New York Electricity Prices

New York sits in the most expensive quarter of the country — 29.93¢ per kilowatt-hour in May 2026, 3rd-highest of 51 and 54.2% above the national benchmark. The index reports the published average, not its causes.

At New York's May 2026 average of 29.93¢/kWh, 10,500 kWh of annual use works out to $3,143 a year — around $262 a month. Running the same 10,500 kWh calculation at the May 2026 national benchmark rate gives $2,038 — a $1,105 gap between the two published averages, more for New York, not a bill either way.

Over the full EIA series the New York jurisdiction average has risen 115% since January 2001, from 13.89¢ to 29.93¢ in May 2026 — a compound 3.1% per year. Month-to-month movement has been about typical for a reporting jurisdiction.

February 2026, at 29.99¢ per kilowatt-hour. The May 2026 reading of 29.93¢ sits 0.2% below that peak. The lowest monthly average on record was 12.69¢ in April 2002.

September. Measured over the 25 complete calendar years the EIA series covers for New York, 2001 through 2025, September runs highest relative to its own year and March runs lowest — a swing of roughly 8.5 percentage points.

Among New York and its land-border neighbours in May 2026, Pennsylvania posts the lowest average at 21.55¢ and New York the highest at 29.93¢. That makes New York the most expensive in the group, at 29.93¢.

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 New York for May 2026 — a benchmark, never a billed amount. Even the jurisdiction figure is not one number — across the trailing year it moved between 26.22¢ in July 2025 and 29.99¢ in February 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.