States › California › January 2026
California electricity prices, January 2026
Average price, sales and bills for the month against the same month a year earlier and the US. Preliminary
In January 2026, residential customers in California paid an average of 30.29¢ per kilowatthour, little changed on the same month a year earlier (30.28¢). The US average for the month was 17.45¢; California was 74% above that. It ranked 4th highest among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Residential sales were 8,500,727 MWh, up 7.4% on a year earlier, and the average residential bill for the month was $182.84 on 604 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 | Jan 2026 | Jan 2025 | Change | US, Jan 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 30.29¢ | 30.28¢ | 0.0% | 17.45¢ |
| Commercial | 23.13¢ | 23.90¢ | -3.2% | 13.64¢ |
| Industrial | 19.11¢ | 19.31¢ | -1.0% | 9.29¢ |
| All sectors | 25.55¢ | 25.67¢ | -0.5% | 14.17¢ |
Sales and customers
| Measure | Jan 2026 | Jan 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential sales | 8.5 TWh | 7.9 TWh | +7.4% |
| Sales, all sectors | 20 TWh | 20.4 TWh | -1.8% |
| Residential customers | 14,081,541 | 14,377,283 | -2.1% |
| Average residential bill | $182.84 | $166.75 | +9.6% |
| Average residential use, kWh | 604 | 551 | +9.6% |
| US residential price | 17.45¢ | 15.94¢ | +9.5% |
The two years to January 2026
California residentialUS residential
Questions and answers
What was the average electricity price in California in January 2026?
30.29¢ per kilowatthour for residential customers, 23.13¢ for commercial and 19.11¢ for industrial customers. EIA marks the month as preliminary.
How does that compare with a year earlier?
The residential average was 30.28¢ in January 2025, a change of 0.0%. Residential sales changed by +7.4% over the same period.
What was the average residential bill that month?
$182.84, on average use of 604 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.