Average Residential Bill $126

Because of the pandemic, people stayed home more last year. This shows up in the average residential electric bill.

The data courtesy of the most authoritative source on what American households have spent their money on, the Labor Department’s extraordinarily comprehensive Consumer Expenditure Survey. 2020 data was released on September 9.  

Compared with the prior pre-pandemic year, the average monthly bill rose in 2020 by three percent to $126.

As usual, the average varies quite a lot by region and by income.

The average residential bill in the midwest was only $109. Whereas the average bill in the south was $145. And in the west and northeast, the averages were $113 and $122 respectively.

Those averages in the west and northeast increased considerably from the prior pre-pandemic year. In the west, the average rose eight percent. In the northeast, the average rose nine percent.

The average residential bill for the highest income households, the top quintile, was $163. Whereas the average bill for the lowest income households, the bottom quintile, was $97.

The average for the lowest income households rose as much as eleven percent from the prior pre-pandemic year. Their electric use apparently increased very considerably during the pandemic.