February 2026 commercial electricity retail prices for all 50 states and D.C. — sourced directly from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Electric Power Monthly. National average rose 10.7% year-over-year to 14.37¢/kWh.
All 50 states plus D.C., sorted by current rate (highest to lowest). Data: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, February 2026 release.
| # | State | ¢/kWh (Feb 2026) ↕ | ¢/kWh (Feb 2025) | YoY Change | Market Type |
|---|
Showing all 51 jurisdictions (50 states + D.C.). Color coding: ■ above 20¢/kWh | ■ 14–20¢/kWh | ■ below 14¢/kWh. YoY = year-over-year change vs. February 2025.
| State | Feb 2025 | Feb 2026 | Change (¢/kWh) | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 9.10¢ | 13.01¢ | +3.91¢ | +43.0% |
| Nebraska | 8.21¢ | 10.41¢ | +2.20¢ | +26.8% |
| Ohio | 11.15¢ | 14.30¢ | +3.15¢ | +28.3% |
| Maryland | 14.35¢ | 18.11¢ | +3.76¢ | +26.2% |
| Maine | 20.20¢ | 23.97¢ | +3.77¢ | +18.7% |
| Pennsylvania | 12.17¢ | 14.86¢ | +2.69¢ | +22.1% |
| State | Feb 2025 | Feb 2026 | Change (¢/kWh) | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 26.43¢ | 24.06¢ | −2.37¢ | −9.0% |
| Hawaii | 38.77¢ | 38.62¢ | −0.15¢ | −0.4% |
| Nevada | 9.71¢ | 8.96¢ | −0.75¢ | −7.7% |
| Connecticut | 25.83¢ | 24.59¢ | −1.24¢ | −4.8% |
| West Virginia | 12.37¢ | 11.75¢ | −0.62¢ | −5.0% |
| Arizona | 11.96¢ | 11.72¢ | −0.24¢ | −2.0% |
| New Mexico | 10.55¢ | 10.46¢ | −0.09¢ | −0.9% |
Seventeen states (plus D.C.) have restructured electricity markets where commercial customers can shop for competitive supply contracts from multiple retail providers. This fundamentally changes the energy procurement strategy available to facilities managers.
| Metric | Deregulated States (17+DC) | Regulated States (33) |
|---|---|---|
| Avg. commercial rate (Feb 2026) | 17.4¢/kWh | 11.4¢/kWh |
| Customer can shop for supply | Yes — multiple retail suppliers | No — utility monopoly |
| Price risk | Market-exposed (fixed or index contracts) | Regulated rate cases (slower adjustments) |
| Savings lever | RFP, fixed-rate contracts, index strategies | Efficiency, demand reduction, rate tariff selection |
| Rate volatility (5yr avg.) | Higher — market-driven | Lower — PUC-regulated |
Deregulated states include: Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Vermont.
Commercial electricity rates rose faster in 2026 than in any year since the 2008 energy crisis. Three structural factors are responsible:
U.S. utilities are spending $140–$180 billion annually on transmission and distribution upgrades — the largest sustained grid investment in history. These capital costs are recovered through rate cases approved by state Public Utility Commissions. States like Virginia (+43%), Maryland (+26%), and Ohio (+28%) saw large increases as major utility rate cases were approved in late 2025 and early 2026.
Hyperscale data center construction in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast is creating grid capacity constraints. Virginia alone added 2,400 MW of data center load in 2025. Grid operators are requiring new transmission infrastructure investments — costs that are socialized across all ratepayers. This is a primary driver of Virginia's outsized rate increase.
PJM's capacity auction cleared at record prices ($269/MW-day) in 2025, reflecting tight reserve margins. These capacity costs pass through to retail rates 12–18 months after auction. The PJM region — covering 13 states including OH, PA, NJ, MD, VA, IL — accounts for much of the 2026 rate pressure.
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Start Free Audit →State average rates tell you where costs are high. This analysis translates them into actual dollar spreads by building type — using EIA CBECS 2018 load profiles for energy intensity per square foot. The spread between high-cost states (CA, MA, HI) and low-cost states (TX, OK, ND) is not theoretical — it compounds into millions of dollars for multi-location portfolios.
| Building Type | Intensity (kBtu/sqft/yr) | Annual Cost / Sqft — TX (8.90¢) | Annual Cost / Sqft — CA (24.73¢) | Spread / Sqft / Yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant (QSR) | 285 kBtu | $0.74 | $2.07 | $1.33 |
| Grocery / Supermarket | 522 kBtu | $1.36 | $3.78 | $2.42 |
| Office (commercial) | 85 kBtu | $0.22 | $0.62 | $0.40 |
| Healthcare (hospital) | 478 kBtu | $1.25 | $3.46 | $2.21 |
| Hotel | 171 kBtu | $0.45 | $1.24 | $0.79 |
Energy intensity from EIA CBECS 2018, Table E1 (kBtu/sqft/yr for electricity). Rate: EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, February 2026. Conversion: 1 kWh = 3.412 kBtu. CA uses PG&E territory average (24.73¢/kWh); TX uses ERCOT average (8.90¢/kWh). Electricity cost only — excludes natural gas, demand charges.
A 200-location restaurant chain with 2,500 sqft average store size spending at the California rate (24.73¢/kWh) pays $51.75/sqft/year in electricity — versus a comparable chain in Texas at 8.90¢/kWh paying $18.50/sqft/year. Across a 200-location portfolio at 2,500 sqft each, the portfolio-level spread is $16.6 million/year — the difference between operating in CA vs. TX at identical energy intensity.
Source: EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A (Feb 2026) × EIA CBECS 2018 restaurant energy intensity (285 kBtu/sqft/yr electricity) × 200 locations × 2,500 sqft. EnergyStackHub analysis, May 2026.
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