The Electricity Index
Average price per kilowatt-hour, residential (U.S. City Average)
Then
2019
13.0¢/kWh
Now
2026
19.2¢/kWh
Change
2019–2026
+48%
↑ Rising
The Electricity Index: 2015–2026
Average price per kilowatt-hour, residential (U.S. City Average)
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (FRED series APU000072610)
Historical Data
| Year | Price | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | ¢/kWh12.70 | — |
| 2016 | ¢/kWh12.80 | +0.8% |
| 2017 | ¢/kWh12.90 | +0.8% |
| 2018 | ¢/kWh12.90 | 0.0% |
| 2019 | ¢/kWh13.00 | +0.8% |
| 2020 | ¢/kWh13.20 | +1.5% |
| 2021 | ¢/kWh13.70 | +3.8% |
| 2022 | ¢/kWh15.00 | +9.5% |
| 2023 | ¢/kWh16.00 | +6.7% |
| 2024 | ¢/kWh16.50 | +3.1% |
| 2025 | ¢/kWh18.50 | +12.1% |
| 2026 | ¢/kWh19.20 | +3.8% |
Analysis
Residential electricity prices were flat for years — around 13¢/kWh from 2015 through 2019 — then began climbing. BLS data put the U.S. City Average at 19.2¢/kWh in January 2026, about 48% above the 2019 baseline. That rise has outpaced overall inflation: EIA reported residential electricity prices up 11.5% in 2025 alone, and real (inflation-adjusted) electricity prices have increased meaningfully after a long period of tracking CPI.
Data center and AI-related power demand are adding pressure. Carnegie Mellon modeling projects that data center and crypto mining growth could increase average U.S. generation costs by 8% through 2030, with bill impacts as high as 25% in regions like Virginia. PJM capacity market prices jumped ninefold in December 2024. Utilities requested over $29 billion in rate increases in the first half of 2025. How much of your bill is "data centers" vs. wires, generation, and inflation depends on your region and rate design, but the trend is up.
For the past decade, see the chart: flat through 2019, then a steady climb. Electricity is no longer the stable, inflation-tracking utility bill it used to be.