Special Report
This State Spends the Most on Utilities: Ranking Cost by State
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Americans paid over 14% more for electricity in 2022 than the prior year, which was double overall inflation, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Although inflation has been falling since June 2022, electricity prices have continued to increase. (Electricity isn’t the only household cost going up. Inflation is causing food prices to skyrocket in these 13 cities.)
About 40% of the electricity in the nation comes from natural gas, the price of which hit a 14-year high in 2022, according to the Energy Information Administration. In addition, inflation has affected water and sewage prices, adding further to the utility costs that everyday Americans are saddled with.
To discover what utilities cost in every state, on average, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the study “Utility Bills 101: Utilities Tips, Average Costs, Fee, and More,” published by the moving information and review site Move.org. The site considered the average monthly cost per state for electricity, natural gas, water, sewage disposal, broadband internet, streaming service, and telephone. Average electricity consumption figures and pricing information and average natural gas rate per 1,000 cubic feet for 2021 came from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The computations assumed that each household uses 168 cubic feet of natural gas a day; for the 24 states for which natural gas data was unavailable, the site used a national average. Average monthly household water and wastewater (sewage) bill for 2021 came from Bluefield Research.
Utility costs in the most expensive state, Hawaii, are nearly $150 per month higher than in the second most expensive state, Connecticut. The cost of living in Hawaii is known to be high, as its isolated location requires many staples to be shipped in from the mainland – and electricity is no different. Most of the power on the islands comes from oil that has to be shipped in.
Many of the cheaper states for utilities are in the West and Southwest, including Utah, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico, and Montana. Many of the most expensive states, on the other hand, are in the South and on the East Coast, including Alabama, Georgia, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. These are the most expensive states to live in.
Click here to see what utilities cost in every state
50. Utah
> Average cost of electricity per month: $80.24
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $45.31
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $344.93
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49. Idaho
> Average cost of electricity per month: $95.04
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $35.33
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $350.25
48. Colorado
> Average cost of electricity per month: $87.88
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $46.32
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $355.83
47. New Mexico
> Average cost of electricity per month: $86.66
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $359.48
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46. Montana
> Average cost of electricity per month: $96.49
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $44.65
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $360.27
45. Wyoming
> Average cost of electricity per month: $96.59
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $50.60
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $366.07
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44. Maine
> Average cost of electricity per month: $95.77
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $379.55
43. Iowa
> Average cost of electricity per month: $107.78
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $51.36
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $376.02
42. Michigan
> Average cost of electricity per month: $109.86
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $46.12
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $376.11
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41. Illinois
> Average cost of electricity per month: $93.98
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $376.80
40. Washington
> Average cost of electricity per month: $95.72
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $378.79
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39. Wisconsin
> Average cost of electricity per month: $99.42
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $379.24
24/7 Wall St.
38. Oklahoma
> Average cost of electricity per month: $109.07
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $52.16
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $380.86
37. Nevada
> Average cost of electricity per month: $110.36
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $48.99
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $381.48
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36. New Jersey
> Average cost of electricity per month: $109.54
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $52.01
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $366.07
35. Minnesota
> Average cost of electricity per month: $102.11
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $384.43
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34. Oregon
> Average cost of electricity per month: $102.32
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $384.64
33. Ohio
> Average cost of electricity per month: $107.30
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $387.12
32. South Dakota
> Average cost of electricity per month: $121.77
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $49.59
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $387.247
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31. Kansas
> Average cost of electricity per month: $113.52
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $54.99
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $388.39
30. Nebraska
> Average cost of electricity per month: $109.39
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $388.96
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29. Arkansas
> Average cost of electricity per month: $110.33
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $389.15
28. Missouri
> Average cost of electricity per month: $115.35
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $54.89
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $389.37
27. New York
> Average cost of electricity per month: $110.47
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $390.79
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26. Alaska
> Average cost of electricity per month: $124.66
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $55.09
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $391.13
25. North Dakota
> Average cost of electricity per month: $113.26
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $393.58
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24. Pennsylvania
> Average cost of electricity per month: $114.90
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $59.88
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $394.41
23. Louisiana
> Average cost of electricity per month: $116.07
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $397.64
22. Kentucky
> Average cost of electricity per month: $116.62
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $397.94
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21. Vermont
> Average cost of electricity per month: $110.79
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $70.61
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $398.53
20. California
> Average cost of electricity per month: $116.94
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $399.51
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19. Indiana
> Average cost of electricity per month: $120.34
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $400.66
18. West Virginia
> Average cost of electricity per month: $124.09
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $401.91
17. Delaware
> Average cost of electricity per month: $117.09
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $66.23
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): 401.95
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16. Tennessee
> Average cost of electricity per month: $125.70
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $406.52
15. Florida
> Average cost of electricity per month: $128.64
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $407.96
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14. Mississippi
> Average cost of electricity per month: $128.08
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $408.40
13. North Carolina
> Average cost of electricity per month: $118.44
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $71.47
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $409.29
12. Maryland
> Average cost of electricity per month: $124.50
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $410.07
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11. Virginia
> Average cost of electricity per month: $131.72
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $414.29
10. Texas
> Average cost of electricity per month: $132.59
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $415.41
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9. South Carolina
> Average cost of electricity per month: $138.16
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $61.69
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $418.23
8. New Hampshire
> Average cost of electricity per month: $120.01
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $82.20
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $421.84
7. Rhode Island
> Average cost of electricity per month: $130.75
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $81.55
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $432.18
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6. Massachusetts
> Average cost of electricity per month: $132.18
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $80.49
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $433.30
5. Arizona
> Average cost of electricity per month: $136.70
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $78.22
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $436.05
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4. Georgia
> Average cost of electricity per month: $129.92
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $85.88
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $438.18
3. Alabama
> Average cost of electricity per month: $143.95
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $78.83
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $439.16
2. Connecticut
> Average cost of electricity per month: $161.55
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $80.94
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $462.62
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1. Hawaii
> Average cost of electricity per month: $162.66
> Average cost of natural gas per month: $236.83
> Total utilities (including electricity, gas, water, and other utilities): $611.87
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