I discussed this topic in 2011 but the numbers have changed since then.
Nationally electricity averages 12.41 cents per kWh. I live in the Northwest and our electricity is relatively cheap here. The US Energy Information Administration has state level averages on electric costs. Note that these are just state level averages and your electric utility may charge more or less and your rates may vary depending on time of use or the amount of power you use.
Here's the list of all states for April 2014 :
| Alabama | 11.79 |
| Alaska | 19.03 |
| Arizona | 11.97 |
| Arkansas | 9.75 |
| California | 10.17 |
| Colorado | 12.19 |
| Connecticut | 19.87 |
| Delaware | 13.33 |
| D.C. | 13.16 |
| Florida | 11.76 |
| Georgia | 11.49 |
| Hawaii | 38.08 |
| Idaho | 9.55 |
| Illinois | 11.77 |
| Indiana | 11.9 |
| Iowa | 11.71 |
| Kansas | 12.62 |
| Kentucky | 10.72 |
| Louisiana | 10.12 |
| Maine | 15.38 |
| Maryland | 14.08 |
| Massachusetts | 18.19 |
| Michigan | 14.62 |
| Minnesota | 11.97 |
| Mississippi | 11.87 |
| Missouri | 10.55 |
| Montana | 9.98 |
| Nebraska | 10.14 |
| Nevada | 13.57 |
| New Hampshire | 17.54 |
| New Jersey | 15.72 |
| New Mexico | 11.82 |
| New York | 19.56 |
| North Carolina | 11.84 |
| North Dakota | 9.14 |
| Ohio | 12.4 |
| Oklahoma | 11.05 |
| Oregon | 10.37 |
| Pennsylvania | 13.12 |
| Rhode Island | 18.26 |
| South Carolina | 12.52 |
| South Dakota | 10.26 |
| Tennessee | 10.81 |
| Texas | 12.07 |
| Utah | 10.2 |
| Vermont | 18.07 |
| Virginia | 11.08 |
| Washington | 8.75 |
| West Virginia | 9.56 |
| Wisconsin | 13.77 |
| Wyoming | 10.24 |
The 5 cheapest states are :
| Washington | 8.75 |
| North Dakota | 9.14 |
| Idaho | 9.55 |
| West Virginia | 9.56 |
| Arkansas | 9.75 |
And the 5 most expensive are :
| Hawaii | 38.08 |
| Connecticut | 19.87 |
| New York | 19.56 |
| Alaska | 19.03 |
| Rhode Island | 18.26 |
Electricity is cheap in the Northwest due to large hydroelectric power installations such as Grand Coulee Dam. Hawaii and Alaska have expensive power due to their remote locations and having to rely more on fossil fuels to generate electricity.
Now since I've got the numbers from 2011 and the newer 2014 numbers we can compare the changes. Based on a 3 year period the compound annual growth of rates for each state are :
| Alabama | 2% |
| Alaska | 3% |
| Arizona | 3% |
| Arkansas | 3% |
| California | -11% |
| Colorado | 3% |
| Connecticut | 3% |
| Delaware | -2% |
| District of Columbia | 0% |
| Florida | 0% |
| Georgia | 2% |
| Hawaii | 5% |
| Idaho | 7% |
| Illinois | 0% |
| Indiana | 4% |
| Iowa | 4% |
| Kansas | 6% |
| Kentucky | 5% |
| Louisiana | 4% |
| Maine | 0% |
| Maryland | 0% |
| Massachusetts | 8% |
| Michigan | 5% |
| Minnesota | 3% |
| Mississippi | 3% |
| Missouri | 4% |
| Montana | 2% |
| Nebraska | 4% |
| Nevada | 4% |
| New Hampshire | 2% |
| New Jersey | -1% |
| New Mexico | 4% |
| New York | 4% |
| North Carolina | 4% |
| North Dakota | 3% |
| Ohio | 3% |
| Oklahoma | 3% |
| Oregon | 3% |
| Pennsylvania | -1% |
| Rhode Island | 4% |
| South Carolina | 3% |
| South Dakota | 5% |
| Tennessee | 3% |
| Texas | 2% |
| Utah | 6% |
| Vermont | 3% |
| Virginia | 2% |
| Washington | 2% |
| West Virginia | 0% |
| Wisconsin | 2% |
| Wyoming | 5% |
The largest increases:
| Massachusetts | 8% |
| Idaho | 7% |
| Utah | 6% |
| Kansas | 6% |
| Michigan | 5% |
And the smallest increases (which are actually decreases) :
| California | -11% |
| Delaware | -2% |
| New Jersey | -1% |
| Pennsylvania | -1% |
| Illinois | -0.37% |
So thats interesting that the rates dropped so much in California. I haven't dug into that enough to find out why its down but I suspect its due to lower natural gas prices. This report THE FUTURE OF ELECTRICITY PRICES IN CALIFORNIA points out that natural gas accounts for 60% of local CA electricity production and gas prices have been down in recent years.
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