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Montana Electricity Prices

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

Residential
14.67¢ /kWh
13.9%vs. last year
Commercial
13.24¢ /kWh
13.8%vs. last year
Industrial
6.97¢ /kWh
0.6%vs. last year

Average monthly bill

Full bill breakdown →
$113per month 5.8% vs. the year before

13.75¢/kWh × 824 kWh a month. Residential revenue divided by residential customers, averaged over the 12 months to May 2026 — the 47th highest among the 50 states and DC.

Compared with the U.S. and neighboring states

Average monthly residential electricity bill, in US dollars
Montana
$113
U.S. average
$155
South Dakota
$138
North Dakota
$130
Wyoming
$114
Idaho
$111

Montana is $42 a month below (-27.2%) the U.S. average of $155. Average monthly bill, June 2025 – May 2026.

How Montana makes its electricity

Fuel mix & 10-year trend →Power plants →
Renewable
62.2%
Carbon-free
62.2%
Largest source
Hydro 38%
Montana electricity generation by source, June 2025 – May 2026
SourceShareGeneration
Natural gas4.2%1,218 GWh
Coal31.1%8,994 GWh
Nuclear0.0%0 GWh
Wind22.8%6,604 GWh
Solar1.1%313 GWh
Hydro38.2%11,052 GWh
Other2.6%746 GWh

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

Montana electricity prices in context

Residential electricity in Montana costs 14.67¢/kWh as of May 2026, ranking it 39th among the 50 states and DC where prices are highest. This is 3.77¢/kWh below the national average of 18.44¢/kWh, making it 20.5% cheaper than the US overall. Among bordering states, Montana's rate falls in the middle: Idaho is lower at 12.35¢/kWh, North Dakota slightly lower at 13.61¢/kWh, and Wyoming and South Dakota both higher at 14.80¢/kWh and 15.73¢/kWh respectively.

Over the past five years since May 2021, Montana's residential rate has risen 30.1%, from 11.28¢/kWh. The two-decade trend is steeper: since May 2006, the rate has climbed 77.8%, from 8.25¢/kWh. Over the full span since records began in January 2001, electricity has nearly doubled, jumping 127.8% from 6.44¢/kWh. The current rate sits just below the state's record high of 14.81¢/kWh set in June 2025, and far above the record low of 6.31¢/kWh in April 2001.

The typical Montana household pays $113 monthly on 824 kWh of usage. The national average bill is $155 monthly on 871 kWh. Montana residents use slightly less electricity but pay substantially less overall. Commercial rates in Montana are 13.24¢/kWh and industrial rates 6.97¢/kWh.

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

12-month trend

ResidentialCommercialIndustrial
5.3¢7.8¢10¢13¢16¢Jun '25Sep '25Dec '25Feb '26May '26ResidentialCommercialIndustrial

Residential history since 2001

5.6¢8.1¢11¢13¢15¢Jan '01May '07Sep '13Jan '20May '26
Jan '01
6.44¢
Now
14.67¢
Change
127.8%
Range
6.3114.81¢

Recent months

MonthResidentialCommercialIndustrial
May 202614.6713.246.97
April 202613.9012.665.99
March 202613.4812.425.99
February 202613.3312.526.90
January 202612.8611.847.41
December 202512.7711.626.34
November 202512.8211.686.88
October 202514.2712.626.97
September 202514.6412.947.32
August 202514.2812.557.41
July 202514.2712.837.71
June 202514.8113.167.50

Prices in ¢/kWh.

Frequently asked questions

How much does electricity cost in Montana?
Residential electricity in Montana costs 14.67¢ per kilowatt-hour as of May 2026, the 39th highest rate among the 50 states and DC. Commercial customers pay 13.24¢ and industrial customers 6.97¢ per kilowatt-hour.
Why is electricity relatively cheap in Montana?
Montana's residential rate of 14.67¢/kWh is -17.8% versus the U.S. average of 17.84¢/kWh. What a household actually pays also depends on how much it uses: the typical Montana home consumes 824 kWh a month against a national average of 871 kWh, which is why its average bill comes to $113.
Have electricity prices in Montana gone up?
Residential electricity in Montana has moved +127.8% since 2001, reaching 14.67¢/kWh in May 2026. Over the last year alone the change was +13.9%.
Is electricity cheaper in states neighboring Montana?
Of the states bordering Montana, Idaho has the lowest average monthly bill at $111 and South Dakota the highest at $138. Montana averages $113 a month, against a U.S. average of $155.