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Illinois Electricity Prices

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

Residential
23.85¢ /kWh
▲ 28.4%vs. last year
Commercial
15.36¢ /kWh
▲ 24.0%vs. last year
Industrial
10.20¢ /kWh
▲ 14.3%vs. last year

Average monthly bill

Full bill breakdown →
$132per month▲ 15.4% vs. the year before

18.40¢/kWh × 719 kWh a month. Residential revenue divided by residential customers, averaged over the 12 months to May 2026 — the 35th highest among the 50 states and DC.

Compared with the U.S. and neighboring states

Average monthly residential electricity bill, in US dollars
Illinois
$132
U.S. average
$155
Indiana
$159
Kentucky
$154
Missouri
$145
Wisconsin
$123
Iowa
$119

Illinois is $23 a month below (-14.9%) the U.S. average of $155. Average monthly bill, June 2025 – May 2026.

How Illinois makes its electricity

Fuel mix & 10-year trend →Power plants →
Renewable
17.4%
Carbon-free
67.1%
Largest source
Nuclear 50%
Illinois electricity generation by source, June 2025 – May 2026
SourceShareGeneration
Natural gas17.4%33,705 GWh
Coal15.3%29,641 GWh
Nuclear49.7%96,318 GWh
Wind13.3%25,686 GWh
Solar4.0%7,680 GWh
Hydro0.0%31 GWh
Other0.4%768 GWh

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

Illinois electricity prices in context

Illinois residents pay 23.85¢/kWh for electricity as of May 2026, the 12th highest rate among the 50 states and DC. This is 5.41¢/kWh above the national average of 18.44¢/kWh, a difference of 29.3%. All five bordering states charge less: Wisconsin at 19.74¢/kWh comes closest, while Missouri offers the lowest regional rate at 13.68¢/kWh. Indiana sits at 18.15¢/kWh, Kentucky at 14.98¢/kWh, and Iowa at 14.14¢/kWh.

The residential rate has climbed steeply. Since May 2021 it has risen 68.2%, from 14.18¢/kWh. Over the past twenty years since May 2006, the increase totals 167.4%, and since records began in January 2001 the rate has grown 216.7% from 7.53¢/kWh. The current rate of 23.85¢/kWh is the highest on record; the lowest was 7.27¢/kWh in January 2005.

The resulting monthly bill averages $132 for 719 kWh of usage. Nationally, the average bill is $155 for 871 kWh. Illinois households use notably less electricity than the national average, offsetting the higher rate so that the bill runs lower. Commercial electricity costs 15.36¢/kWh and industrial rates stand at 10.20¢/kWh.

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

12-month trend

ResidentialCommercialIndustrial
8.0¢12¢17¢21¢25¢Jun '25Sep '25Dec '25Feb '26May '26ResidentialCommercialIndustrial

Residential history since 2001

5.9¢11¢16¢20¢25¢Jan '01May '07Sep '13Jan '20May '26
Jan '01
7.53¢
Now
23.85¢
Change
▲ 216.7%
Range
7.27–23.85¢

Recent months

MonthResidentialCommercialIndustrial
May 202623.8515.3610.20
April 202620.4713.899.74
March 202618.8613.079.19
February 202617.8313.339.62
January 202616.3612.2810.27
December 202517.0712.4210.10
November 202518.3113.229.96
October 202518.7413.6610.31
September 202519.0514.0410.75
August 202518.0613.9410.80
July 202517.2213.6610.64
June 202518.2912.859.65

Prices in ¢/kWh.

Frequently asked questions

›How much does electricity cost in Illinois?
Residential electricity in Illinois costs 23.85¢ per kilowatt-hour as of May 2026, the 12th highest rate among the 50 states and DC. Commercial customers pay 15.36¢ and industrial customers 10.20¢ per kilowatt-hour.
›Why is electricity expensive in Illinois?
Illinois's residential rate of 23.85¢/kWh is +33.7% versus the U.S. average of 17.84¢/kWh. What a household actually pays also depends on how much it uses: the typical Illinois home consumes 719 kWh a month against a national average of 871 kWh, which is why its average bill comes to $132.
›Have electricity prices in Illinois gone up?
Residential electricity in Illinois has moved +216.7% since 2001, reaching 23.85¢/kWh in May 2026. Over the last year alone the change was +28.4%.
›Is electricity cheaper in states neighboring Illinois?
Of the states bordering Illinois, Iowa has the lowest average monthly bill at $119 and Indiana the highest at $159. Illinois averages $132 a month, against a U.S. average of $155.