Investor-owned utilities charge 23% more for electricity than public ones: Electricity Prices by Utility Owner
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In 2025, homes paid 17.8¢ a kilowatt-hour at investor-owned utilities, 14.5¢ at public utilities and 14.1¢ at co-ops. Since 2020, investor-owned prices rose 34% and public ones 19%, against 24% inflation.Average home price by utility ownerChange since 2020 against inflation, or cents per kilowatt-hour since 2015.ViewHome prices in 2025Share of homes by their utility's average price per kilowatt-hour, in 2-cent bands.ViewInvestor-owned 67% of homes paid 12 to 20 cents, and 11% paid 30 cents or more.0%10%20%30%40%50%Public 61% paid under 14 cents. The bump at the high end is LADWP and Long Island Power Authority, 13% of public homes.0%10%20%30%40%50%Co-op 52% paid under 14 cents.0%10%20%30%40%50%Price change by state, 2020 to 2025Investor-owned prices rose faster than nonprofit (public and co-op) prices in 38 of the 48 states with both: investor-owned against nonprofit.ViewMaineWashingtonCaliforniaNew JerseyNew YorkOhioDelawareOregonOklahomaIllinoisPennsylvaniaWyomingHawaiiMarylandFloridaColoradoNorth CarolinaIndianaGeorgiaMississippiWisconsinRhode IslandVirginiaMontanaConnecticutAlabamaMinnesotaTexasArizonaUtahNorth DakotaNew MexicoAlaskaNew HampshireTennesseeNevadaSouth CarolinaMassachusettsNonprofit prices rose as fast or faster in these 10South DakotaMichiganLouisianaMissouriIdahoKansasVermontArkansasIowaKentuckyLargest utilities, 2020 to 2025Change in the average home price at utilities with 250,000 or more homes: investor-owned, public and co-op.ViewNew York State Electric & Gas, NY+97%San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), CA+79%Potomac Electric Power, DC+76%Rochester Gas & Electric, NY+75%Southern California Edison (SCE), CA+73%Tampa Electric, FL+72%Ameren Illinois, IL+72%Central Maine Power, ME+69%Baltimore Gas & Electric, MD+67%Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), CA+59%Appalachian Power (AEP), VA+59%Puget Sound Energy, WA+57%National Grid (Niagara Mohawk), NY+57%Duke Energy Ohio, OH+52%Portland General Electric, OR+50%AEP Ohio, OH+50%PSO (AEP), OK+50%Potomac Electric Power, MD+49%Delmarva Power, DE+48%Duquesne Light, PA+46%Showing 20 of 99About the dataIt isn't geography. Public power is common where electricity is cheap, but within the same state, investor-owned prices rose faster in 38 of 48 states. With both weighted by the same states, 36% against 20%.The gap is recent.
From 2015 to 2020, prices rose 2.3% at investor-owned utilities and 3.4% at public utilities and co-ops. From 2020 to 2023, through the 2022 energy price spike, 25% against 11%.
Since 2023, both rose about 7%, so the gap hasn't closed.Bills too.
In 2020, homes paid $111 a month at investor-owned utilities and $112 at public utilities. In 2025, $146 against $130. Co-op homes pay the most, $159, because they use the most electricity: 1,129 kWh a month, against 819 at investor-owned utilities.After inflation, investor-owned prices rose 7.9%; public and co-op prices fell 4.3%.In states with retail choice, many homes buy their power from a retail supplier and pay the utility for delivery only. EIA counts them apart, so they are not in the investor-owned figures.
Counting them too, prices for homes on investor-owned wires rose 36%.Price is home revenue over kilowatt-hours sold, for homes buying supply and delivery from the same utility.
Public utilities are city, state and other public utilities, such as public power districts.
Federal ones sell almost no power to homes and are left out, as are the smallest utilities, which file a shorter survey.This shows what homes paid, not why. Investor-owned utilities earn a return for shareholders on what they build; public utilities and co-ops have no shareholders. For the increases utilities are asking for now, see rate cases.