California ranks among the nation's most expensive states for electricity
A new analysis shows California's average electricity price in 2025 was 27.63 cents per kWh, more than double the national average.
Researchers from the Institute for Energy Research and Always on Energy Research created an interactive website, Blue States, High Rates, to compare electricity prices across the United States and its regional transmission organizations. Their data indicate that California's average price in 2025 was 27.63 cents per kilowatt-hour, which is 103% higher than the national average of 13.63 cents. The map shows California moving from seventh to second most expensive state since 2018, with the retail price increasing by 11.05 cents per kWh—the biggest absolute jump among all states.
After accounting for inflation, the state's electricity cost has risen 29.9% since 2018, a trend the researchers attribute to early and aggressive energy policy mandates. Hawaii topped the list at 35.72 cents per kWh, while North Dakota was the cheapest at 8.2 cents per kWh. The study also notes that states with higher electricity costs tend to have voted Democratic in recent elections, whereas the cheapest states leaned Republican.
