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Kentucky Electricity Prices

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

Residential
14.98¢ /kWh
8.2%vs. last year
Commercial
13.09¢ /kWh
7.7%vs. last year
Industrial
7.13¢ /kWh
3.9%vs. last year

Average monthly bill

Full bill breakdown →
$154per month 9.7% vs. the year before

13.78¢/kWh × 1,119 kWh a month. Residential revenue divided by residential customers, averaged over the 12 months to May 2026 — the 27th highest among the 50 states and DC.

Compared with the U.S. and neighboring states

Average monthly residential electricity bill, in US dollars
Kentucky
$154
U.S. average
$155
Virginia
$171
West Virginia
$165
Tennessee
$162
Indiana
$159
Ohio
$157
Missouri
$145
Illinois
$132

Kentucky is $1 a month below (-0.8%) the U.S. average of $155. Average monthly bill, June 2025 – May 2026.

How Kentucky makes its electricity

Fuel mix & 10-year trend →Power plants →
Renewable
8.6%
Carbon-free
8.6%
Largest source
Coal 64%
Kentucky electricity generation by source, June 2025 – May 2026
SourceShareGeneration
Natural gas26.8%19,601 GWh
Coal64.3%46,972 GWh
Nuclear0.0%0 GWh
Wind0.0%0 GWh
Solar2.9%2,106 GWh
Hydro5.2%3,816 GWh
Other0.7%515 GWh

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

Kentucky electricity prices in context

At 14.98¢/kWh in May 2026, Kentucky's residential electricity rate ranks 36th among the 50 states and DC, making it cheaper than the national average of 18.44¢/kWh by 3.46¢/kWh or 18.8%. Among bordering states, only Missouri at 13.68¢/kWh and Tennessee at 14.47¢/kWh undercut Kentucky's price; all others run higher, with Illinois the most expensive at 23.85¢/kWh. Commercial and industrial rates stand at 13.09¢/kWh and 7.13¢/kWh respectively.

The residential rate has climbed sharply: it has risen 26.5% since May 2021, when it stood at 11.84¢/kWh, and has more than doubled since May 2006, when it was 7.43¢/kWh. Over the longest span in the data, since January 2001 at 5.14¢/kWh, the increase reaches 191.4%. The current rate sits just below the state's record high of 15.02¢/kWh set in April 2026.

Despite the above-average rate, Kentucky's monthly bill of $154 essentially matches the national average of $155, because residents use 1,119 kWh per month against a national average of 871 kWh—significantly more electricity per household. The higher consumption offsets the rate disadvantage in the final bill.

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

12-month trend

ResidentialCommercialIndustrial
6.1¢8.5¢11¢13¢16¢Jun '25Sep '25Dec '25Feb '26May '26ResidentialCommercialIndustrial

Residential history since 2001

4.3¢7.2¢10¢13¢16¢Jan '01May '07Sep '13Jan '20May '26
Jan '01
5.14¢
Now
14.98¢
Change
191.4%
Range
5.1415.02¢

Recent months

MonthResidentialCommercialIndustrial
May 202614.9813.097.13
April 202615.0213.077.30
March 202614.8813.207.39
February 202613.4212.507.64
January 202614.2713.168.46
December 202513.2211.756.98
November 202513.7012.046.86
October 202513.6211.716.77
September 202513.5612.266.75
August 202513.1711.957.19
July 202513.1311.647.31
June 202513.4011.767.13

Prices in ¢/kWh.

Frequently asked questions

How much does electricity cost in Kentucky?
Residential electricity in Kentucky costs 14.98¢ per kilowatt-hour as of May 2026, the 36th highest rate among the 50 states and DC. Commercial customers pay 13.09¢ and industrial customers 7.13¢ per kilowatt-hour.
Why is electricity relatively cheap in Kentucky?
Kentucky's residential rate of 14.98¢/kWh is -16.0% versus the U.S. average of 17.84¢/kWh. What a household actually pays also depends on how much it uses: the typical Kentucky home consumes 1,119 kWh a month against a national average of 871 kWh, which is why its average bill comes to $154.
Have electricity prices in Kentucky gone up?
Residential electricity in Kentucky has moved +191.4% since 2001, reaching 14.98¢/kWh in May 2026. Over the last year alone the change was +8.2%.
Is electricity cheaper in states neighboring Kentucky?
Of the states bordering Kentucky, Illinois has the lowest average monthly bill at $132 and Virginia the highest at $171. Kentucky averages $154 a month, against a U.S. average of $155.