New York households paid some of the highest residential electricity prices in the country this spring, with the state’s average price climbing more than twice as fast as the national rate over the previous year.
Residential electricity averaged 29.93 cents per kilowatt-hour in May, placing New York third among the states behind Hawaii and California. This according to an August energy bulletin from the Empire Center for Public Policy using federal energy data.
New York’s average was 62.3% higher than the national price of about 18.44 cents per kilowatt-hour.
The state’s electricity price increased 1.6% between April and May, even as the national average declined 2.1%. Compared with May 2025, New York’s price rose 12.1%, nearly twice the nationwide increase of 6.2%.
The longer-term change is more pronounced.
New York’s average residential electricity price has risen 72.5% since May 2019, compared with a 38.5% increase nationally. The gap between the state and national averages reached 11.49 cents per kilowatt-hour in May.
New York outpaces neighboring states
New York’s average residential electricity price was higher than rates reported in every neighboring state examined by the Empire Center.
Connecticut averaged 28.82 cents per kilowatt-hour, while Massachusetts was at 28.82 cents. New Jersey averaged 23.53 cents, Vermont was at 23.75 cents and Pennsylvania averaged 21.55 cents.
Among the nation’s largest states, only California exceeded New York, averaging 33.25 cents per kilowatt-hour.
Florida’s average was 15.17 cents, while Texas was at 16.44 cents — roughly half of New York’s price.
The report’s long-term charts show New York and national electricity prices generally moving in the same direction, but with the distance between them growing substantially since 2019.
The 12-month rolling difference between New York and the national average has moved sharply upward in recent years. On a percentage basis, New York’s May price was about 63% above the U.S. average.
Natural gas also costs more, but gap is smaller
New York residents also paid more than the national average for natural gas, though the difference was considerably smaller than for electricity.
The state’s average residential natural gas price was $22.74 per thousand cubic feet in May, compared with $19.83 nationally. That placed New York 14.7% above the U.S. average.
Natural gas prices increased 7.5% in New York between April and May, while the national average rose 9.1%.
New York’s price was down 2.3% from May 2025, in contrast with a 3.1% increase nationally.
Since 2019, however, the average residential natural gas price has risen 62.5% in New York, compared with 55.4% nationwide.
The report found that New York natural gas prices have generally followed national movements over time, including strong seasonal swings, while usually remaining modestly higher.
The May difference amounted to $2.91 per thousand cubic feet.
Electricity presents the larger affordability problem
The report’s central finding is that New York households faced above-average costs for both major residential energy sources, but the electricity premium was more than four times larger on a percentage basis.
Electricity was 62.3% more expensive than the national average, compared with a 14.7% difference for natural gas.
The divergence also widened in May because New York electricity prices increased while the national average declined.
That trend comes as households are being encouraged or required to rely more heavily on electricity for heating, transportation and appliances. The Empire Center report did not analyze the causes of New York’s prices or calculate the effect on individual utility bills.
Actual household costs vary based on electricity use, utility service territory, supply charges, delivery rates, taxes, fees and participation in assistance or budget-billing programs.
The average figures also do not represent a single retail tariff available to every customer.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration calculates the electricity price by dividing residential utility revenue by the amount of electricity sold. Natural gas prices are calculated through a similar comparison of reported revenue and sales volume.
The figures are therefore estimates of average revenue per unit of energy, rather than the exact rate appearing on a particular customer’s bill.
Even with that limitation, the comparison shows New York continuing to separate from most of the country on residential electricity costs — and doing so at a faster pace than the national market.
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