Average Cost Of Utilities For US Households

Utility bills are a necessary expense for Americans – and it’s not an expense that’s easy to control. The amount you spend on your utilities each month depends on several factors, including where you live, the size of your home and how committed you are to taking the steps necessary to reduce your energy consumption.

It can also depend on other factors, including utility providers’ expenses and local weather and climate.

Let’s take a closer look at how much homeowners and renters spend on the various utilities that power their homes. We’ll also explore some ways to lower your average utility bill each month.

At A Glance: Average Cost Of Utilities Per Month

Here’s a snapshot of the average monthly cost of utilities for households in America. This approximation doesn’t include recycling, trash, phone or sewer services. The rest of this article examines the data below in greater detail.

What’s Considered Part Of Your Utility Costs?

There’s more to your utility costs than energy bills. Expenses such as your electricity, natural gas, water, trash, sewer, cell phone and internet bills are part of your utility costs. Some sources may consider streaming services a utility expense, but that’s not a universal view.

How Much Is The Average Water Bill In The United States?

How much can you expect to pay for your home’s water? That depends on where you live, the size of your home and the ways you use water.

Water bills in the U.S. typically range from $37 to $115 a month, depending on where you live. That’s based on water usage for a family of four as of July 2022. The national average is $73.

Even if you take steps to conserve the amount of water you’re using, you still might spend more than you’d like. In some cities, water simply costs more.

How Much Is The Average Monthly Electric Bill In The United States?

Your electric bill is like your water bill: How much you’re charged each month will depend on where you live, how big your home is and whether you leave the lights on all day or flip the switches as you move from room to room.

That said, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that the average electric bill for U.S. households came in at $135.25 per month in 2022.

Again, how much you pay can vary depending on where you live. For example, the EIA said that Hawaii’s average monthly electric bill of $221.53 was far higher than the national average for 2022. On the other end of the cost spectrum, Utah came in well below the national average at $84.87 a month.

Average Monthly Electric Bill By State

How does your average electricity bill compare to other consumers throughout the country? Here’s a look at the average monthly electric bill in every state and the District of Columbia for 2022, courtesy of the EIA.

• Alabama: $167.80
• Alaska: $134.11
• Arizona: $138.13
• Arkansas: $133.78
• California: $138.29
• Colorado: $98.18
• Connecticut: $176.10
• Delaware: $128.99
• District of Columbia: $97.15
• Florida: $154.51
• Georgia: $151.25
• Hawaii: $221.53
• Idaho: $104.23
• Illinois: $112.74
• Indiana: $138.61
• Iowa: $116.70
• Kansas: $129.80
• Kentucky: $141.23
• Louisiana: $159.24
• Maine: $130.78
• Maryland: $139.99
• Massachusetts: $149.91
• Michigan: $116.49
• Minnesota: $110.19
• Mississippi: $147.25
• Missouri: $126.46
• Montana: $102.94
• Nebraska: $112.57
• Nevada: $129.35
• New Hampshire: $158.67
• New Jersey: $114.08
• New Mexico: $91.21
• New York: $130.81
• North Carolina: $124.48
• North Dakota: $122.20
• Ohio: $121.07
• Oregon: $108.03
• Oklahoma: $143.65
• Pennsylvania: $136.17
• Rhode Island: $136.74
• South Carolina: $147.87
• South Dakota: $127.92
• Tennessee: $145.49
• Texas: $162.17
• Utah: $84.87
• Vermont: $113.21
• Virginia: $144.96
• Washington: $103.84
• West Virginia: $142.13
• Wisconsin: $106.94
• Wyoming: $98.78

How Much Is The Average Natural Gas Cost In The United States?

Wondering how much you’ll spend on natural gas costs when you move into a new home? Figuring this out can be tricky. That’s because so many variables can impact your natural gas bill. Next, we’ll examine a few variables to consider.

Which Appliances Use Natural Gas?

