analysis · Electricity prices

EIA data show U.S. residential electricity revenue per kWh rose 5% in June

The latest EIA monthly update shows nationwide residential average revenue per kilowatt-hour at 18.34 cents in June 2026, 5.0% above June 2025. The measure is a revenue-based proxy, not a household's individual tariff or bill.

By Greener Numbers Editorial Team · Published August 28, 2026

## The national measure moved higher, but it is not a bill estimate

U.S. households faced a higher average electricity cost per unit of electricity sold in June 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s latest Electricity Monthly Update. The agency reported residential average revenue of **18.34 cents per kilowatt-hour**, up **5.0%** from June 2025. Across all customer sectors, average revenue reached **14.48 cents per kWh**, a **4.5%** year-over-year increase.

Those figures are useful for tracking the direction of electricity costs nationally, but they should not be read as a single, universal utility rate or a prediction of a particular household’s bill. EIA does not directly collect each utility’s retail tariffs. Instead, it divides reported retail-sales revenue by the electricity sold to calculate *average retail revenue per kWh*, which it describes as a proxy for retail rates and prices.

What the June update says

The increase was widespread. EIA reported that 43 states and the District of Columbia had higher average revenue per kWh than in June 2025, while seven states declined. Hawaii posted the largest percentage increase, at 35.5%, followed by Delaware and the District of Columbia, both at 13.5%.

The national averages differed materially by customer sector:

- Residential: 18.34 cents per kWh, up 5.0% year over year. - Commercial: 14.19 cents per kWh, up 4.8%. - Industrial: 9.17 cents per kWh, up 3.0%. - Transportation: 14.65 cents per kWh, up 8.8%.

Residential sales volume was essentially flat, slipping 0.2% from the prior June, while total retail sales rose 1.5%. That distinction matters: the report captures an average amount collected for each kWh sold, not changes in total household spending alone.

Why a household may see a different result

An electric bill reflects more than a per-kWh supply charge. Fixed customer charges, delivery charges, taxes, riders, seasonal pricing, tiered rates, local weather and a home’s electricity use can all change the bill. A customer in a state with a rising EIA average may still pay less or more than the average depending on their utility and plan. Conversely, a household can receive a larger bill even when its utility’s per-kWh charge is unchanged if it uses more electricity during a hotter month.

The EIA measure also aggregates reported sales and revenues across providers. It therefore works best as a high-level indicator of market and utility revenue conditions rather than a substitute for a utility tariff sheet. Consumers comparing their own bill should use the effective rate shown by their provider, calculate total charges divided by kWh used, and compare the same month year over year.

Regional spread remains substantial

State-level average revenues continued to vary widely. Among the contiguous states, EIA reported the highest June averages in California (28.50 cents per kWh), Massachusetts (25.72 cents), and Rhode Island (25.30 cents). New Mexico (8.96 cents), North Dakota (9.01 cents), and Wyoming (10.10 cents) were the lowest.

These comparisons do not identify a single cause for a state’s costs. Resource mix, transmission and distribution investment, weather, regulatory decisions, fuel exposure, customer density, and local program charges can all contribute. The monthly update supports the conclusion that the nationwide proxy rose; it does not by itself determine why an individual utility changed its rates.

The practical takeaway

June’s data point to a broad year-over-year increase in the amount of revenue collected per kWh, particularly for residential customers. For households, the most actionable next step is to separate usage from price on the bill: compare kWh used, delivery charges, and total dollars separately. That makes it easier to tell whether a higher bill came mainly from consumption, a rate change, or both.

The figures are preliminary monthly estimates and may differ from later Electric Power Monthly values as EIA collects additional data and incorporates revisions. Greener Numbers will treat them as an indicator of direction, not as a promise of any customer’s future bill.

Source and method

U.S. Energy Information Administration, *Electricity Monthly Update*, data for June 2026, released August 26, 2026. EIA states that it calculates average retail revenues per kWh from retail sales revenues and volumes as a proxy for rates and prices. The update is based on monthly survey data and estimates; later releases may revise values.

Official source: U.S. Energy Information Administration ↗