Data Centers & Electricity Bills by State
By Axis Intelligence Research
Co-author: Aidan Jad | Last updated: October 30, 2026 | License: CC BY 4.0
Quick Answer:
Residential electricity prices rose 6.8% nationally in January–August 2026, to 18.19 cents per kilowatt-hour (EIA). Ohio ranks first on the Axis Ratepayer Load Exposure Index (RLEI) at 95 of 100. Nebraska leads per household, adding 2,178 commercial kWh per household; Texas leads raw volume at 9,557 GWh.
Key Findings
- Residential electricity prices rose in 48 of 51 jurisdictions between January–August 2025 and January–August 2026 (EIA).
- Texas, Ohio, Arizona, Georgia and Indiana supplied about 70% of the 33,607 GWh of net U.S. commercial electricity sales growth over the same period.
- PJM’s independent market monitor attributes $6.3 billion, or 38.2%, of the $16.4 billion 2028/2029 capacity auction to data center load (Monitoring Analytics).
- U.S. data centers used about 176 TWh in 2023, 4.4% of national electricity, and could reach 6.7% to 12% by 2028 (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, via the U.S. Department of Energy).
- ERCOT’s 2025 forecast puts Texas data-center load at 24,195 MW by 2031 after adjustment, against 86,020 MW in utility-submitted requests (ERCOT).
Source : axis-intelligence.com/data-centers-electricity-bills-by-state/
Do data centers raise electricity bills? What the state data shows
No federal agency publishes data-center load by state. What the public record does show is where two things overlap: commercial-sector electricity sales, the rate class that holds most data centers, are growing fastest, and residential prices are climbing. This page ranks all 50 states and DC on that overlap, then shows the raw numbers so you can check the ranking against the source.
The national picture first. The average U.S. residential price reached 18.19¢/kWh for January–August 2026, up from 17.03¢ a year earlier (EIA, Table 5.6.B). Commercial sales grew from 1,007,497 GWh to 1,041,104 GWh, a gain of 33,607 GWh. That gain is concentrated: Texas added 9,557 GWh, Ohio 5,458, Arizona 3,565, Georgia 2,553 and Indiana 2,322.
Aidan Jad: Raw gigawatt-hours rank population and weather first, and load second. A state of 31 million will always out-add a state of two million. That is why the headline on this page is the normalized ranking, not the volume table.
Which states have the highest data center electricity exposure? Normalized ranking
The Axis Ratepayer Load Exposure Index (RLEI) averages two scores for each state: how much commercial electricity sales grew per household, and how much the residential price rose. Each score is a percentile rank among 51 jurisdictions, so 100 means highest and 0 lowest. The three right-hand columns show the same load growth on each normalization basis: per household, per person and per $1 million of state GDP.
Ohio ranks first with an RLEI of 95. Virginia ranks second at 86 and Nebraska third at 81. Nebraska is first on every per-unit load measure (2,178 kWh per household, 893 per person, 8,721 per $1 million of GDP) but ranks third overall because its residential price rose a more modest 8.2%.
| Rank | State | RLEI (0–100) | Load score | Bill score | Added commercial kWh per household | Added commercial kWh per person | Added commercial kWh per $1M GDP | Source · data year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio | 95 | 96 | 94 | 1,101 | 459 | 5,587 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 2 | Virginia | 86 | 80 | 92 | 440 | 172 | 1,895 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 3 | Nebraska | 81 | 100 | 62 | 2,178 | 893 | 8,721 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 4 | Indiana | 80 | 92 | 68 | 824 | 333 | 4,281 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 5 | Idaho | 74 | 64 | 84 | 180 | 68 | 1,004 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 74 | 50 | 98 | 94 | 38 | 421 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 7 | Washington | 74 | 66 | 82 | 194 | 77 | 692 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 8 | Wyoming | 72 | 94 | 50 | 998 | 435 | 4,877 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 9 | Colorado | 64 | 62 | 66 | 169 | 70 | 729 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 10 | Maryland | 64 | 38 | 90 | 11 | 4 | 46 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 63 | 84 | 42 | 580 | 227 | 3,420 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 12 | Kansas | 61 | 76 | 46 | 338 | 137 | 1,754 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 13 | Missouri | 61 | 70 | 52 | 271 | 113 | 1,485 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 14 | Texas | 61 | 90 | 32 | 823 | 301 | 3,259 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 15 | North Carolina | 60 | 60 | 60 | 162 | 66 | 823 