States › California › May 2025
California electricity prices, May 2025
Average price, sales and bills for the month against the same month a year earlier and the US. Preliminary
In May 2025, residential customers in California paid an average of 33.29¢ per kilowatthour, down 3.6% on the same month a year earlier (34.55¢). The US average for the month was 17.37¢; California was 92% above that. It ranked 2nd highest among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Residential sales were 5,548,463 MWh, up 6.0% on a year earlier, and the average residential bill for the month was $130.21 on 391 kWh. Weather moves monthly sales far more than prices do, so bills swing with the season.
EIA marks this month as preliminary. Preliminary months come from the Form EIA-861M sample and are revised when the annual census is complete.
Average price is revenue divided by sales for the sector and year; it is not a tariff rate. Reliability figures are as reported by utilities to EIA on Form 861 and may use different calculation methods. Monthly figures come from the Form EIA-861M sample and are revised when EIA finalises the year.
Price by sector
| Sector | May 2025 | May 2024 | Change | US, May 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 33.29¢ | 34.55¢ | -3.6% | 17.37¢ |
| Commercial | 23.98¢ | 23.80¢ | +0.8% | 12.93¢ |
| Industrial | 20.40¢ | 21.08¢ | -3.2% | 8.29¢ |
| All sectors | 26.11¢ | 26.38¢ | -1.0% | 13.13¢ |
Sales and customers
| Measure | May 2025 | May 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential sales | 5.5 TWh | 5.2 TWh | +6.0% |
| Sales, all sectors | 18.4 TWh | 17.9 TWh | +3.0% |
| Residential customers | 14,186,827 | 14,397,201 | -1.5% |
| Average residential bill | $130.21 | $125.64 | +3.6% |
| Average residential use, kWh | 391 | 364 | +7.4% |
| US residential price | 17.37¢ | 16.40¢ | +5.9% |
The two years to May 2025
California residentialUS residential
Questions and answers
What was the average electricity price in California in May 2025?
33.29¢ per kilowatthour for residential customers, 23.98¢ for commercial and 20.40¢ for industrial customers. EIA marks the month as preliminary.
How does that compare with a year earlier?
The residential average was 34.55¢ in May 2024, a change of -3.6%. Residential sales changed by +6.0% over the same period.
What was the average residential bill that month?
$130.21, on average use of 391 kWh. This is residential revenue divided by residential customers for the month.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861M sales and revenue workbook (state by sector and month), status "Preliminary" for this month, series published through July 2026. Public domain. Price = revenue ÷ sales; bill = residential revenue ÷ residential customers. Utility-level annual figures are on the California page.