States › Missouri › Empire District Electric Co
investor-owned utility · EIA utility 5860
Empire District Electric Co
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. Annual figures: Form EIA-861 for 2024, final release. Monthly state figures run to July 2026.
In its Form EIA-861 filing for 2024, Empire District Electric Co, an investor-owned utility, reported 159,663 residential customers in Missouri and 3 other states, with a service territory that touches 23 counties.
Its average residential price that year was 14.85¢ per kilowatthour, 15% above the Missouri average of 12.91¢ and 9.9% below the US average of 16.48¢. The figure is residential revenue divided by residential sales, so it folds in fixed charges, riders and every rate schedule the utility bills under.
That works out to an average residential bill of $149.71 a month on average use of 1,008 kWh a month. Across Missouri the average bill was $129.18 on 1,001 kWh, so a bill gap reflects how much power households use as well as what each kilowatthour costs.
For reliability it reported a SAIDI of 267.8 minutes per customer with major event days included and 137.2 minutes with them excluded, calculated under IEEE 1366 standard. The median among Missouri utilities reporting was 157.6 minutes with major event days; this utility's figure is 70% above that median.
The average price is up 12.1% on 2019, against up 15.9% for Missouri as a whole, and down 5.5% on 2023.
Compared with Missouri, the US and other investor-owned utilities
| Measure, 2024 | This utility | Investor-owned utilities, US median | Missouri | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average residential price per kWh | 14.85¢ | 16.17¢ | 12.91¢ | 16.48¢ |
| Average monthly residential bill | $149.71 | $131.47 | $129.18 | $142.26 |
| Average monthly use, kWh | 1,008 | 787 | 1,001 | 863 |
| Residential price change, 1 year | -5.5% | — | +2.6% | +3.0% |
| Residential price change, 5 years | +12.1% | — | +15.9% | +26.7% |
| SAIDI, all events (minutes) | 267.8 | 278.7 | 157.6 median | 184.5 median |
| SAIDI, without major event days | 137.2 | 106.5 | 97.0 median | 99.8 median |
State and US prices, bills and use are EIA's own averages over every customer. The ownership column and the reliability columns are medians across utilities with at least 1,000 residential customers, computed on this site from the final 2024 file. Among the 4 filings by investor-owned utilities in Missouri, the median price was 13.14¢. In Missouri this utility's price ranks 5 of 44, counting from the highest.
Average price by year
Empire District Electric CoMissouri averageUS average
Year by year
| Year | ¢ per kWh | Missouri ¢ | Monthly bill | kWh a month | Residential customers | All sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 14.85¢ | 12.91¢ | $149.71 | 1,008 | 159,663 | 4.8 TWh |
| 2023 | 15.72¢ | 12.58¢ | $158.66 | 1,009 | 156,834 | 4.7 TWh |
| 2022 | 15.02¢ | 11.74¢ | $168.67 | 1,123 | 153,052 | 5 TWh |
| 2021 | 13.26¢ | 11.41¢ | $140.48 | 1,059 | 151,034 | 4.7 TWh |
| 2020 | 13.22¢ | 11.22¢ | $135.95 | 1,028 | 149,124 | 4.5 TWh |
| 2019 | 13.25¢ | 11.14¢ | $143.52 | 1,083 | 147,113 | 4.8 TWh |
| 2018 | 13.75¢ | 11.34¢ | $157.33 | 1,144 | 145,798 | 4.9 TWh |
| 2017 | 13.65¢ | 11.63¢ | $137.24 | 1,005 | 144,718 | 4.5 TWh |
| 2016 | 12.96¢ | 11.21¢ | $137.36 | 1,060 | 143,554 | 4.6 TWh |
| 2015 | 12.56¢ | 11.21¢ | $134.79 | 1,073 | 142,554 | 4.6 TWh |
| 2014 | 12.12¢ | 10.64¢ | $138.93 | 1,146 | 141,837 | 4.7 TWh |
| 2013 | 11.76¢ | 10.60¢ | $134.19 | 1,142 | 141,376 | 4.6 TWh |
Bundled residential service only in the price, bill and use columns. Bill = residential revenue ÷ customers ÷ 12; use = residential sales ÷ customers ÷ 12.
Month by month
Empire District Electric Co (MO)Missouri average
Sales by sector, 2024
| Sector | Customers | Sales | Share of sales | Revenue | ¢ per kWh, bundled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 159,663 | 1.9 TWh | 40% | $286,835,000 | 14.85¢ |
| Commercial | 28,404 | 1.7 TWh | 35% | $216,774,100 | 12.92¢ |
| Industrial | 347 | 1.2 TWh | 24% | $109,983,100 | 9.45¢ |
Customers, sales and revenue count every service type the utility reported (bundled, energy-only and delivery-only). The price column uses bundled service alone, because part-bill revenue would understate it. Sources of energy: 5.6 TWh in total, of which 63.7% was its own net generation and 2 TWh was bought wholesale; summer peak demand 1,074 MW.
