Independent profile. Kilowatt Atlas is not affiliated with Stearns Cooperative Electric Association, does not use its logo or branding and cannot take payments, start service or look up accounts. Figures come from public federal data for 2025.
Residential customers
26 thousand
26,275 homes
Average price
14.07 cents
Minnesota average 15.83
Average bill
$177.36
Per month at 1,261 kWh
Price rank
6 of 32
Lowest to highest in Minnesota
Stearns Cooperative Electric Association rates and average bill
Stearns Cooperative Electric Association reported 26,275 residential customers on bundled service in 2025, using 1,261 kWh a month on average at 14.07 cents per kWh. Bundled means the utility supplies the energy and delivers it, so the price covers both. Among the 32 Minnesota utilities with at least 10,000 bundled residential customers, Stearns Cooperative Electric Association ranks 6 from the lowest price.
| Average | Cents per kWh | kWh per month | Monthly bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stearns Cooperative Electric Association | 14.07 | 1,261 | $177.36 |
| Minnesota (all utilities) | 15.83 | 744 | $117.67 |
| United States | 17.23 | 874 | $150.68 |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 (final 2025 data), sales to ultimate customers. Price is revenue divided by sales and includes fixed charges.
Service area
EIA lists the counties where Stearns Cooperative Electric Association has distribution equipment. That covers 6 counties in Minnesota. A county can be served by more than one utility, so confirm your address with the utility or your bill.
Minnesota (6 counties)
Douglas, Kandiyohi, Morrison, Pope, Stearns, Todd
Not sure who serves your address? Use find my electric company.
Reliability
For 2025, Stearns Cooperative Electric Association reported an average of 97 minutes without power per customer and 0.92 interruptions per customer, with major event days left out. The typical interruption lasted about 105 minutes. For comparison, the median state averaged 127 minutes of outage per customer.
Stearns Cooperative Electric Association had about 31 fewer minutes of outage per customer than the median state. The Minnesota figure across its utilities was 93 minutes. One interruption lasting 105 minutes and 0.92 interruptions a year per customer add up to the 97 minute total.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 (final 2025 data), reliability schedule, measured under IEEE 1366. Utilities define events slightly differently, so compare with care.
Rate options and rooftop solar
- Time-of-use pricing. Stearns Cooperative Electric Association does not report a residential time-of-use program in its 2025 EIA filing. Ask the utility, because programs change. How time-of-use rates work.
- Rooftop solar and net metering. EIA shows 227 residential net-metered systems on the Stearns Cooperative Electric Association grid in 2025, with 3.3 megawatts of capacity. How net metering works.
Who owns and regulates it
Owned by the members it serves. An elected board sets the rates, and members may receive capital credits when the co-op has margins to return.
For questions about state consumer protections, see the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.
Stearns Cooperative Electric Association is an electric cooperative based in Minnesota.
Stearns Cooperative Electric Association operates in the MISO power market. Power markets set wholesale costs, but your retail rate is set by the rules described above.
Stearns Cooperative Electric Association compared with Minnesota
Minnesota has 43 utilities with residential customers in the 2025 EIA data. Stearns Cooperative Electric Association is 13th by size and serves about 1.0% of the state's homes. Stearns Cooperative Electric Association lists distribution equipment in 6 counties, so check your county and your bill before you assume it serves you. 227 of its residential customers use net metering, or 8.6 per 1,000 homes, against 11.3 for Minnesota as a whole.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 (final 2025 data). Peers are other utilities of the same type in Minnesota with at least 1,000 residential customers and a reported price.
Other Minnesota utilities
| Utility | Type | Homes | Cents per kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stearns Cooperative Electric Association | Cooperative | 26,275 | 14.07 |
| Lake Region Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | 27,496 | 13.60 |
| Sioux Valley Southwestern Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | 26,360 | 13.87 |
| People's Cooperative Services | Cooperative | 21,741 | 17.19 |
| MiEnergy Cooperative | Cooperative | 21,343 | 16.99 |
| Beltrami Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | 20,929 | 15.47 |
See every one on the electric companies in Minnesota page.
Official site and where to get help
Kilowatt Atlas is not Stearns Cooperative Electric Association and does not take payments, start service or manage accounts. To pay a bill, report an outage or start service, use the website, app or phone number printed on your bill. Be careful with search ads and lookalike sites that offer to pay your bill for a fee.
- Want to understand a line on your bill? Read how to read your electric bill.
- Think your bill is high? Try the bill checker.
Stearns Cooperative Electric Association questions
What is the average residential electric rate for Stearns Cooperative Electric Association?
Stearns Cooperative Electric Association residential customers on bundled service paid an average of 14.07 cents per kWh in 2025, with average use of 1,261 kWh a month and an average bill of $177.36 (EIA Form EIA-861). The Minnesota average was 15.83 cents.
How many customers does Stearns Cooperative Electric Association have?
EIA reports about 26,275 residential customers for Stearns Cooperative Electric Association in 2025.
Who regulates Stearns Cooperative Electric Association?
Owned by the members it serves. An elected board sets the rates, and members may receive capital credits when the co-op has margins to return. See the regulator for Minnesota on the Minnesota state page.
How reliable is Stearns Cooperative Electric Association?
For 2025, Stearns Cooperative Electric Association reported an average of 97 minutes of outage per customer and 0.92 interruptions per customer, excluding major event days (IEEE 1366). Utilities measure outages in slightly different ways, so compare with care.