Iowa Electricity Prices

Relatively, yes — 14.14¢ per kilowatt-hour in May 2026, 9th-cheapest of 51 and 27.2% below the national benchmark.

At Iowa's May 2026 average of 14.14¢/kWh, 10,500 kWh of annual use works out to $1,485 a year — around $124 a month. Running the same 10,500 kWh calculation at the May 2026 national benchmark rate gives $2,038 — a $553 gap between the two published averages, less for Iowa, not a bill either way.

Over the full EIA series the Iowa jurisdiction average has risen 85% since January 2001, from 7.66¢ to 14.14¢ in May 2026 — a compound 2.4% per year. Iowa is among the most month-to-month variable third of jurisdictions.

July 2022, at 15.69¢ per kilowatt-hour. The May 2026 reading of 14.14¢ sits 9.9% below that peak. The lowest monthly average on record was 7.65¢ in January 2002.

August. Measured over the 25 complete calendar years the EIA series covers for Iowa, 2001 through 2025, August runs highest relative to its own year and January runs lowest — a swing of roughly 23.7 percentage points.

Among Iowa and its land-border neighbours in May 2026, Missouri posts the lowest average at 13.68¢ and Illinois the highest at 23.85¢. Iowa ranks 2nd of 5 in the group, at 14.14¢.

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 Iowa for May 2026 — a benchmark, never a billed amount. Even the jurisdiction figure is not one number — across the trailing year it moved between 12.60¢ in December 2025 and 15.58¢ in August 2025. 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.