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 16 | South Carolina | 59 | 78 | 40 | 388 | 160 | 2,357 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 17 | Michigan | 58 | 44 | 72 | 35 | 14 | 198 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | 58 | 30 | 86 | -10 | -4 | -51 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 19 | New York | 57 | 26 | 88 | -18 | -7 | -57 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 20 | Mississippi | 56 | 48 | 64 | 68 | 27 | 497 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 21 | Montana | 54 | 28 | 80 | -17 | -7 | -99 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 22 | Arizona | 53 | 98 | 8 | 1,172 | 468 | 6,021 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 23 | Georgia | 53 | 86 | 20 | 598 | 226 | 2,727 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 24 | Utah | 52 | 88 | 16 | 626 | 214 | 2,369 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 25 | District of Columbia | 51 | 2 | 100 | -309 | -148 | -534 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 26 | Hawaii | 51 | 6 | 96 | -100 | -35 | -406 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 27 | New Jersey | 50 | 42 | 58 | 16 | 6 | 65 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 28 | Alaska | 49 | 68 | 30 | 258 | 98 | 978 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 29 | Minnesota | 48 | 74 | 22 | 294 | 121 | 1,367 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 30 | Nevada | 48 | 82 | 14 | 540 | 205 | 2,392 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 31 | South Dakota | 48 | 18 | 78 | -67 | -28 | -317 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 32 | Arkansas | 45 | 34 | 56 | -5 | -2 | -36 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | 45 | 56 | 34 | 146 | 63 | 783 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 34 | Kentucky | 43 | 16 | 70 | -80 | -33 | -482 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 35 | Vermont | 43 | 32 | 54 | -7 | -3 | -40 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 36 | Illinois | 42 | 8 | 76 | -97 | -39 | -403 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 37 | West Virginia | 41 | 72 | 10 | 275 | 117 | 1,851 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 38 | Maine | 39 | 4 | 74 | -108 | -47 | -659 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 39 | Tennessee | 38 | 52 | 24 | 94 | 38 | 474 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 40 | Alabama | 36 | 54 | 18 | 133 | 53 | 814 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 41 | Florida | 35 | 58 | 12 | 153 | 61 | 791 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 42 | Delaware | 30 | 12 | 48 | -85 | -34 | -295 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 43 | Iowa | 30 | 22 | 38 | -24 | -10 | -121 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 44 | Louisiana | 30 | 24 | 36 | -19 | -8 | -105 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 45 | North Dakota | 29 | 14 | 44 | -82 | -36 | -352 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 46 | California | 24 | 20 | 28 | -42 | -15 | -135 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 47 | Connecticut | 23 | 46 | 0 | 53 | 21 | 201 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 48 | Rhode Island | 21 | 40 | 2 | 11 | 4 | 57 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 49 | Massachusetts | 20 | 36 | 4 | -2 | -1 | -6 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 50 | New Mexico | 18 | 10 | 26 | -88 | -36 | -500 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
| 51 | Oregon | 3 | 0 | 6 | -918 | -375 | -4,670 | EIA · Census · ACS · BEA, 2025–26 |
Formula and inputs are in the methodology section. Sources: EIA Electric Power Monthly Tables 5.4.B and 5.6.B (January–August 2026 vs. 2025); U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population; American Community Survey 2025 households (B11001); BEA 2025 current-dollar GDP. Retrieved October 30, 2026. Every figure is in the CSV below.
Aidan Jad: Read the two scores separately before you read the total. A high load score with a middling or low bill score, Wyoming and Oklahoma for example, describes a state where large loads have arrived and retail prices have not yet reflected them. A high bill score with a low load score, Maryland and Pennsylvania, describes price pressure from somewhere else: capacity markets, transmission, delivery rates. Those are different stories, and they need different policy answers.
Which states pay the most for electricity? Raw prices, bills and sales
The table below is the raw view. “Est. monthly bill” is an Axis estimate: residential sales divided by residential customers, spread over eight months, multiplied by the average price. It tracks the order of magnitude of a household bill but is not a utility tariff calculation.
