Home / California

California Electricity Prices

Average retail price by sector.

Residential
34.74¢ /kWh
▲ 3.4%vs. last year
Commercial
27.33¢ /kWh
▲ 1.9%vs. last year
Industrial
20.74¢ /kWh
▼ 6.3%vs. last year

Data current through June 2026 — the latest available from the U.S. EIA, which publishes monthly figures on a roughly two-month delay.

Average monthly bill

Full bill breakdown →
$160per month▼ 1.2% vs. the year before

32.89¢/kWh × 487 kWh a month. Residential revenue divided by residential customers, averaged over the 12 months to June 2026 — the 20th highest among the 50 states and DC.

Compared with the U.S. and neighboring states

Average monthly residential electricity bill, in US dollars
California
$160
U.S. average
$156
Arizona
$161
Oregon
$132
Nevada
$117

California is $4 a month above (+2.9%) the U.S. average of $156. Average monthly bill, July 2025 – June 2026.

How California makes its electricity

Fuel mix & 10-year trend →Power plants →
Renewable
57.8%
Carbon-free
67.1%
Largest source
Natural gas 33%
California electricity generation by source, July 2025 – June 2026
SourceShareGeneration
Natural gas33.2%65,560 GWh
Coal0.1%131 GWh
Nuclear9.3%18,377 GWh
Wind8.2%16,145 GWh
Solar28.8%56,877 GWh
Hydro13.3%26,311 GWh
Other7.2%14,192 GWh

197.6 TWh of net generation over the 12 months to June 2026. Generation, not consumption — power crosses state lines.

California electricity prices in context

At 33.25¢/kWh as of May 2026, California's residential electricity price ranks second highest in the nation among the 50 states and DC. This is 14.81¢/kWh above the US average of 18.44¢/kWh, or 80.3% higher. All three neighboring states have substantially lower rates: Oregon at 16.27¢/kWh, Arizona at 15.23¢/kWh, and Nevada at 13.60¢/kWh.

The price has climbed sharply over longer periods, rising 46.2% since May 2021 from 22.74¢/kWh. Over the past twenty years since May 2006, it has more than doubled, increasing 136.8% from 14.04¢/kWh. Since records began in January 2001, the rate has grown 205.3% from 10.89¢/kWh. The current price sits slightly below the state's record high of 35.25¢/kWh set in April 2026, and far above the low of 10.08¢/kWh reached in September 2003.

Despite the high rate, California's average monthly residential bill of $160 is nearly identical to the national average of $155, because residents use substantially less electricity—488 kWh per month against the national average of 871 kWh. Commercial rates stand at 24.10¢/kWh and industrial rates at 20.20¢/kWh.

Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.

12-month trend

ResidentialCommercialIndustrial
18¢22¢27¢32¢37¢Jul '25Oct '25Jan '26Mar '26Jun '26ResidentialCommercialIndustrial

Price history since 2001

ResidentialCommercialIndustrial
3.4¢12¢21¢29¢38¢Jan '01May '07Oct '13Feb '20Jun '26ResidentialCommercialIndustrial

Average retail price in all three sectors, every month since January 2001.

Residential

Jan '01
10.89¢
Now
34.74¢
Change
▲ 219.0%
Range
10.08–35.25¢

Recent months

MonthResidentialCommercialIndustrial
June 202634.7427.3320.74
May 202633.2524.1020.20
April 202635.2525.7519.87
March 202633.3528.1820.06
February 202633.2224.7318.91
January 202630.2923.1319.11
December 202534.7126.9219.86
November 202531.8924.3919.29
October 202533.6026.9423.05
September 202532.0430.3625.47
August 202531.6529.4624.65
July 202532.6630.0825.27

Prices in ¢/kWh.

Frequently asked questions

›How much does electricity cost in California?
Residential electricity in California costs 34.74¢ per kilowatt-hour as of June 2026, the 2nd highest rate among the 50 states and DC. Commercial customers pay 27.33¢ and industrial customers 20.74¢ per kilowatt-hour.
›Why is electricity expensive in California?
California's residential rate of 34.74¢/kWh is +93.9% versus the U.S. average of 17.92¢/kWh. What a household actually pays also depends on how much it uses: the typical California home consumes 487 kWh a month against a national average of 870 kWh, which is why its average bill comes to $160.
›Have electricity prices in California gone up?
Residential electricity in California has moved +219.0% since 2001, reaching 34.74¢/kWh in June 2026. Over the last year alone the change was +3.4%.
›Is electricity cheaper in states neighboring California?
Of the states bordering California, Nevada has the lowest average monthly bill at $117 and Arizona the highest at $161. California averages $160 a month, against a U.S. average of $156.