Illinois Electricity Prices

Illinois sits in the most expensive quarter of the country — 23.85¢ per kilowatt-hour in May 2026, 12th-highest of 51 and 22.9% above the national benchmark. The index reports the published average, not its causes.

At Illinois's May 2026 average of 23.85¢/kWh, 10,500 kWh of annual use works out to $2,504 a year — around $209 a month. Running the same 10,500 kWh calculation at the May 2026 national benchmark rate gives $2,038 — a $466 gap between the two published averages, more for Illinois, not a bill either way.

Over the full EIA series the Illinois jurisdiction average has risen 217% since January 2001, from 7.53¢ to 23.85¢ in May 2026 — a compound 4.7% per year. Illinois is among the most month-to-month variable third of jurisdictions.

Yes. The May 2026 average of 23.85¢ per kilowatt-hour is the highest monthly figure Illinois has recorded across the EIA series, which begins in January 2001. The previous floor for the jurisdiction was 7.27¢ in January 2005.

May. Measured over the 25 complete calendar years the EIA series covers for Illinois, 2001 through 2025, May runs highest relative to its own year and January runs lowest — a swing of roughly 14.6 percentage points.

Among Illinois and its land-border neighbours in May 2026, Missouri posts the lowest average at 13.68¢ and Illinois the highest at 23.85¢. That makes Illinois the most expensive in the group, at 23.85¢.

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 Illinois for May 2026 — a benchmark, never a billed amount. Even the jurisdiction figure is not one number — across the trailing year it moved between 16.36¢ in January 2026 and 23.85¢ in May 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.