States › California › December 2025
California electricity prices, December 2025
Average price, sales and bills for the month against the same month a year earlier and the US. Preliminary
In December 2025, residential customers in California paid an average of 34.71¢ per kilowatthour, up 13.4% on the same month a year earlier (30.62¢). The US average for the month was 17.24¢; California was 101% above that. It ranked 2nd highest among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Residential sales were 5,911,176 MWh, down 16.3% on a year earlier, and the average residential bill for the month was $139.30 on 401 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 | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 | Change | US, Dec 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 34.71¢ | 30.62¢ | +13.4% | 17.24¢ |
| Commercial | 26.92¢ | 23.19¢ | +16.1% | 13.63¢ |
| Industrial | 19.86¢ | 19.41¢ | +2.3% | 8.53¢ |
| All sectors | 28.18¢ | 25.12¢ | +12.2% | 13.73¢ |
Sales and customers
| Measure | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential sales | 5.9 TWh | 7.1 TWh | -16.3% |
| Sales, all sectors | 18.7 TWh | 20.2 TWh | -7.4% |
| Residential customers | 14,730,091 | 14,449,736 | +1.9% |
| Average residential bill | $139.30 | $149.68 | -6.9% |
| Average residential use, kWh | 401 | 489 | -18.0% |
| US residential price | 17.24¢ | 16.27¢ | +6.0% |
The two years to December 2025
California residentialUS residential
Questions and answers
What was the average electricity price in California in December 2025?
34.71¢ per kilowatthour for residential customers, 26.92¢ for commercial and 19.86¢ for industrial customers. EIA marks the month as preliminary.
How does that compare with a year earlier?
The residential average was 30.62¢ in December 2024, a change of +13.4%. Residential sales changed by -16.3% over the same period.
What was the average residential bill that month?
$139.30, on average use of 401 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.