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Colorado Electricity Prices

Average retail price by sector. Latest data: May 2026.

Residential
16.16¢ /kWh
▲ 3.7%vs. last year
Commercial
13.13¢ /kWh
▲ 6.7%vs. last year
Industrial
9.47¢ /kWh
▲ 4.8%vs. last year

Average monthly bill

Full bill breakdown →
$109per month▲ 4.3% vs. the year before

16.35¢/kWh × 664 kWh a month. Residential revenue divided by residential customers, averaged over the 12 months to May 2026 — the 49th highest among the 50 states and DC.

Compared with the U.S. and neighboring states

Average monthly residential electricity bill, in US dollars
Colorado
$109
U.S. average
$155
Arizona
$160
Oklahoma
$141
Kansas
$130
Nebraska
$121
Wyoming
$114
Utah
$102
New Mexico
$98

Colorado is $47 a month below (-30.1%) the U.S. average of $155. Average monthly bill, June 2025 – May 2026.

How Colorado makes its electricity

Fuel mix & 10-year trend →Power plants →
Renewable
46.5%
Carbon-free
46.5%
Largest source
Natural gas 35%
Colorado electricity generation by source, June 2025 – May 2026
SourceShareGeneration
Natural gas34.8%19,171 GWh
Coal18.5%10,216 GWh
Nuclear0.0%0 GWh
Wind31.5%17,366 GWh
Solar11.3%6,214 GWh
Hydro3.6%2,009 GWh
Other0.3%171 GWh

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

Colorado electricity prices in context

Colorado's residential electricity rate stood at 16.16¢/kWh in May 2026, ranking 29th among the 50 states and DC for the most expensive. This is 12.4% below the US average of 18.44¢/kWh, a difference of 2.28¢/kWh. Among neighboring states, Colorado's rate sits in the middle of the range: higher than Utah at 12.96¢/kWh and Nebraska at 13.59¢/kWh, but lower than Arizona at 15.23¢/kWh and Kansas at 15.13¢/kWh. Wyoming's bordering rate of 14.80¢/kWh and New Mexico's 14.12¢/kWh bracket Colorado on either side.

Over the past five years since May 2021, Colorado's residential rate has climbed 29%, from 12.53¢/kWh. The two-decade rise since May 2006 has been steeper still, at 80%, starting from 8.98¢/kWh. Since records began in January 2001, the rate has more than doubled, rising 140.8% from 6.71¢/kWh. The state hit its highest rate of 16.79¢/kWh in February 2026, just before the May figure.

Colorado households paid an average of $109 per month in May 2026 for 664 kWh, well below the national average bill of $155 for 871 kWh. This reflects both the lower rate and notably below-average monthly usage. Commercial rates ran 13.13¢/kWh and industrial rates 9.47¢/kWh. Year-over-year, the residential rate rose 3.7%.

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

12-month trend

ResidentialCommercialIndustrial
8.2¢11¢13¢15¢17¢Jun '25Sep '25Dec '25Feb '26May '26ResidentialCommercialIndustrial

Residential history since 2001

5.9¢8.8¢12¢15¢18¢Jan '01May '07Sep '13Jan '20May '26
Jan '01
6.71¢
Now
16.16¢
Change
▲ 140.8%
Range
6.71–16.79¢

Recent months

MonthResidentialCommercialIndustrial
May 202616.1613.139.47
April 202616.5412.929.40
March 202616.7413.019.77
February 202616.7913.279.38
January 202616.4412.509.36
December 202516.1212.218.83
November 202516.3512.629.12
October 202516.2612.599.14
September 202516.7013.589.26
August 202516.3713.249.66
July 202515.9913.259.53
June 202516.0413.499.64

Prices in ¢/kWh.

Frequently asked questions

›How much does electricity cost in Colorado?
Residential electricity in Colorado costs 16.16¢ per kilowatt-hour as of May 2026, the 29th highest rate among the 50 states and DC. Commercial customers pay 13.13¢ and industrial customers 9.47¢ per kilowatt-hour.
›Why is electricity relatively cheap in Colorado?
Colorado's residential rate of 16.16¢/kWh is -9.4% versus the U.S. average of 17.84¢/kWh. What a household actually pays also depends on how much it uses: the typical Colorado home consumes 664 kWh a month against a national average of 871 kWh, which is why its average bill comes to $109.
›Have electricity prices in Colorado gone up?
Residential electricity in Colorado has moved +140.8% since 2001, reaching 16.16¢/kWh in May 2026. Over the last year alone the change was +3.7%.
›Is electricity cheaper in states neighboring Colorado?
Of the states bordering Colorado, New Mexico has the lowest average monthly bill at $98 and Arizona the highest at $160. Colorado averages $109 a month, against a U.S. average of $155.