By state
| State | Residential customers | ¢ per kWh | State average ¢ | Monthly bill | SAIDI, all events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 142,537 | 14.99¢ | 12.91¢ | $151.34 | 230.5 |
| Kansas | 8,412 | 13.34¢ | 14.15¢ | $136.49 | 167.5 |
| Arkansas | 4,813 | 13.39¢ | 12.32¢ | $123.02 | 673.1 |
| Oklahoma | 3,901 | 14.61¢ | 12.24¢ | $151.70 | 1,110.2 |
Reliability
Minutes of sustained interruption per customer in 2024, as the utility reported them under IEEE 1366 standard. SAIFI: 1.42 interruptions per customer with major event days, 1.16 without; CAIDI 188.3 minutes per interruption. EIA's Missouri total across all reporting utilities was 224.3 minutes with major event days and 106.0 without. Major event days are storms and similar events that a utility's chosen method sets apart; methods differ, so treat comparisons as approximate. What SAIDI and SAIFI mean.
| Year | SAIDI, all events | SAIDI, no major events | SAIFI, all events | SAIFI, no major events | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 267.8 | 137.2 | 1.42 | 1.16 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2023 | 283.2 | 116.2 | 1.45 | 1.05 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2022 | 100.6 | 93.1 | 1.05 | 0.97 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2021 | 168.6 | 134.3 | 1.43 | 1.20 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2020 | 98.5 | 97.6 | 0.92 | 0.90 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2019 | 219.0 | 134.6 | 1.36 | 1.19 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2018 | 139.2 | 101.5 | 1.26 | 1.12 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2017 | 147.5 | 113.8 | 1.36 | 1.20 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2016 | 109.1 | 103.0 | 1.17 | 1.15 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2015 | 127.2 | 114.8 | 1.45 | 1.36 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2014 | 185.1 | 132.8 | 1.59 | 1.46 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2013 | 157.8 | 146.2 | 1.09 | 1.09 | IEEE 1366 |
Generation at plants it operates, 2025
- Natural gas 64.5% 3.9 TWh
- Wind 34.6% 2.1 TWh
- Hydro 0.7% 40.3 GWh
- Petroleum 0.2% 11.9 GWh
- Solar 0.1% 3.7 GWh
Net generation of 6.1 TWh at power plants this utility operates, from Form EIA-923. It is not the mix delivered to customers: utilities also buy power wholesale (2 TWh in 2024), sell generation to others and may co-own plants that another company operates.
Counties in its service territory
- Benton County AR
- Cherokee County KS
- Labette County KS
- Barry County MO
- Barton County MO
- Cedar County MO
- Christian County MO
- Dade County MO
- Dallas County MO
- Greene County MO
- Hickory County MO
- Jasper County MO
- Lawrence County MO
- McDonald County MO
- Newton County MO
- Polk County MO
- St. Clair County MO
- Stone County MO
- Taney County MO
- Webster County MO
- Craig County OK
- Delaware County OK
- Ottawa County OK
Counties the utility listed on Form EIA-861 for 2024. Listing a county does not mean the utility serves all of it.
Other utilities in Missouri
| Utility | Ownership | Residential customers | ¢ per kWh | Monthly bill | SAIDI, all events | SAIDI, no major events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evergy Missouri West | Investor-owned | 305,583 | 12.55¢ | $122.68 | 306.2 | 118.8 |
| Evergy Metro | Investor-owned | 518,415 | 13.41¢ | $118.05 | 364.1 | 83.5 |
| Union Electric Co | Investor-owned | 1,095,619 | 12.56¢ | $124.23 | 148.0 | 94.0 |
| City Utilities of Springfield | Municipal | 105,029 | 11.47¢ | $96.00 | 65.3 | 65.3 |
| Cuivre River Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 72,974 | 11.07¢ | $140.15 | 132.9 | 132.9 |
| City of Independence | Municipal | 53,832 | 15.74¢ | $132.43 | 330.9 | 35.5 |
| City of Columbia | Municipal | 45,651 | 13.94¢ | $109.33 | 34.6 | 34.6 |
| Southwest Electric Coop, Inc | Cooperative | 41,386 | 11.99¢ | $124.23 | 246.0 | 183.7 |
All Missouri utilities · Investor-owned utilities nationwide
Questions and answers
How much does electricity cost from Empire District Electric Co?
Residential customers paid an average of 14.85¢ per kilowatthour in 2024. EIA derives this by dividing residential revenue by residential sales; it is an average across all rate schedules and charges, not a tariff rate.
How does that compare with Missouri?
The Missouri average residential price in 2024 was 12.91¢ and the US average 16.48¢; Empire District Electric Co was 15% above the state figure. Among 44 utility filings with a bundled residential price in Missouri, it had the 5th highest.
What is the average Empire District Electric Co bill?
$149.71 a month in 2024, on average residential use of 1,008 kWh a month (annual revenue and sales divided by customers and by twelve). The Missouri average was $129.18 on 1,001 kWh.
How reliable is Empire District Electric Co service?
It reported 267.8 minutes of interruption per customer (SAIDI) including major event days and 137.2 minutes excluding them, with 1.42 interruptions per customer (SAIFI) in 2024. Utilities calculate these under differing methods, so comparisons are approximate.
Is the Empire District Electric Co price rising?
The average residential price was down 5.5% in 2024 compared with 2023 and up 12.1% compared with 2019.
Which counties does Empire District Electric Co serve?
Its Form EIA-861 service territory lists 23 counties, including Benton County, AR, Cherokee County, KS, Labette County, KS, Barry County, MO, Barton County, MO and Cedar County, MO. A county can appear in several utilities' territories.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration. Annual figures are from Form EIA-861 (sales to ultimate customers, reliability, operational data and service territory files), final release for 2024, respondent "Empire District Electric Co", utility number 5860. Monthly utility figures are from the Form EIA-861M sample. State and US averages are from the Form EIA-861M sales and revenue workbook, published through July 2026. Generation by fuel is from Form EIA-923, 2025 final. All are US government works in the public domain. Page built 30 Sep 2026. Errors in processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections. For tariffs and rate schedules, consult the utility or the state utility commission.