Average Electric Bill in District of Columbia
Residential · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
That works out to about $1,822 a year. Among the 50 states and DC, District of Columbia has the 28th highest average residential bill.
What makes up the bill
Price × usage = bill, exactly: 23.82¢/kWh × 637 kWh ≈ $152. A state can land high on either factor — District of Columbia pays well above the national rate but uses less power than average.
Compared with nearby states
| District of Columbia | $152 | |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. average | $155 | |
| Maryland | $206 | |
| Virginia | $171 |
District of Columbia is $4 a month below (-2.3%) the U.S. average of $155. Neighboring states share fuel mixes, weather, and often a grid operator, which makes them a closer benchmark than the national average.
Trend since 2008
Each point is a trailing 12-month average, which strips out the summer/winter swing and leaves the underlying trend. Bills start in January 2008 because that is when EIA began reporting customer counts.
Seasonal swing
- Highest month
- $200
- July 2025
- Lowest month
- $108
- November 2025
- Swing
- $91
- peak minus low
- Latest month
- $128
- May 2026
Actual bills are far from flat: District of Columbia peaks in July 2025 and bottoms out in November 2025. The headline figure above is the average across all twelve months.
District of Columbia electricity bills in context
The average monthly electricity bill in the District of Columbia is $152, ranking 28th among the 50 states and DC. This falls slightly below the national average of $155, a difference of $3. Despite a below-average bill, the district pays a considerably higher rate: 23.82¢/kWh against the national average of 17.84¢/kWh. The reason the bill remains competitive is that homes use less electricity — an average of 637 kWh per month compared with 871 kWh nationally, a difference of 234 kWh. The lower usage outweighs the higher rate.
Over the past year, the average bill rose sharply by 23.3%, from $123 in the prior twelve-month period. This climb extends back much further: since May 2021, the bill has grown 67.8%, and since December 2008, it has risen 61.5%. The district's neighbours present a contrast. Maryland's average bill reaches $206, well above the district's figure, while Virginia's $171 sits between the district and Maryland.
Seasonal variation in the district is pronounced. The bill peaks at $200 in July 2025 and falls to $108 in November 2025, a swing of $92 between the highest and lowest months. The twelve-month average of $152 sits between these extremes, reflecting the wider electricity demands of summer and winter against milder spring and autumn months.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›How much is the average electric bill in District of Columbia?
›Is the electric bill in District of Columbia higher than the national average?
›Why is not electricity expensive in District of Columbia?
›When is the electric bill highest in District of Columbia?
›How does District of Columbia compare with neighboring states?
How this is calculated
EIA’s retail-sales dataset reports, for every state and month, total residential revenue and the number of residential customers served. The average monthly bill is simply the first divided by the second — total spending across all households, spread evenly over all accounts.
bill = revenue ÷ customers · averaged over 12 months (June 2025 – May 2026)
Two caveats worth knowing. It is an average, so it blends apartments with large houses — a typical household in District of Columbia may pay well above or below $152. And it counts what was actually billed for electricity, including fixed service charges, so it is not the same as multiplying your own usage by the advertised rate.
Looking for the rate rather than the bill? See District of Columbia electricity prices by sector.