Hawaii has the highest estimated monthly bill at $233, followed by Maryland at $212 and Connecticut at $201. New Mexico has the lowest at $106. Hawaii’s price, 46.4¢/kWh, is 2.6 times the national average, and data-center load does not explain it: Hawaii’s commercial sales fell 2.7%.
| State | Residential price, Jan–Aug 2026 (¢/kWh) | Jan–Aug 2025 (¢/kWh) | Change | Est. monthly bill 2026 ($) | Commercial sales added, Jan–Aug (GWh) | Commercial sales change | Source · data year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 16.51 | 16.01 | +3.1% | 195 | +276 | +1.8% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Alaska | 27.32 | 26.07 | +4.8% | 160 | +72 | +4.2% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Arizona | 15.36 | 15.18 | +1.2% | 174 | +3,565 | +14.2% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Arkansas | 13.74 | 12.74 | +7.8% | 151 | -7 | -0.1% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| California | 32.58 | 31.11 | +4.7% | 170 | -582 | -0.8% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Colorado | 16.80 | 15.47 | +8.6% | 120 | +419 | +3.0% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Connecticut | 27.47 | 30.21 | -9.1% | 201 | +77 | +1.0% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Delaware | 17.98 | 16.79 | +7.1% | 175 | -36 | -1.2% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| District of Columbia | 24.86 | 21.22 | +17.2% | 166 | -103 | -2.1% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Florida | 15.32 | 15.04 | +1.9% | 174 | +1,428 | +2.1% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Georgia | 15.48 | 14.86 | +4.2% | 175 | +2,553 | +6.6% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Hawaii | 46.41 | 40.46 | +14.7% | 233 | -50 | -2.7% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Idaho | 13.02 | 11.65 | +11.8% | 120 | +138 | +2.9% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Illinois | 19.23 | 17.44 | +10.3% | 140 | -500 | -1.6% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Indiana | 17.04 | 15.69 | +8.6% | 165 | +2,322 | +13.8% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Iowa | 14.55 | 13.72 | +6.0% | 128 | -33 | -0.4% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Kansas | 15.26 | 14.27 | +6.9% | 144 | +407 | +3.7% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Kentucky | 14.20 | 13.04 | +8.9% | 165 | -151 | -1.1% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Louisiana | 13.27 | 12.54 | +5.8% | 165 | -36 | -0.2% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Maine | 30.23 | 27.47 | +10.0% | 162 | -67 | -2.4% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Maryland | 21.31 | 18.93 | +12.6% | 212 | +26 | +0.1% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Massachusetts | 30.19 | 30.21 | -0.1% | 193 | -5 | -0.0% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Michigan | 21.73 | 19.94 | +9.0% | 142 | +145 | +0.6% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Minnesota | 16.44 | 15.78 | +4.2% | 126 | +704 | +4.6% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Mississippi | 15.06 | 13.87 | +8.6% | 182 | +81 | +0.8% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Missouri | 14.28 | 13.32 | +7.2% | 156 | +706 | +3.4% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Montana | 14.13 | 12.76 | +10.7% | 119 | -8 | -0.2% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Nebraska | 12.92 | 11.94 | +8.2% | 128 | +1,802 | +18.4% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Nevada | 13.36 | 13.10 | +2.0% | 133 | +673 | +7.0% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| New Hampshire | 26.91 | 23.40 | +15.0% | 180 | +54 | +1.9% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| New Jersey | 24.09 | 22.32 | +7.9% | 175 | +58 | +0.2% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| New Mexico | 15.34 | 14.68 | +4.5% | 106 | -76 | -1.2% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| New York | 29.26 | 26.10 | +12.1% | 179 | -141 | -0.3% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| North Carolina | 14.94 | 13.81 | +8.2% | 163 | +737 | +2.2% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| North Dakota | 12.46 | 11.67 | +6.8% | 135 | -29 | -0.4% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Ohio | 18.81 | 16.64 | +13.0% | 170 | +5,458 | +14.4% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Oklahoma | 13.81 | 12.95 | +6.6% | 157 | +938 | +5.1% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Oregon | 15.46 | 15.37 | +0.6% | 132 | -1,603 | -8.1% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.13 | 18.86 | +12.0% | 182 | -54 | -0.2% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Rhode Island | 29.05 | 29.09 | -0.1% | 137 | +5 | +0.2% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| South Carolina | 15.90 | 14.98 | +6.1% | 179 | +892 | +5.0% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| South Dakota | 14.58 | 13.20 | +10.5% | 148 | -26 | -0.7% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Tennessee | 13.80 | 13.24 | +4.2% | 172 | +278 | +1.1% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Texas | 16.03 | 15.18 | +5.6% | 184 | +9,557 | +8.3% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Utah | 13.19 | 12.84 | +2.7% | 110 | +756 | +7.7% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Vermont | 23.93 | 22.30 | +7.3% | 143 | -2 | -0.1% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Virginia | 16.95 | 15.00 | +13.0% | 189 | +1,531 | +2.6% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Washington | 14.42 | 12.91 | +11.7% | 136 | +617 | +2.8% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| West Virginia | 15.58 | 15.37 | +1.4% | 169 | +206 | +3.8% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Wisconsin | 19.05 | 18.02 | +5.7% | 130 | +375 | +2.3% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
| Wyoming | 14.01 | 13.08 | +7.1% | 119 | +256 | +6.8% | EIA, Jan–Aug 2026 |
Source: EIA Electric Power Monthly Tables 5.4.B, 5.6.B and 5.8, October 2026 release, data through August 2026; Axis calculations from those inputs. The estimated bill uses August 2026 residential customer counts. Rhode Island’s bill change is not shown in the CSV because EIA’s customer count for that state shows a series break between August 2025 and August 2026.
