UNDATED – With around 27% of American households having experienced difficulty meeting their energy needs, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2022’s Most & Least Energy-Expensive States, as well as accompanying videos and expert commentary.
For a better understanding of Americans’ energy costs relative to their location and consumption habits, WalletHub compared the average monthly energy bills in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia using a special formula that accounts for the following residential energy types: electricity, natural gas, motor fuel and home heating oil.
South Dakota ranks 14th overall. It scored best – 50th – for monthly natural gas cost ($48). South Dakota’s highest most expensive energy format was electricity, where it ranked 13th ($143).
Most Energy-Expensive States Least Energy-Expensive States
1. Wyoming ($738) 42. Oregon ($431)
2. Alaska ($625) 43. Arkansas ($430)
3. North Dakota ($611) 44. California ($430)
4. Connecticut ($611) 45. Louisiana ($419)
5. Massachusetts ($577) 46. Texas ($416)
6. Oklahoma ($576) 47. Arizona ($403)
7. Vermont ($571) 48. Kansas ($396)
8. New Hampshire ($550) 49. Nebraska ($390)
9. Indiana ($550) 50. New Mexico ($377)
10. West Virginia ($537) 51. District of Columbia ($277)
Note: The dollar amount listed beside each state above reflects its average monthly energy bill.
Best vs. Worst
Hawaii has the lowest average monthly consumption of electricity per consumer, 507 kWh, which is 2.9 times lower than in Louisiana, the highest at 1,448 kWh.
Louisiana has the lowest average retail price for electricity, $0.0967 per kWh, which is 3.1 times lower than in Hawaii, the highest at $0.3028 per kWh.
Idaho has the lowest average residential price for natural gas, $6.73 per 1,000 cubic feet, which is 5.6 times lower than in Hawaii, the highest at $37.75 per 1,000 cubic feet.
The District of Columbia has the lowest average monthly motor-fuel consumption per driver, 19.10 gallons, which is 3.9 times lower than in Wyoming, the highest at 75.31 gallons.
In Northeastern states, between 8 percent and 61 percent of households use heating oil to heat their homes, compared with less than 3 percent of households in the rest of the U.S.
To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/energy-costs-by-state/4833