Your gas bill will be higher if your home’s furnace, water heater, oven, stove and dryer are powered by gas. If your home’s appliances are instead powered mostly by electricity, you’ll have a lower gas bill.

Where You Live

Your area’s climate plays a major role in the size of your monthly gas bill. Heating a home accounts for the greatest consumption of natural gas. If you live in a cold climate where the winter months bring frigid temperatures, you’ll probably spend more on natural gas than someone in a milder climate.

The Size Of Your Home

As you might guess, it takes far more gas to heat a larger home. As a result, you’ll pay more each month in natural gas if you own a big home.

Your Home Efficiency

You can impact how much gas your home consumes each month by boosting the energy efficiency of your home. Adding more insulation to your home’s walls, for instance, will keep the hot air in your residence for a longer amount of time. Multipaned windows will do the same. Investing in more efficient furnaces and water heaters will also help reduce your monthly gas bill.

Average Yearly Natural Gas Bills By State

Natural gas is another utility expense for American consumers. The average yearly gas bill in 2022 was $964, up from $667 in 2020. That’s $80.33 per month. Minnesota residents were hit particularly hard, with a yearly increase from $661 to $1,125.

But there’s some good news: Natural gas prices have plummeted from their July 2022 peak, which may impact average bill amounts when 2023 data is available. Alaskans may have already experienced some relief, as their average bill dropped from $1,714 to $1,598.

Here’s what people around the country paid in total for home natural gas usage in 2022, according to the American Gas Association:

• Alabama: $670
• Alaska: $1,598
• Arizona: $553
• Arkansas: $930
• California: $767
• Colorado: $957
• Connecticut: $1,530
• Delaware: $911
• District of Columbia: $1,073
• Florida: $532
• Georgia: $789
• Hawaii: $1,190
• Idaho: $631
• Illinois: $1,391
• Indiana: $907
• Iowa: $964
• Kansas: $1,058
• Kentucky: $917
• Louisiana: $608
• Maine: $1,781
• Maryland: $1,101
• Massachusetts: $1,561
• Michigan: $1,086
• Minnesota: $1,125
• Mississippi: $759
• Missouri: $1,021
• Montana: $835
• Nebraska: $914
• Nevada: $640
• New Hampshire: $1,333
• New Jersey: $1,022
• New Mexico: $750
• New York: $1,361
• North Carolina: $891
• North Dakota: $989
• Ohio: $1,163
• Oklahoma: $923
• Oregon: $790
• Pennsylvania: $1,222
• Rhode Island: $1,338
• South Carolina: $669
• South Dakota: $781
• Tennessee: $742
• Texas: $752
• Utah: $782
• Vermont: $1,245
• Virginia: $1,005
• Washington: $948
• West Virginia: $899
• Wisconsin: $920
• Wyoming: $1,061

What Are The Average Costs Of Internet, Cable TV And Other Utilities?

What happens when you factor in other utility costs?

Consider cable and internet service. The bill pay service doxo stated in a 2024 report that cable and internet subscribers spend an average of about $122 per month, and $1,186 annually, on services.

Also, Americans paid $34 – $42 per month for recycling service, according to a Nature.com report.

How Big Is The Financial Impact Of Energy Bills On Consumers?

According to U.S. Census data for March 5  – April 1, 2024, more than 23% of American households have been unable to pay a utility bill. And, approximately one in seven households spend 14% of their income on energy. For context, experts consider households that spend more than 10% to be “energy impoverished.”

According to the EIA, the average U.S. residential electricity price paid to utilities rose 13% from 2021 to 2022. The EIA attributes the increase to extreme temperature and higher fuel costs for power plants.

The Most And Least Expensive States For Utilities

Here are the four states where utility costs ran highest in 2022:

• Maine: Maine residents paid the steepest price for natural gas in 2022, averaging $1,781 for the year.
• Hawaii: The biggest culprit in Hawaii is electricity, which ranks as the most expensive in the United States. Electricity costs an average of $221.53 monthly.
• Connecticut: With monthly natural gas and electricity costs averaging $127.50 and $176.10, respectively, Connecticut households face higher-than-typical utility costs.
• Alaska: While Alaska’s average electricity bill of $134.11 is middle-of-the-road, residents face a high yearly natural gas cost averaging $1,598.

