kWhBill

U.S. Electricity Price Facts & Estimates

Methodology & Data Boundary

kWhBill provides transparent, reproducible electricity cost estimates derived strictly from official public statistics published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

1. Data Source & Reporting Period

All state price data in this release originates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Electricity Data API v2, specifically the electricity/retail-sales dataset (API endpoint: https://api.eia.gov/v2/electricity/retail-sales/data/).

  • Dataset Version: EIA API v2.1.13 retail-sales.
  • Reporting Period in Snapshot: 2026-06 (June 2026).
  • Snapshot Capture Date: September 10, 2026 (captured and checksum-locked).
  • Coverage: 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia (51 entities).
  • Update Cadence: EIA updates monthly retail sales statistics on a multi-month lag as utilities complete regulatory filings. A reporting period represents the historical month of service, not the release date.

2. Sector Definition & National Benchmark

The primary data used across state overview pages and benchmark usage tiers is the Residential sector (RES) average price to ultimate customers.

In EIA survey reporting, the average retail price is calculated as:

Average Retail Price (cents/kWh) = (Total Revenue from Ultimate Customers ÷ Total Retail Electricity Sales in kWh) × 100

U.S. Weighted Aggregate vs. Unweighted State Mean:

  • U.S. National Benchmark (18.34¢/kWh): The official EIA June 2026 nationwide residential aggregate is 18.34 cents per kWh. It is a consumption-weighted figure reflecting total nationwide residential utility revenues divided by total kilowatt-hours delivered across the entire country.
  • 51-Jurisdiction Snapshot Median (16.32¢/kWh): The statistical midpoint of the 51 ranked jurisdictions (Oregon at rank #26).
  • 51-Jurisdiction Unweighted Mean (19.42¢/kWh): The simple mathematical average of all 51 state and D.C. figures, giving equal weight to each jurisdiction regardless of population size.

3. Cost Estimation Formulas & Ranking System

For any scenario or user-entered consumption amount in kilowatt-hours (kWh), the estimated monthly energy charge is computed deterministically:

Estimated Cost ($) = (Monthly Usage in kWh × Statewide Average Price in cents/kWh) ÷ 100

Calculations are deterministic from the published snapshot inputs, with displayed dollar amounts rounded to two decimal places.

Competition Rank Standard (1224): State price rankings use standard competition ranking. A state's rank equals 1 + count(jurisdictions with price < current price). When jurisdictions have identical average prices (such as Arkansas and North Dakota both at 14.12¢/kWh), they share the same rank (#6), and the subsequent rank position skips accordingly to #8 (Kentucky at 14.26¢).

4. Why Estimates Differ From Actual Utility Bills

Average Retail Price ≠ Utility Tariff ≠ Customer Contract Price ≠ Actual Electricity Bill.

Actual electric utility bills contain complex rate designs and pass-through charges that statistical averages intentionally do not capture:

  • Customer Base Charges: Fixed monthly connection fees (e.g., $5 to $25/month) applied regardless of usage.
  • Transmission & Distribution (TDU/TDSP) Charges: In retail-choice markets like Texas (ERCOT), electric bills split retail supplier energy charges from utility delivery charges.
  • Tiered & Inverted Block Rates: Many utilities bill different rates for consumption blocks (e.g., first 500 kWh vs. next 500 kWh).
  • Time-of-Use (TOU) & Seasonal Rates: Summer peak vs. off-peak pricing.
  • Fuel & Purchased Power Adjustments (FCA/PCA): Monthly or quarterly variable adjustments for generation fuel volatility.
  • State, Local & Municipal Taxes: Local franchise fees, gross receipts taxes, and sales taxes.

For these reasons, kWhBill calculations represent statistical energy charge benchmarks, not billing guarantees or live quotes.