North Carolina Electricity Prices

North Carolina sits mid-pack — 15.09¢ per kilowatt-hour in May 2026, 35th-highest of 51 and 22.3% below the national benchmark.

At North Carolina's May 2026 average of 15.09¢/kWh, 10,500 kWh of annual use works out to $1,584 a year — around $132 a month. Running the same 10,500 kWh calculation at the May 2026 national benchmark rate gives $2,037 — a $453 gap between the two published averages, less for North Carolina, not a bill either way.

Over the full EIA series the North Carolina jurisdiction average has risen 100% since January 2001, from 7.53¢ to 15.09¢ in May 2026 — a compound 2.8% per year. Month-to-month movement has been about typical for a reporting jurisdiction.

April 2026, at 16.25¢ per kilowatt-hour. The May 2026 reading of 15.09¢ sits 7.1% below that peak. The lowest monthly average on record was 7.53¢ in January 2001.

October. Measured over the 25 complete calendar years the EIA series covers for North Carolina, 2001 through 2025, October runs highest relative to its own year and January runs lowest — a swing of roughly 13.9 percentage points.

Among North Carolina and its land-border neighbours in May 2026, Tennessee posts the lowest average at 14.47¢ and Virginia the highest at 17.61¢. North Carolina ranks 2nd of 5 in the group, at 15.09¢.

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 North Carolina for May 2026 — a benchmark, never a billed amount. Even the jurisdiction figure is not one number — across the trailing year it moved between 13.37¢ in July 2025 and 16.25¢ in April 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.