If you’re looking for smaller monthly bills, consider moving to one of these five states.

• New Mexico: Residents pay about $153.71 for gas and electricity every month, making New Mexico among the cheapest states for utility costs.
• Alabama. Natural gas costs are among the most affordable in the country at $55.83 a month for Alabama households.
• Idaho: Natural gas is particularly cheap here, averaging $52.58 a month. Electricity is pretty cheap, too, costing an average of just $104.23 a month.
• Colorado: The monthly natural gas and electricity bills for Colorado residents are also pretty affordable, coming in at $79.75 and $98.18, respectively.
• Florida: Florida has the cheapest natural gas bills in the country, costing just $44.33 a month on average.

How To Save Money On Your Utility Bill

It’s possible to reduce the money you spend on electricity, water and gas simply by changing your habits or investing in energy-efficient appliances and insulation. Here are some changes that could possibly lead to big savings:

• Use a programmable thermostat. With a programmable or smart thermostat, you can more efficiently use your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Consider programming the system to avoid using energy during your utility company’s peak hours, when prices are most expensive.
• Check your windows and doors. Drafty windows and doors cause your home’s heating and cooling systems to work harder. That increases your monthly utility bills. Replace windows that leak air with more efficient models. Do the same with your doors to keep the cold and hot air inside your home.
• Take shorter showers. You can dramatically cut your water usage and lower your water bill by taking shorter showers. Reducing your shower time by as little as 5 minutes a day can make a major impact.
• Invest in a more efficient showerhead. New showerheads, even efficient ones, aren’t overly expensive. Investing in a showerhead that uses less water can further reduce your monthly water bills by a significant amount.
• Don’t use hot water in your washing machine. You might be surprised at how much more energy your washing machine will use when you wash your clothes in hot water. To save on energy usage, you can wash your clothes in cold or warm water instead.
• Fix faucets that leak. A leaky faucet can be annoying, but it’s also expensive. All that dripping adds up to a lot of wasted water by the end of the month. Fix your drippy faucets and watch your water bill dip.
• Invest in energy-efficient appliances. It might be expensive to replace older appliances with energy-efficient models, but newer models consume far less energy. Spending your money on a more efficient refrigerator, dishwasher, furnace or air conditioning unit can end up leaving you with far cheaper bills each month. Look for appliances that are Energy Star-certified.
• Invest in new light bulbs. LED lighting consumes far less energy than typical halogen or fluorescent light bulbs.
• Get solar panels. While initial costs for a solar panel system are high, incentives from utility companies and government agencies can make them more affordable. Solar panel owners often recoup their costs in less than 9 years.

FAQs: Average Utility And Energy Costs

Here are answers to a few questions people often ask about average utility costs.

What is the average cost of electricity?

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s 2022 data, the average monthly electricity bill in the United States is about $135.25.

What is the average water bill?

The average water bill comes out to about $73 a month, according to LawnStarter. Remember that larger homes and homes with pools may have significantly higher water bills.

What is the average gas bill?

The American Gas Association found that the average monthly gas bill totaled about $80.33 for U.S. households.

What is the average cost of utilities for a house per month?

The average cost of monthly utilities for your home depends greatly on the size of your house, the state you live in, how much of the utilities you use and so on. An approximate average is $428.58, not including phone, trash, sewer or recycling services.

The Bottom Line

You can reduce your monthly utility costs by taking several actions, even if you don’t move to another state. Consider all the ways you can save on your future utility bills. Not only will you help your bank account, but you’ll also help the environment.

Knowing what you spend – and what you could save – on utility bills can also ease your overall cost of living. For a healthier financial profile, learn more about managing your living expenses.