Data · May 2026 · 51st of 51 jurisdictions

Idaho Electricity Prices

At 12.35¢ per kilowatt-hour in May 2026, Idaho carries the 1st-cheapest residential electricity price of the 51 reporting jurisdictions. That is 5.1% below the jurisdiction's all-time high of 13.01¢, recorded in March 2026. Since January 2001 the jurisdiction average has risen 137%, from 5.21¢ — a compound 3.5% a year — and month-to-month it has been about as month-to-month steady as the typical jurisdiction. It runs 36.4% below the national benchmark — a gap that has widened from 28.5% below in May 2021. It is the cheapest jurisdiction in its border group, against Oregon at 16.27¢.

What we measure: Average residential retail price of electricity published by the EIA for each reporting jurisdiction, in cents per kilowatt-hour — a state- or DC-wide monthly average, not a personalized utility tariff or the rate any single household pays. EIA publishes jurisdiction-level retail-price data on a lag of roughly two to three months; the latest period shown reflects that lag.

Key facts — May 2026

Avg residential rate
12.35¢
National rank
51st of 51 jurisdictions reporting May 2026
Change (year over year)
+4.0%
vs national average
-36.4%
Est. annual bill
$1,297
All-time high
13.01¢ March 2026
National average
19.41¢
Months tracked
305

How Idaho compares: below the national benchmark

Over the trailing twelve months the jurisdiction average ranged from 11.87¢ in December 2025 to 13.01¢ in March 2026 — a wide 9.6% spread within a single year.

Idaho is the cheapest of the 5 jurisdictions in its immediate border group; the dearest, Oregon, averages 16.27¢.

Idaho and its land-border neighbours, all at May 2026. A neighbour not reporting that month is omitted rather than compared at a different date.
JurisdictionAvg rate (¢/kWh)vs Idaho
Montana14.67+18.8%
Wyoming14.80+19.8%
Washington14.95+21.1%
Oregon16.27+31.7%

Idaho is 5% off its record high

Record high
13.01¢ March 2026
Record low
5.21¢ January 2001
Change since January 2001
+137.0%
Compound annual rate
+3.5%/yr

Across the complete calendar years in the series (2001–2025), July is Idaho's most expensive month relative to its own year and February its cheapest, a seasonal swing of about 11.6 percentage points. Each month is divided by its own calendar-year mean first, so the long-run price rise is not counted as seasonality. Partial years are excluded, so they are not part of the span named here.

Use Idaho's 12.35¢/kWh jurisdiction average as comparison context. It is a public-data benchmark, not a household bill or solar result: a household figure requires documented annual use, address-specific production, same-scope price, utility cash flows, and source-event dates, and this page does not prefill them.

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Idaho trend, last 36 reported months

Average residential price per kWh each month. Bars scale to the highest month shown.

Average residential electricity price by month in Idaho
MonthAvg rate (¢/kWh)Rate relative to highest month
June 202311.71
July 202311.76
August 202311.56
September 202311.53
October 202312.07
November 202311.48
December 202311.53
January 202410.71
February 202411.18
March 202410.99
April 202411.37
May 202411.48
June 202412.20
July 202412.17
August 202412.04
September 202412.36
October 202412.20
November 202411.28
December 202410.95
January 202510.82
February 202510.95
March 202511.57
April 202511.89
May 202511.88
June 202512.07
July 202512.28
August 202512.08
September 202512.50
October 202512.46
November 202512.25
December 202511.87
January 202612.07
February 202612.63
March 202613.01
April 202612.70
May 202612.35

Idaho electricity rates — common questions

Is electricity cheap in Idaho?

Relatively, yes — 12.35¢ per kilowatt-hour in May 2026, 1st-cheapest of 51 and 36.4% below the national benchmark.

What is the average electricity bill in Idaho?

At Idaho's May 2026 average of 12.35¢/kWh, 10,500 kWh of annual use works out to $1,297 a year — around $108 a month. Running the same 10,500 kWh calculation at the May 2026 national benchmark rate gives $2,038 — a $741 gap between the two published averages, less for Idaho, not a bill either way.

Are electricity rates going up in Idaho?

Over the full EIA series the Idaho jurisdiction average has risen 137% since January 2001, from 5.21¢ to 12.35¢ in May 2026 — a compound 3.5% per year. Month-to-month movement has been about typical for a reporting jurisdiction.

When were electricity rates highest in Idaho?

March 2026, at 13.01¢ per kilowatt-hour. The May 2026 reading of 12.35¢ sits 5.1% below that peak. The lowest monthly average on record was 5.21¢ in January 2001.

What time of year is electricity most expensive in Idaho?

July. Measured over the 25 complete calendar years the EIA series covers for Idaho, 2001 through 2025, July runs highest relative to its own year and February runs lowest — a swing of roughly 11.6 percentage points.

Is electricity cheaper in states bordering Idaho?

Among Idaho and its land-border neighbours in May 2026, Idaho posts the lowest average at 12.35¢ and Oregon the highest at 16.27¢. That makes Idaho the cheapest in the group, at 12.35¢.

Is 12.35¢/kWh the rate I actually pay in Idaho?

Almost certainly not exactly, and this is the one caveat that governs every figure on this page. The published value is the EIA residential average across every utility and residential rate class in Idaho for May 2026 — a benchmark, never a billed amount. Even the jurisdiction figure is not one number — across the trailing year it moved between 11.87¢ in December 2025 and 13.01¢ in March 2026. Your own rate depends on your utility, tariff, usage tier, time-of-use schedule, and fixed monthly charges, none of which this index models. Read your bill for the rate that applies to you.

Use this data

Download Idaho CSV — free to reuse with attribution. See how the Idaho figure is calculated for the metric definition, refresh cadence, and limitations. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Electricity retail sales — average price by state.

Suggested citation

"Idaho Electricity Prices." Geostellar Residential Electricity Price Index, May 2026, based on U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) electricity retail-sales data. https://geostellar.com/energy/electricity-rates/idaho

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