5 States That Will Have the Highest Utility Bill Costs in 2024

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A lot goes into how much you pay in utility bills each month — part of which you can control and part of which you can’t. The things you can control are the number and type of utility bills you pay, and how much you use certain services. What you can’t control are the weather and the rates your utility provider charges. These and other factors help determine which states have the highest utility costs.

In terms of the types of utilities, the basics are electricity, water and natural gas, though if you have an all-electric home you don’t have to worry about a gas bill. Most homes have internet service, some still have landline phone service, and you might also include your cell phone and streaming services in your monthly utilities.

You can save a lot of money by moderating your water, gas and electricity use, which will lower your bills considerably. If you live in a cold climate, this might mean you keep the thermostat low and bundle up during the winter. If you live where the temperatures approach 100 degrees in the summer, you might decide not to crank the A/C up too high and use other means, like fans and cold showers, to stay cool. Installing solar panels and other power-saving devices can also reduce monthly costs.

States With the Highest Overall Utility Bills

The one thing you have zero control over is how much your local utility charges for using its services. Those are typically regulated by state or local utility commissions. A blog from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling recommends that you budget up to 10% of your monthly income toward utilities.

That’s a bigger challenge in some places than others. Earlier this year Forbes analyzed data from organizations such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Energy Information Administration and Energy.gov to determine which states have the highest combined monthly utility bills in 2024, including energy, water, gas, internet, phone and streaming.

Here are the five states that topped the list:

Four of those five states — Alaska, Hawaii, Connecticut and West Virginia — also are among the most expensive states for average electricity bills, according to separate research from CNET.

States With the Highest Power Bills

Because electricity takes up such a big chunk of overall utility bills, where you live can make a big difference. Different states charge different rates for using what essentially amounts to the same service — having electrical power distributed to your home from the grid.

According to CNET, these states have the highest electricity rates as of February 2024:

1. Hawaii: 43.93 cents per kilowatt hour
2. California: 31.23 cents
3. Rhode Island: 30.97 cents
4. Connecticut: 29.52 cents
5. Massachusetts: 29.25 cents
6. Maine: 24.95 cents
7. New York: 24.23 cents
8. New Hampshire: 23.76 cents
9. Alaska: 22.88 cents
10. Vermont: 21.22 cents

It’s probably no coincidence that all but two of those states — Hawaii and California — are located in cold weather climates. In terms of which states have the highest average electric bills every month, however, the list includes a few states with more moderate climates.

Here are the top 10 states with the highest average monthly electricity bills as of February 2024, according to CNET:

1. Connecticut: $201.56
2. Hawaii: $192.71
3. Massachusetts: $174.98
4. Rhode Island: $172.61
5. Maryland: $172.42
6. Tennessee: $165.85
7. West Virginia: $162.59
8. Alabama: $162.46
9. Alaska: $160.88
10. Maine: $160.09

If you want to move where electricity is cheaper, the five states with the lowest average monthly bills are Utah ($75.51 a month), New Mexico ($86.22), Colorado ($94.72), Illinois ($98.12) and Nebraska ($100.28).

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