States where the story is
Ohio: the largest combined signal
Ohio’s commercial sales rose 14.4% in January–August 2026, adding 5,458 GWh, the second-largest gain in the country after Texas. Its residential price rose 13.0%, from 16.64¢ to 18.81¢. EIA’s annual survey shows the trend started earlier: Ohio’s commercial sales grew 9.6% in 2024 and 13.6% in 2025 (EIA-861). Ohio is the only state in the top ten of both scores. The PUCO’s own long-term forecast, published September 10, 2026, projects Ohio’s peak load to rise about 81.1% between 2024 and 2044, “driven primarily by anticipated data centers,” and annual consumption to grow from 153.9 million MWh to 321.5 million MWh once reported large loads are included.
Virginia: load landed in 2025, bills followed in 2026
Virginia’s 2026 year-to-date commercial growth is only 2.6%, which looks quiet next to Ohio. The annual series explains why: commercial sales rose 6.6% in 2024 and 10.1% in 2025, reaching 86.6 million MWh (EIA-861). The load arrived a year ago. The residential price rose 13.0% in 2026, from 15.00¢ to 16.95¢, an estimated $21.70 more per month. Virginia is the clearest case of a lag between large-load energization and retail bills. The state’s legislative auditors anticipated it: JLARC’s December 2024 report estimated that generation and transmission costs for a typical Dominion residential customer could rise by $14 to $37 per month by 2040, in constant dollars, and recommended a separate rate class for data centers (JLARC Report 598).
Nebraska: the sharpest per-household load growth in the country
Nebraska added 1,802 GWh of commercial sales, an 18.4% jump, the largest percentage gain in the nation. Spread across 827,249 households, that is 2,178 kWh each, double Ohio’s figure. The residential price rose 8.2% to 12.92¢, still the second-lowest in the country. Nebraska shows what load growth looks like before it reaches the bill.
Texas: the largest volume, and the widest forecast gap
Texas added 9,557 GWh, the most of any state, and its residential price rose 5.6% to 16.03¢. The forecast risk is bigger than the current bill. ERCOT’s 2025 long-term forecast carries 24,195 MW of data-center load for 2031 after ERCOT’s own adjustment, but 86,020 MW in the figures submitted by transmission service providers. The gap, nearly 62,000 MW, is the largest uncertainty in any state’s load forecast on this page. Texas ranks 14th on RLEI because its price pressure is moderate. Senate Bill 6 now sets the rules for the loads behind that forecast: 75 MW and up, with study fees, curtailment obligations and a share of interconnection costs (SB 6).
Indiana: fourth overall, rising on both measures
Indiana’s commercial sales rose 13.8% (2,322 GWh) and its residential price rose 8.6% to 17.04¢. It ranks fifth on per-household load growth and fourth on RLEI. Annual commercial sales grew 8.3% in 2025 after 2.8% in 2024 (EIA-861), so the acceleration is recent.
Maryland and Pennsylvania: price pressure without load growth
Maryland’s residential price rose 12.6% to 21.31¢ and Pennsylvania’s rose 12.0% to 21.13¢, while commercial sales were flat in both (+0.1% and −0.2%). Neither state is adding load. Both sit inside PJM, where capacity prices have gone from $28.92 to above $325 per MW-day in four auctions. Maryland has the second-highest estimated monthly bill in the country. Their bills rise because of what neighbors are adding to the shared market. Both states have responded on the tariff side: Pennsylvania’s model large-load tariff applies above 50 MW (PUC), and Maryland’s rulemaking RM 93 covers load studies, contract terminations and collateral (PSC).
