California Residential Electricity Rate
Official U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) monthly retail-sales statistical average for reporting period 2026-08.
National & Snapshot Rank Context
In the 2026-08 EIA snapshot, California recorded an average residential price of 29.75 cents per kWh, ranking #48 out of 51 jurisdictions (competition rank, ordered from lowest to highest).
- Vs. U.S. National Aggregate (18.16¢): California is 11.59¢/kWh (63.8%) above the official EIA nationwide weighted residential average.
- Vs. 51-Jurisdiction Snapshot Median (16.33¢): California is 13.42¢/kWh (82.2%) above the median jurisdiction (Alabama at 16.33¢).
- Vs. 51-Jurisdiction Unweighted Mean (19.22¢): California is 10.53¢/kWh (54.8%) above the unweighted 51-jurisdiction snapshot mean.
Nearest Rate Tiers: Next lower rate tier: Alaska (29.41¢) | Next higher rate tier: Massachusetts (30.48¢)
Why is California's average electricity price so high?
California's high average is not mainly a story about the cost of producing one more kilowatt-hour. The EIA figure is total residential revenue divided by total residential sales, so it also recovers the cost of delivering power and operating the grid. EIA notes that California has the nation's lowest per-capita electricity use — a mild climate in the most populous coastal areas and decades of efficiency standards keep household consumption comparatively low — which means largely fixed network costs are spread over fewer kilowatt-hours per customer than in high-consumption states. That arithmetic alone pushes the per-kWh average up, even though it says nothing by itself about the size of any individual household's bill.
Supply adds a second layer. California imports more electricity than any other state, and its in-state generation is mid-transition: EIA reports that in 2025 renewable resources, including hydroelectric power and small-scale solar, supplied 62% of in-state generation, with natural gas at 31% and nuclear power at 7%. Transmission, storage, and reliability capacity for that mix — plus wildfire mitigation and grid-hardening programs approved through utility rate proceedings — are paid for through the revenue this average reflects. The result is one of the country's highest per-kWh averages combined with comparatively low usage per person, so the standardized consumption scenarios on this page should not be read as typical bills.
Monthly Consumption Benchmarks
Estimated monthly cost benchmarks for illustrative residential usage scenarios, calculated from California's 29.75¢/kWh average retail price and compared against the 18.16¢/kWh U.S. national benchmark:
| Usage Scenario | Monthly Cost (California) | U.S. Benchmark Cost | Difference vs U.S. | Detailed Scenario |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 kWh — Lower-Consumption Scenario | $148.75 | $90.80 | +$57.95 (+63.8%) | Calculator estimate |
| 1,000 kWh — Standardized Comparison Baseline | $297.50 | $181.60 | +$115.90 (+63.8%) | Calculator estimate |
| 1,500 kWh — Intermediate Consumption Scenario | $446.25 | $272.40 | +$173.85 (+63.8%) | Calculator estimate |
| 2,000 kWh — Elevated Consumption Scenario | $595.00 | $363.20 | +$231.80 (+63.8%) | Calculator estimate |
| 5,000 kWh — Heavy-Load Scenario | $1487.50 | $908.00 | +$579.50 (+63.8%) | Calculator estimate |
Note: Under kWhBill's model, costs scale linearly with consumption. The statewide aggregate includes delivery costs as reflected in reported retail revenue, but this calculation does not separately calculate a customer's tariff structure or bill line items.
California residential price, last 12 months
| Month | ¢/kWh | Year-over-year | U.S. ¢/kWh | Vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2025 | 31.89¢ | +0.2% | 18.05¢ | +76.7% |
| October 2025 | 33.62¢ | +3.6% | 17.95¢ | +87.3% |
| November 2025 | 32.03¢ | +6.1% | 17.77¢ | +80.2% |
| December 2025 | 29.95¢ | -2.2% | 17.11¢ | +75.0% |
| January 2026 | 30.29¢ | +0.5% | 17.45¢ | +73.6% |
| February 2026 | 33.22¢ | +5.2% | 17.65¢ | +88.2% |
| March 2026 | 33.28¢ | +5.3% | 18.60¢ | +78.9% |
| April 2026 | 35.29¢ | +27.1% | 18.86¢ | +87.1% |
| May 2026 | 33.25¢ | +2.3% | 18.44¢ | +80.3% |
| June 2026 | 34.74¢ | +7.1% | 18.35¢ | +89.3% |
| July 2026 | 33.61¢ | +6.0% | 18.31¢ | +83.6% |
| August 2026 | 29.75¢ | -3.8% | 18.16¢ | +63.8% |
Each year-over-year cell compares that month with the same month one year earlier. The price is the EIA residential average, not a customer bill.
Custom Monthly Cost Benchmark Calculator
Calculate the estimated cost benchmark for any kilowatt-hour amount using California's 29.75¢/kWh aggregate retail price:
The aggregate retail price includes delivery costs as reflected in reported retail revenue, but this calculator does not separately calculate a customer's tariff structure or bill line items. Not an actual utility bill or billing guarantee.
Wondering how your bill breaks down across generation, delivery, and transmission? Try our Interactive Bill Composition Explainer.
Land-border neighbors of California
Compare California's residential electricity price with geographically adjacent or division peer jurisdictions:
Guides, Comparisons & Method
Put California's average in context, break down what a bill contains, or check exactly how every figure on this page is calculated:
- California vs Texas Electricity Costs — the two seed markets compared head-to-head: rates, monthly bill estimates, 12-month trend, and why the gap exists.
- State Electricity Rate Rankings — all 51 jurisdictions ranked from the same EIA snapshot, lowest to highest.
- Interactive Bill Composition Explainer — how a residential bill breaks down across generation, delivery, and transmission.
- Methodology — data definitions, snapshot provenance, and the limits of statewide-average estimates.
- Compare with Texas — the other upgraded seed market on this site: a competitive-choice market with a very different price structure.
California Electricity Rate FAQ
What is the average residential electricity price in California?
For the 2026-08 EIA reporting period, California's average residential price is 29.75¢/kWh. It ranks #48 of 51 jurisdictions (lowest to highest) and is 63.8% above the U.S. benchmark of 18.16¢/kWh.
How did California's average price change from a year earlier?
It fell 3.8% year over year, from 30.92¢/kWh in August 2025 to 29.75¢/kWh in August 2026.
Why can a California household's bill be moderate even though the state average price is one of the highest in the country?
Because a bill is price multiplied by usage, plus tariff-specific charges. California households tend to use fewer kilowatt-hours than households in most states, which offsets part of the high per-kWh price. This page's estimates apply the statewide average price to fixed usage scenarios only; they do not calculate any customer's actual tariff, fixed charges, tiers, or time-of-use rates — see the Methodology page for the exact boundary.
Source, Methodology & Evidence Boundary
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) — Electricity retail-sales API v2 ↗. Dataset: EIA electricity/retail-sales API v2; source version: EIA API v2.1.14 retail-sales; reporting period: 2026-08.
Checksum-locked EIA response captured on 2026-10-24 for reporting period 2026-08. It is a point-in-time snapshot, not a live tariff, customer bill, or current-rate guarantee.
Disclaimer: Statewide statistical cost benchmarks sourced from a checksum-locked U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) retail-sales API snapshot. EIA's residential average retail price is total residential retail revenue divided by total residential retail sales (kWh). This aggregate includes delivery costs as reflected in reported retail revenue, but the simple usage calculation does not separately calculate a customer's tariff structure or bill line items. Not an actual utility bill or billing guarantee. For informational use only. Detailed calculations, statistical definitions, and customer-specific billing factors are documented on our Methodology page.