New York home electricity prices outpace overall market in June, up 50.5%

New York households start this heating season paying far more for electricity than they did in 2021. The average statewide residential price rose 54.9% between January 2021 and January 2026, according to monthly retail price data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

That climb took the price from 18.3 cents per kWh to 28.4 cents per kWh, a rise of 10.1 cents per kWh. At those prices, every megawatt-hour of power a household uses now costs $101 more than it did in January 2021.

Homes that lean on electric heat or space heaters will feel that difference most in the coldest months, when usage climbs. The higher the usage, the more the per-unit increase adds up on a monthly bill.

The figures are statewide averages. They blend what customers pay across every utility in New York, so no individual bill in the city will match them exactly.

Did households take a bigger hit than everyone else? Not in the winter comparison. The all-sector average, which combines what homes, businesses and industry pay, rose 60.9% over the same January-to-January stretch.

That means residential prices trailed the overall pace by 5.9 percentage points. In January 2026, the all-sector average stood at 23.7 cents per kWh, still well below the residential price.

Which month you pick changes the answer

The summer numbers tell a different story. From June 2021 to June 2026, residential prices rose 50.5%, while the all-sector average rose 44.7%.

In that comparison, households outran the overall average by 5.7 percentage points. In June 2026, the residential price stood at 29.5 cents per kWh, compared with 24.2 cents per kWh for all sectors.

The chart below plots both prices month by month since 2021. In both January 2026 and June 2026, households paid more per kilowatt-hour than the overall average.

Electricity prices move up and down through the year. Comparing the same calendar month across years removes that seasonal swing and shows the rise like for like.

Percentages can also hide the size of the increase in cents. From January 2021 to January 2026, the residential price rose 10.1 cents per kWh, while the all-sector price rose 9.0 cents per kWh.

Households saw the bigger jump in cents. Residential prices started from a higher base, so that larger jump shows up as a smaller percentage.

More increases already on the books

The federal data show what changed, not why. But for many city households, the next round of increases is already set.

Average bills for electricity customers will go up this year, again in 2027 and again in 2028, Gothamist reported (Gothamist). For New York City residents, the plan adds a monthly increase this year (Gothamist).

Con Edison's original request would have pushed electricity bills up much more sharply (Gothamist). Gov. Kathy Hochul directed the Department of Public Service to reject that initial request (Gothamist).

Con Ed said the revised increases are in keeping with the rate of inflation (Gothamist).

Many customers already behind

Higher prices land on households that are already stretched. Con Ed bills have risen since 2022, according to an analysis cited by Gothamist (Gothamist).

According to AARP, a very large number of Con Ed ratepayers received notices last year that their power would be cut off for lack of payment (Gothamist). A notice is a warning, not a shutoff, and the price data cannot say how many households fell behind.

For families budgeting for winter, the takeaway is mixed. Residential prices did not outrun the all-sector average in the January comparison, but they did in June, and households still pay more per kilowatt-hour than the overall average.

What to watch: the Energy Information Administration's monthly releases for this fall and winter will show whether the summer gap holds into the cold months. Con Edison customers should also expect the scheduled increases in 2027 and 2028 to stack on top of today's prices.

How we did this

We used the U.S. Energy Information Administration's monthly average retail electricity prices for New York State, comparing the residential price with the all-sector average. To avoid seasonal swings, we compared the same calendar month across years: January 2021 to January 2026, when residential prices rose 54.9%, and June 2021 to June 2026, when they rose 50.5%. We also measured the change in cents per kilowatt-hour and the extra cost per megawatt-hour at January 2026 prices.

Cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh): the average price paid for each unit of electricity, the same unit shown on a household bill. All-sector average: the average price paid by all customer types combined, including homes, businesses and industry. Percentage points: the simple gap between one percentage change and another, not a percent of a percent. Megawatt-hour: a larger unit of electricity made up of many kilowatt-hours, used here to show the cost difference over a big block of usage.

Limitations

• The prices are statewide averages across all utilities, so they will not match any particular household's bill or any particular utility's rates.
• The Energy Information Administration often revises its most recent monthly figures, so the latest months may change.
• Average retail prices are calculated from utility revenue and sales; they do not show how much electricity a given household uses or what its total bill will be.
• The results depend on which month is compared: residential prices trailed the all-sector average from January to January but outpaced it from June to June.
• The data show how much prices changed, not why. Explanations in this story come from news reports and officials, not from the price data.

Sources

• U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA): EIA electricity/retail-sales (monthly): price for stateid=NY, sectorid=RES, latest period July 2026; retrieved Oct. 12, 2026. Data
• U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA): EIA electricity/retail-sales (monthly): price for stateid=NY, sectorid=ALL, latest period July 2026; retrieved Oct. 12, 2026. Data