Electricity Rate in California (2026): 34.74c/kWh Average
The EIA residential electricity price in California is 34.74 cents per kWh as of June 2026, 16.40c above the US average of 18.34c/kWh. The California commercial rate is 27.33c/kWh and the industrial rate is 20.74c/kWh (EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A).
California Electricity Rate: What You Need to Know
California electricity averages 34.74 cents per kWh for residential customers as of June 2026, according to the EIA Electric Power Monthly. This is 16.40c above the US average of 18.34c/kWh. The average monthly bill for California households is $151 based on typical usage of 464 kWh.
California electricity rates are the highest on the mainland US at 34.74c/kWh (June 2026) due to three structural factors: (1) California's three investor-owned utilities (PG&E, SCE, SDG&E) operate as regulated monopolies under CPUC oversight, with rate-base recovery for massive wildfire-mitigation investments running into the billions annually. PG&E alone is spending $20B+ over 5 years on grid hardening and undergrounding. (2) California's Renewables Portfolio Standard mandates 60% renewable electricity by 2030, driving investment in solar, wind, and storage infrastructure that gets passed through to customers. (3) The CAISO grid's capacity payments and the cost of integrating variable renewables adds complexity. Since 2024, new residential customers default to TOU (Time-of-Use) rate plans, where rates spike to $0.45-$0.65/kWh during peak 4-9pm hours but fall to $0.20-$0.25/kWh overnight. California bills average $151/month despite relatively low 464 kWh usage because the high per-kWh cost more than offsets the low consumption.
Generation mix: Renewables 45%, natural gas 35%, nuclear 10%, imports 10%. The fuel mix is a primary driver of electricity rates - states with abundant hydro or nuclear tend to have lower rates, while states dependent on imported petroleum (Hawaii) or natural gas pay more.
Year-over-year change: California rates rose 3.4% year-over-year as of June 2026. This compares to the US average increase of 5% over the same period.
Regulated: You Cannot Switch Electricity Suppliers
PG&E / SCE / SDG&E operates as the regulated utility in California. Retail electricity choice is not available for residential customers. Options for reducing your bill include: time-of-use rate optimization, energy efficiency upgrades, and rooftop solar.
Your California Electricity Bill Components
State pre-selected in our full bill calculator with TOU and commercial modes.
Open Bill Calculator ->Electric Utilities in California: 99 Listed (2024 EIA-861)
EIA's Form 861 census records 99 entities with 2024 retail electricity sales in California: 35 distribution utilities filing the full form, 25 small utilities filing the short form (EIA-861S), and 39 competitive energy-only suppliers. By ownership: 35 municipal, 25 community choice aggregator, 15 political subdivision, 10 retail power marketer, 6 investor owned, 5 cooperative, 3 federal. The state-wide average realised residential price in 2024 was 31.97 cents per kWh across 13,582,820 residential customers and 85,850,538 MWh of sales; EIA's latest monthly figure is 34.74c (June 2026). The largest utility by residential accounts served (bundled plus delivery-only) is Pacific Gas & Electric Co. with 5,047,461 (39.62c per kWh, 30.3% of state residential sales by MWh). 32 of the 35 distribution utilities have a detail page; the rest are listed here only.
| # | Utility | Ownership | Res. accounts | Residential | Commercial | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pacific Gas & Electric Co. | Investor Owned | 5,047,461 | 39.62c | 39.46c | 50 |
| 2 | Southern California Edison Co | Investor Owned | 4,594,415 | 32.43c | 23.09c | 16 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Department of Water & Power | Municipal | 1,410,191 | 23.84c | 21.95c | 2 |
| 4 | San Diego Gas & Electric Co | Investor Owned | 1,364,361 | 43.63c | 35.54c | 2 |
| 5 | Sacramento Municipal Util Dist | Political Subdivision | 592,557 | 17.87c | 16.29c | 2 |
