or a recommendation. If we add advertising or affiliate links later, they will be labeled, and the affiliate disclosure will explain the rules.
Spot a mistake?
Tell us and we will fix it in public
Questions, corrections and data requests are welcome. Every material correction is dated and listed in the corrections log.
Page published October 9, 2026 and last reviewed October 9, 2026. Data: 2025 final EIA data, released October 7, 2026.