Prices are high across the board for the average American, with grocery bills and other everyday costs rising. Electricity prices are also climbing.

Electricity prices have been skyrocketing in 2026, with the year-over-year cost increasing more than the overall consumer price index reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some months have even seen increases of around 6%, which can be tough for consumers to cover as prices go up everywhere else too.

But some Americans are seeing bigger bills than others, depending on the state they live in. See if your state is one of the worst – or the best – when it comes to sending big electric bills to consumers, based on data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

COASTAL CONUNDRUM

1. Hawaii – 42 cents/kilowatt-hour

2. California – 33 cents/kWh

3. Rhode Island – 30 cents/ kWh

4. Massachusetts – 30 cents/ kWh

5. Connecticut – 30 cents/ kWh

Hawaiian residents are struggling the most with electric bills, paying a whopping 42 cents per kilowatt-hour, which is used to measure the amount of electricity used over time. Electricity is just one of the many factors residents have to worry about with extreme costs in the state. Hawaii tops the list when it comes to cost of living by state, according to the World Population Atlas.

Second-place California also has the second-highest cost of living for any state, which could factor into its high cost of electricity as well as other everyday consumer costs. The state is also investing funds into electricity transmission and wildfire mitigation efforts after devastating fires in the Los Angeles area in 2025. 

New England’s electricity price issues stem from its reliance on importing fuel and distributing it through constrained networks. As a result, homes in New England are more likely to pay a higher price than those in other states, even though they use less energy.

MIDWEST IS BEST

1. North Dakota – 12 cents/kWh

2. Montana – 13 cents/kWh

3. Missouri – 13 cents/kWh

4. Iowa – 13 cents/kWh

5. Nebraska – 13 cents/kWh

Midwest states fared much better than those states on the coast, with some of the lowest electricity prices in the country.

North Dakota led the way with only 12 cents per kilowatt-hour, making it a more enticing state for people who are budget-conscious when it comes to everyday costs. Other Midwest states like Iowa and Missouri also held prices low. Missouri and Iowa are both in the top 10 for lowest cost-of-living states, according to the World Population Review.

RISING COSTS

There were 18 states that saw year-over-year percentage increases in double digits, led by the District of Columbia. Washington, D.C., saw a 22.5% increase, giving its residents the worst sticker shock of any state. New Jersey was in second place with an 18.2% rise, followed by New Hampshire at 18%.

There are several factors causing the dramatic rise in electricity costs, including the changes in the consumer price index, which measures inflation. Prices are going up for a variety of goods and services in the country, and electricity is no exception.

Electric companies are also spending money to upgrade infrastructure and add capacity, boosting electric output at the cost of electric prices for consumers.

The demand for electricity from AI data centers is also running up costs. Data centers already use around 5% of all electricity in the United States, and that slice could reach up to 17% by 2030, according to the Electric Power Research Institute. The cost of that increased appetite for electricity is being pushed on all consumers to cover the changes, leading to higher bills for everyone.

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