Oregon: the outlier that points the other way
Oregon’s commercial sales fell 8.1% in 2026 year to date, a loss of 1,603 GWh, the largest decline in the country. That reverses a 20.7% jump in 2025 (EIA-861). A swing of that size can reflect one large customer’s load moving or a change in how a utility classifies customers; EIA’s sector data cannot separate the two. Oregon ranks last on RLEI at 3, and the reading will be checked against the November release.
Why PJM capacity prices matter for data center electricity bills
Capacity prices connect a data center in one state to a household bill in another. PJM Interconnection, the grid operator across the Mid-Atlantic and parts of the Midwest, buys capacity ahead of each delivery year in its Reliability Pricing Model. The most recent auction, held in July 2026, covers 2028/2029. The results are in the operator’s own auction reports.
| Delivery year | Clearing price ($/MW-day) | Cleared MW × price ($ billion) |
|---|---|---|
| 2021/2022 | 140.00 | 9.3 |
| 2022/2023 | 50.00 | 3.9 |
| 2023/2024 | 34.13 | 2.2 |
| 2024/2025 | 28.92 | 2.2 |
| 2025/2026 | 269.92 | 14.7 |
| 2026/2027 | 329.17 | 16.1 |
| 2027/2028 | 333.44 | 16.4 |
| 2028/2029 | 325.00 | 16.4 |
Source: PJM Base Residual Auction reports, 2021/2022 through 2028/2029. The dollar column multiplies cleared capacity by price and is not total cost to load, because load covered by self-supply and bilateral contracts is not exposed to the auction price.
Three details in the reports matter more than the headline price. The 2027/2028 and 2028/2029 auctions both cleared at the price cap, $333.44 and $325.00. PJM procured a 14.4% reserve margin against a 20% target in both, short of the requirement by 6,623.2 MW and 6,831.3 MW. And the 2027/2028 report attributes a 5,249.9 MW increase in forecast load “largely due to additional Large Loads.” The 2029/2030 planning parameters also attribute a 68% decline in the ComEd area’s emergency import capability to “increases in load, particularly from data centers,” combined with changes in the system model outside PJM.
PJM’s independent market monitor, Monitoring Analytics, puts a dollar figure on the data center share. Its analysis finds that of the $16.4 billion in 2028/2029 capacity charges, $6.3 billion, or 38.2%, resulted from data center load. Across the four most recent auctions, 2025/2026 through 2028/2029, it attributes $29.4 billion, or 46.2%, of total capacity charges to data center load (Monitoring Analytics presentation to PJM members, July 2026). In its second-quarter 2026 State of the Market report, the monitor adds that including data center load in the capacity market raised the total wholesale cost per MWh by $11.11, or 9.7%, from $103.40 to $114.50 in the first six months of 2026, a figure that excludes any effect on energy or transmission costs (Monitoring Analytics). These are the monitor’s estimates against a counterfactual without that load, not billed amounts.
Aidan Jad: A price cap that clears every zone is a signal that the market is no longer discovering a price. When supply is 6,000 MW short of the reliability requirement and the price is pinned at the cap, the cost of new load is not visible in the auction at all. It lands in the shortfall, and in the reliability backstop procurement PJM has put on a fast path.
What are states and PJM doing about data center electricity costs?
The policy response is moving faster than the rate cases it is meant to shape. The measures below are documented in the regulators’ and the grid operator’s own texts.
- PJM Board, January 16, 2026. The Board decided to encourage large loads to bring their own new generation with an expedited interconnection track, to apply “connect and manage” to large loads that do not (curtailing them before pre-emergency demand response), and to start a reliability backstop procurement immediately (PJM Board letter).
- Governors’ Statement of Principles, January 15, 2026. Governors across PJM, including those of Indiana, Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania, agreed with the White House National Energy Dominance Council to use their authority so that new capacity bought through backstop auctions is charged to new data center loads that have not procured capacity themselves or agreed to be curtailable.
- Texas, Senate Bill 6. Loads of 75 MW or more in ERCOT face interconnection standards, a study fee of at least $100,000 and curtailment protocols for loads connected after December 31, 2025, and must contribute to the utility’s interconnection costs (enrolled text).
