States › California › May 2026
California electricity prices, May 2026
Average price, sales and bills for the month against the same month a year earlier and the US. Preliminary
In May 2026, residential customers in California paid an average of 33.25¢ per kilowatthour, little changed on the same month a year earlier (33.29¢). The US average for the month was 18.44¢; California was 80% above that. It ranked 2nd highest among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Residential sales were 5,763,735 MWh, up 3.9% on a year earlier, and the average residential bill for the month was $135.51 on 408 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 2026 | May 2025 | Change | US, May 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 33.25¢ | 33.29¢ | -0.1% | 18.44¢ |
| Commercial | 24.10¢ | 23.98¢ | +0.5% | 13.54¢ |
| Industrial | 20.20¢ | 20.40¢ | -1.0% | 8.71¢ |
| All sectors | 26.27¢ | 26.11¢ | +0.6% | 13.83¢ |
Sales and customers
| Measure | May 2026 | May 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential sales | 5.8 TWh | 5.5 TWh | +3.9% |
| Sales, all sectors | 18.2 TWh | 18.4 TWh | -1.0% |
| Residential customers | 14,141,111 | 14,186,827 | -0.3% |
| Average residential bill | $135.51 | $130.21 | +4.1% |
| Average residential use, kWh | 408 | 391 | +4.3% |
| US residential price | 18.44¢ | 17.37¢ | +6.2% |
The two years to May 2026
California residentialUS residential
Questions and answers
What was the average electricity price in California in May 2026?
33.25¢ per kilowatthour for residential customers, 24.10¢ for commercial and 20.20¢ for industrial customers. EIA marks the month as preliminary.
How does that compare with a year earlier?
The residential average was 33.29¢ in May 2025, a change of -0.1%. Residential sales changed by +3.9% over the same period.
What was the average residential bill that month?
$135.51, on average use of 408 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.