| 6 | Imperial Irrigation District | Political Subdivision | 142,078 | 17.91c | 18.21c | 3 |
| 7 | City of Anaheim (CA) | Municipal | 105,839 | 17.11c | 17.72c | 1 |
| 8 | Modesto Irrigation District | Political Subdivision | 103,650 | 21.78c | 17.16c | 2 |
| 9 | City of Riverside (CA) | Municipal | 100,450 | 20.20c | 19.10c | 1 |
| 10 | Turlock Irrigation District | Political Subdivision | 80,575 | 16.34c | 13.56c | 3 |
| 11 | City of Glendale (CA) | Municipal | 77,563 | 33.81c | 24.91c | 1 |
| 12 | City of Roseville (CA) | Municipal | 63,052 | 18.66c | 16.70c | 1 |
| 13 | City of Pasadena (CA) | Municipal | 58,551 | 25.98c | 23.45c | 1 |
| 14 | City of Santa Clara (CA) | Municipal | 50,949 | 16.88c | 22.07c | 1 |
| 15 | City of Burbank Water and Power | Municipal | 46,157 | 19.25c | 18.08c | 1 |
| 16 | Liberty Utilities | Investor Owned | 43,902 | 25.92c | 25.94c | 7 |
| 17 | City of Redding (CA) | Municipal | 38,170 | 17.85c | 17.88c | 1 |
| 18 | PacifiCorpalso UT, OR, WY, WA, ID | Investor Owned | 36,273 | 20.64c | 19.08c | 4 |
| 19 | Alameda Municipal Power | Municipal | 33,174 | 22.98c | 20.09c | 1 |
| 20 | City of Palo Alto (CA) | Municipal | 26,249 | 20.67c | 16.97c | 1 |
| 21 | City of Lodi (CA) | Municipal | 23,751 | 22.47c | 19.71c | 1 |
| 22 | Bear Valley Electric Service | Investor Owned | 23,327 | 30.67c | 29.42c | 1 |
| 23 | City of Colton (CA) | Municipal | 17,472 | 24.85c | 40.33c | 1 |
| 24 | City of Azusa | Municipal | 15,599 | 19.08c | 18.80c | 1 |
| 25 | Merced Irrigation District | Political Subdivision | 11,366 | 24.25c | 19.34c | 1 |
| 26 | City of Moreno Valley (CA) | Municipal | 7,936 | 39.87c | 25.31c | 1 |
| 27 | City of Shasta Lake (CA) | Municipal | 4,268 | 19.26c | 19.56c | 1 |
| 28 | Surprise Valley Electrificationalso OR, NV | Cooperative | 2,785 | 13.14c | 13.72c | 2 |
| 29 | City & County of San Francisco | Municipal | 2,618 | 24.05c | 18.45c | 2 |
| 30 | City of Corona (CA) | Municipal | 1,285 | 15.50c | 14.13c | 1 |
| 31 | City of Vernon | Municipal | 73 | 14.55c | 22.31c | 1 |
| 32 | Valley Electric Assn, Incalso NV | Cooperative | 12 | 19.10c | 45.00c | 2 |
| 33 | WAPA-- Western Area Power Administrationalso AZ, CO, KS, MN, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, SD, UT, WY | Federal | 0 | n/a | 4.61c | 27 |
| 35 | Kings River Conservation Dist | Political Subdivision | 0 | n/a | 0.80c | 1 |
| 34 | City of Escondido (CA) | Municipal | 0 | n/a | 5.17c | 1 |
| Supplier | Type | Res. customers (energy-only) | Energy-only res. | Energy-only com. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Community Power | Community Choice Aggregator | 852,720 | 15.62c | 15.27c |
| Clean Power Alliance of Southern Califor | Community Choice Aggregator | 753,633 | 15.98c | 13.66c |
| Ava Community Energy | Community Choice Aggregator | 581,804 | 14.63c | 14.02c |
| Marin Clean Energy | Community Choice Aggregator | 524,852 | 15.10c | 14.50c |
| Central Coast Community Energy | Community Choice Aggregator | 383,835 | 13.01c | 11.60c |
| CleanPowerSF | Community Choice Aggregator | 353,982 | 14.39c | 11.80c |
| San Jose Clean Energy | Community Choice Aggregator | 326,459 | 15.14c | 14.84c |
| Peninsula Clean Energy Authority | Community Choice Aggregator | 282,893 | 13.58c | 13.44c |
| Silicon Valley Clean Energy Authority | Community Choice Aggregator | 249,951 | 14.40c | 13.63c |
| Sonoma Clean Power Authority | Community Choice Aggregator | 199,002 | 13.04c | 13.32c |
| Orange County Power Authority | Community Choice Aggregator | 187,088 | 14.79c | 13.83c |
| Clean Energy Alliance | Community Choice Aggregator | 181,700 | 17.48c | 14.63c |
| Pioneer Community Energy | Community Choice Aggregator | 144,723 | 14.28c | 13.93c |
| Valley Clean Energy Alliance | Community Choice Aggregator | 54,337 | 15.56c | 14.94c |
| Redwood Coast Energy Authority | Community Choice Aggregator | 51,305 | 14.70c | 13.82c |
| Lancaster Choice Energy | Community Choice Aggregator | 46,856 | 15.81c | 13.06c |
| Energy for Palmdale's Independent Choice | Community Choice Aggregator | 41,057 | 16.53c | 13.98c |