- Pennsylvania, May 13, 2026. The Public Utility Commission’s final order sets a model large-load tariff for customers above 50 MW individually or 100 MW in aggregate, with deposits and collateral to cover stranded costs and a cost-causation rule for interconnection (PUC).
- Ohio. The PUCO approved a data center tariff for AEP Ohio on July 9, 2025 (Case 24-508-EL-ATA) and on August 5, 2026 ordered measures so that data centers returning to the standard service offer do not shift costs to other customers (Case 26-113-EL-ATA). On September 3, 2026 it asked FERC to limit PJM’s “new large load” definition to data centers and cryptocurrency miners (PUCO).
- Maryland. The Public Service Commission opened rulemaking RM 93 on December 9, 2025 on large-load customer regulations: load-study deadlines, study payments, contract terminations and collateral (PSC notice).
State-by-state bans and pauses are tracked in the data center moratorium tracker.
What should we expect for 2027?
Three things in the public record point to continued pressure into 2027. For the build-out and spending forecasts behind them, see data center trends for 2027. First, PJM’s next delivery years are already priced: 2027/2028 at $333.44 and 2028/2029 at $325.00 per MW-day, with reserve margins below target and the market monitor attributing 38.2% of the latest auction’s charges to data center load. Second, ERCOT’s adjusted forecast rises from 2,433 MW of data-center load in 2026 to 6,660 MW in 2027 and 13,903 MW in 2028. Third, EIA’s data show commercial sales growth of 13.8% or more in Ohio, Arizona, Indiana and Nebraska in 2026, ahead of the retail rate cases that follow load.
What would change this: large-load tariffs that assign interconnection and capacity costs to the load that causes them, behind-the-meter supply that takes load off the shared grid, and slower-than-forecast build-out. The data center moratorium tracker follows the state actions. This page will be re-run when EIA publishes its next release.
How does Axis calculate the RLEI? Methodology
Inputs (all primary):
- Residential price, commercial price and sales by state, January–August 2026 and 2025: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Tables 5.4.B and 5.6.B, October 2026 release.
- Residential customers, August 2026 and 2025: EIA Table 5.8.
- Population, July 1, 2025: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population estimates.
- Households, 2025: American Community Survey 1-year estimate, Table B11001.
- GDP, 2025, current dollars: BEA GDP by State, table SAGDP1.
- Annual commercial sales trends: EIA Form EIA-861.
- Capacity auctions: PJM Base Residual Auction reports, 2021/2022 through 2028/2029, plus the 2029/2030 planning parameters report (PJM RPM).
- Data-center share of PJM costs: Monitoring Analytics, July 2026 and Q2 2026 State of the Market.
- National data center electricity use: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report, summarized by DOE.
- Texas forecast: ERCOT long-term load forecast, 2025 vintage.
- State policy: PUCO long-term forecast (September 10, 2026), PUCO, Texas SB 6, Pennsylvania PUC, Maryland PSC, JLARC, PJM Board.
Formulas:
- Added commercial sales, ΔC = C(Jan–Aug 2026) − C(Jan–Aug 2025), in GWh.
- Load growth per household = ΔC × 1,000,000 ÷ households. Per person divides by population; per $1M GDP divides by GDP in millions of dollars.
- Residential price change, ΔP = (P2026 ÷ P2025 − 1) × 100.
- Percentile rank, PR(x) = (number of states below x + 0.5 × (ties − 1)) ÷ 50 × 100.
- RLEI = 0.5 × PR(ΔC per household) + 0.5 × PR(ΔP).
- Estimated monthly bill = residential sales ÷ residential customers ÷ 8 × price ÷ 100.
Why these choices. Percentile ranks prevent one extreme value, Hawaii’s price or Nebraska’s load, from setting the scale. Per household is the index basis because the question is bill exposure, and bills are paid by households. Equal weights are a stated convention, not an estimate; the CSV carries both component scores so a reader can reweight. The RLEI reading on this page, dated October 30, 2026, is the baseline for future releases.
What commercial sales growth measures. EIA classifies most data centers in the commercial sector, but the sector also includes offices, retail, hospitals and any new commercial load. Weather moves it too: a hotter summer raises cooling load everywhere. The index therefore reports where load growth and price pressure coincide, not what caused either. Direct data-center load by state would need utility-level disclosure, which is why the ERCOT forecast is shown separately and labeled by vintage.
