A kilowatt-hour of electricity cost $0.196 in September 2026, up 4.3% from a year earlier. In 2000 the average was $0.087, about $0.170 in today's dollars.
Adjust any amount for inflation
Every year since 1979
- Price at the time
- In September 2026 dollars
| Year | Average price | In today's dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $0.185 | $0.194 |
| 2024 | $0.176 | $0.189 |
| 2023 | $0.168 | $0.186 |
| 2022 | $0.159 | $0.183 |
| 2021 | $0.141 | $0.175 |
| 2020 | $0.135 | $0.176 |
| 2019 | $0.136 | $0.179 |
| 2018 | $0.136 | $0.182 |
| 2017 | $0.138 | $0.190 |
| 2016 | $0.135 | $0.190 |
| 2015 | $0.138 | $0.196 |
| 2014 | $0.137 | $0.195 |
| 2013 | $0.132 | $0.191 |
| 2012 | $0.130 | $0.191 |
| 2011 | $0.130 | $0.195 |
| 2010 | $0.128 | $0.198 |
| 2009 | $0.127 | $0.199 |
| 2008 | $0.123 | $0.192 |
| 2007 | $0.117 | $0.190 |
| 2006 | $0.112 | $0.187 |
| 2005 | $0.100 | $0.173 |
| 2004 | $0.094 | $0.168 |
| 2003 | $0.093 | $0.170 |
| 2002 | $0.091 | $0.170 |
| 2001 | $0.092 | $0.175 |
| 2000 | $0.087 | $0.170 |
| 1999 | $0.086 | $0.174 |
| 1998 | $0.087 | $0.180 |
| 1997 | $0.094 | $0.197 |
| 1996 | $0.094 | $0.202 |
| 1995 | $0.094 | $0.208 |
| 1994 | $0.092 | $0.209 |
| 1993 | $0.092 | $0.215 |
| 1992 | $0.088 | $0.211 |
| 1991 | $0.087 | $0.215 |
| 1990 | $0.084 | $0.217 |
| 1989 | $0.082 | $0.223 |
| 1988 | $0.080 | $0.228 |
| 1987 | $0.079 | $0.234 |
| 1986 | $0.077 | $0.237 |
| 1985 | $0.081 | $0.254 |
| 1984 | $0.082 | $0.266 |
| 1983 | $0.078 | $0.264 |
| 1982 | $0.076 | $0.265 |
| 1981 | $0.069 | $0.256 |
| 1980 | $0.060 | $0.245 |
| 1979 | $0.050 | $0.232 |
Yearly averages of monthly U.S. city average prices; a year counts once BLS published at least 10 of its months. Today's dollars use the all-items CPI to September 2026.
Against inflation
| Since | Electricity prices | All prices |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | up 125% | up 96% |
| 1979 | up 292% | up 364% |
Since 2000, electricity prices outpaced inflation; since 1979, electricity prices lagged behind it.
Biggest yearly jumps
- 1980: up 20.0% from 1979 ($0.050 to $0.060)
- 1981: up 15.0% from 1980 ($0.060 to $0.069)
- 2022: up 12.8% from 2021 ($0.141 to $0.159)
Minutes of work
At the average hourly wage of production and nonsupervisory workers, 100 kilowatt-hours of electricity took 47.3 minutes of work in 1979 ($6.34 an hour) and 36.1 minutes in September 2026 ($32.54 an hour).
What moved electricity prices
Electricity rose 20.0% in 1980 and 15.0% in 1981. BLS reported that regulators let utilities pass higher 1979 generation fuel costs on to customers in 1980, and that in 1981 oil-dependent utilities raised fuel adjustment charges while higher coal prices were passed on. The 12.8% rise in 2022 came as, EIA says, energy prices climbed with the recovery from the pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Unlike gasoline, electricity kept rising after 2022, from $0.136 per kWh in 2019 to $0.185 in 2025; EIA points to utilities' increased investment to replace or upgrade aging generation and delivery infrastructure, among other factors. Prices were up 4.3% over the year to September 2026.
Reviewed October 17, 2026. Sources:
- BLS: data series APU000072610
- BLS: Monthly Labor Review, "Price changes in 1980: double-digit inflation persists" (April 1981)
- BLS: Monthly Labor Review, "Price changes in 1981: widespread slowing of inflation" (April 1982)
- EIA: Today in Energy, "U.S. electricity prices continue steady increase" (May 14, 2025)
Sources
- BLS series APU000072610: Electricity (U.S. city average, to September 2026)
- BLS Consumer Price Index, all items (CPI-U)
- BLS average price data and average hourly earnings of production and nonsupervisory workers (CEU0500000008)
- How we use these figures: our methodology
General information, not financial advice.