Average Electric Bill in Pennsylvania
Residential · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
That works out to about $2,061 a year. Among the 50 states and DC, Pennsylvania has the 7th highest average residential bill.
What makes up the bill
Price × usage = bill, exactly: 20.31¢/kWh × 845 kWh ≈ $172. A state can land high on either factor — Pennsylvania's bill is driven mainly by price, not consumption.
Compared with nearby states
| Pennsylvania | $172 | |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. average | $155 | |
| Maryland | $206 | |
| West Virginia | $165 | |
| Delaware | $165 | |
| New York | $164 | |
| New Jersey | $160 | |
| Ohio | $157 |
Pennsylvania is $16 a month above (+10.5%) 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
- $229
- January 2026
- Lowest month
- $133
- October 2025
- Swing
- $96
- peak minus low
- Latest month
- $134
- May 2026
Actual bills are far from flat: Pennsylvania peaks in January 2026 and bottoms out in October 2025. The headline figure above is the average across all twelve months.
Pennsylvania electricity bills in context
The average monthly electricity bill in Pennsylvania is $172, the seventh highest among the 50 states and DC. This is $17 above the national average of $155, driven by a price of 20.31¢/kWh that exceeds the national rate of 17.84¢/kWh by 2.47¢. Homes in Pennsylvania use 26 kWh less per month than the national average, which pushes the bill down somewhat—but not enough to offset the higher rate.
Over the past year, the bill rose 14.3%, from $150 in June 2025 to the current level. The longer picture shows steeper growth: since May 2021, the bill has climbed 49%, and since December 2008 it has risen 75.7%. Seasonal swings are pronounced. January 2026 saw the peak at $229, while October 2025 dropped to $133, a swing of $96 from high to low.
Pennsylvania's bill ranks between most of its neighbours. Maryland's bill is substantially higher at $206, while West Virginia, Delaware, and New York cluster near Pennsylvania at $165, $165, and $164 respectively. Ohio and New Jersey are slightly lower at $157 and $160.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›How much is the average electric bill in Pennsylvania?
›Is the electric bill in Pennsylvania higher than the national average?
›Why is electricity expensive in Pennsylvania?
›When is the electric bill highest in Pennsylvania?
›How does Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania may pay well above or below $172. 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 Pennsylvania electricity prices by sector.