Data center electricity bills FAQ
Do data centers raise my electric bill?
Sometimes, through different channels. In regions with capacity markets, new large load raises the capacity requirement and can raise the clearing price, which typically flows to all customers in the zone. Where a utility builds new generation or transmission for a large customer, the cost lands in the rate base unless a tariff assigns it to that customer. Where the utility has surplus capacity, effects can be small. In this dataset, the states where commercial sales growth and residential price increases coincide are Ohio, Virginia and Indiana. For PJM, the market monitor estimates that data center load accounted for $6.3 billion of the $16.4 billion 2028/2029 capacity auction, and raised first-half 2026 wholesale costs by $11.11 per MWh, 9.7% (Monitoring Analytics).
Which state has the highest electricity bills?
Hawaii, at an estimated $233 per month in January–August 2026, followed by Maryland ($212) and Connecticut ($201). Hawaii’s price is 46.4¢/kWh. The lowest is New Mexico at $106.
Which states have the most data center load growth?
By volume: Texas, Ohio, Arizona, Georgia and Indiana. Per household: Nebraska, Arizona, Ohio, Wyoming and Indiana. The two lists differ because Nebraska and Wyoming have small populations.
Why did PJM capacity prices jump in 2025?
The 2025/2026 auction cleared at $269.92 per MW-day, up from $28.92, on less cleared capacity: 135,684.0 MW against 147,478.9 MW. The 2027/2028 and 2028/2029 reports cite forecast load growth from large loads. A price cap of $333.44 per MW-day applied to the 2026/2027 and 2027/2028 auctions.
Does my bill change when PJM’s price changes?
Not directly or immediately. Capacity costs reach retail customers through each utility’s rates and, in some states, through default-service procurement. The timing and the share vary by state and utility. The residential price increases in Maryland (12.6%), Pennsylvania (12.0%), Ohio (13.0%) and Virginia (13.0%) all fall inside the PJM footprint.
Will electricity bills keep rising in 2027?
The auctions through 2028/2029 are already priced at or near the cap, so the capacity component stays high in PJM states. The final retail result depends on rate cases, large-load tariffs and weather, none of which are fixed yet.
How is a data center’s load different from other commercial load?
It typically runs close to constant and can be large enough to require its own substation. A load with a flat profile counts toward both peak demand and energy, which is why grid operators study it separately from retail and office growth. EIA has no separate data-center sales category.
What is a large-load tariff, and which states have one?
It is a rate class or set of rules for the biggest new customers. It typically sets a size threshold, minimum contract terms, collateral and a rule that the customer pays for the infrastructure built to serve it, so other ratepayers do not carry stranded costs. Texas applies its rules from 75 MW (SB 6). Pennsylvania’s model tariff applies above 50 MW individually or 100 MW in aggregate (PUC). Ohio approved a data center tariff for AEP Ohio in July 2025 (PUCO). Maryland has a rulemaking open (PSC).
Can I use this data in my own reporting?
Yes. The CSV is licensed CC BY 4.0. Cite as: Axis Intelligence Research, “Data Centers & Electricity Bills by State (2026 Data),” October 30, 2026, https://axis-intelligence.com/data-centers-electricity-bills-by-state/.
Related Axis data
- Electricity cost per kWh by state: the full price series behind the residential figures here.
- U.S. electricity statistics: national generation, consumption and price context.
- Data center electricity cost by state: what operators pay, the other side of the bill.
- Data center statistics: the national build-out in numbers.
- Data center trends 2027: global spending, capacity and construction outlook.
- Data center moratorium tracker: state and local restrictions.
About This Dataset
Download: data-centers-electricity-bills-by-state.csv · CC BY 4.0 · tidy long format, 1,071 rows, one row per state, metric and period, with source organization, document, URL, retrieval date and calculation flag. Raw and normalized values sit in separate columns with the basis named.
Embed and attribution: Charts and maps from this dataset may be embedded or reproduced with a link to this page: <a href="https://axis-intelligence.com/data-centers-electricity-bills-by-state/">Source: Axis Intelligence Research, Ratepayer Load Exposure Index</a>.
Coverage: 50 states and DC. Data period: January–August 2026 against January–August 2025 (EIA); population July 1, 2025 (Census); households and GDP, 2025 (ACS, BEA). Retrieved October 30, 2026.
Corrections: Errors reported to the editorial team are corrected on this page with a dated note.