| Pomona Choice Energy (PCE) | Community Choice Aggregator | 36,414 | 16.28c | 13.57c |
| Santa Barbara Clean Energy | Community Choice Aggregator | 32,140 | 17.57c | 14.93c |
| Desert Community Energy | Community Choice Aggregator | 28,095 | 19.28c | 17.29c |
| Apple Valley Choice Energy | Community Choice Aggregator | 22,941 | 16.50c | 13.36c |
| Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy | Community Choice Aggregator | 15,000 | 15.95c | 13.18c |
| San Jacinto Power | Community Choice Aggregator | 13,558 | 16.61c | 13.26c |
| Rancho Mirage Energy Authority | Community Choice Aggregator | 13,079 | 16.76c | 13.46c |
| Pilot Power Group, LLC | Retail Power Marketer | 3,892 | 16.50c | 10.43c |
| King City Community Power | Community Choice Aggregator | 2,838 | 16.29c | 14.74c |
| 3 Phases Renewables Inc | Retail Power Marketer | 55 | 13.43c | 4.96c |
| Shell Energy North America (US), L.P.4 states | Retail Power Marketer | 0 | n/a | 12.41c |
| Constellation NewEnergy, Inc18 states | Retail Power Marketer | 0 | n/a | 12.82c |
| Commercial Energy of California | Retail Power Marketer | 0 | n/a | 5.76c |
| Direct Energy Business17 states | Retail Power Marketer | 0 | n/a | 11.34c |
| The Regents of the Univ. of California | Retail Power Marketer | 0 | n/a | 10.97c |
| City of Cerritos (CA) | Municipal | 0 | n/a | 10.74c |
| Calpine Energy Solutions, LLC18 states | Retail Power Marketer | 0 | n/a | 11.45c |
| BP Energy Retail LLC16 states | Retail Power Marketer | 0 | n/a | 15.02c |
| Calpine Power America LLC3 states | Retail Power Marketer | 0 | n/a | 4.72c |
| Eastside Power Authority | Political Subdivision | 0 | n/a | n/a |
| Northern California Power Agny | Political Subdivision | 0 | n/a | n/a |
| Arizona Electric Pwr Coop Inc | Cooperative | 0 | n/a | 2.25c |
Small utilities filing the EIA-861S short form (25): totals across all sectors, no residential split+
| Utility | Ownership | Customers (all) | Avg price (all) | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Lompoc (CA) | Municipal | 15,232 | 21.94c | 1 |
| Truckee Donner P U D | Political Subdivision | 14,797 | 22.32c | 2 |
| City of Banning (CA) | Municipal | 13,358 | 19.37c | 1 |
| Lassen Municipal Utility District | Municipal | 10,602 | 23.51c | 1 |
| City of Ukiah (CA) | Municipal | 7,899 | 25.61c | 1 |
| Plumas-Sierra Rural Elec Coop | Cooperative | 7,769 | 22.24c | 3 |
| Trinity Public Utilities Dist | Political Subdivision | 7,291 | 9.75c | 1 |
| City of Healdsburg (CA) | Municipal | 6,157 | 19.56c | 1 |
| Anza Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | 4,815 | 25.08c | 1 |
| Lathrop Irrigation District | Political Subdivision | 4,095 | 22.03c | 1 |
| Rancho Cucamonga Municipal Utility | Municipal | 3,592 | 15.35c | 1 |
| City of Gridley (CA) | Municipal | 3,180 | 21.83c | 1 |
| City of Needles (CA) | Municipal | 3,040 | 17.42c | 1 |
| Colorado River Indian Irr Proj | Federal | 1,845 | 11.78c | 1 |
| DOD USMC Marine Air Ground Combat | Federal | 1,514 | 16.72c | 1 |
| City of Biggs (CA) | Municipal | 842 | 18.01c | 1 |
| Kirkwood Meadows PUD | Political Subdivision | 757 | 76.01c | 2 |
| Shelter Cove Resort Improvement Dist No. 1 | Political Subdivision | 643 | 37.17c | 1 |
| Pittsburg Power Company | Municipal | 595 | 28.96c | 1 |
| City of Industry | Municipal | 136 | 14.58c | - |
| Port of Oakland | Municipal | 131 | 19.22c | 1 |
| Aha Macav Power Service | Political Subdivision | 116 | 10.66c | 1 |
| Port of Stockton (CA) | Municipal | 95 | 15.52c | 1 |
| City of Victorville (CA) | Municipal | 91 | 19.85c | 1 |
| Tuolumne County Pub Power Agny | Political Subdivision | 33 | 18.26c | 1 |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 Annual, 2024 final data (public domain), retrieved 28 August 2026; prices are average realised revenue per kWh, not tariffs. Final 2024 file f8612024.zip (released 3 December 2025) from the EIA-861 detailed data files. Preliminary 2025 figures come from the early-release file f8612025er.zip (4 August 2026), which EIA has not yet validated; they are labelled as such wherever shown and never mixed into a final figure.