How much did 1,000 kWh of home electricity (about a month's use) cost?
1,000 kWh of home electricity (about a month's use) cost $60.00 in 1980 and $185 in 2025: about 3.1 times as much.
Over the same years, prices in general (US inflation, measured by the consumer price index, CPI) rose about 3.9 times. That makes $60.00 in 1980 worth about $234 in 2025 money. So, after inflation, it is cheaper than in 1980: about 21% less in real terms.
The biggest change between two listed years came between 2010 and 2025, when it went up 45%, from $128 to $185.
Electricity: price by year
| Year | Price | In 2025 dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | $60.00 | $234 |
| 1990 | $84.00 | $207 |
| 1995 | $94.00 | $199 |
| 2000 | $87.00 | $163 |
| 2005 | $100 | $165 |
| 2010 | $128 | $189 |
| 2025 | $185 | $185 |
"In 2025 dollars" adjusts each amount for inflation with the CPI, so the years can be compared fairly. How this works.
Where the numbers come from
This is the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) average price for the whole country ("US city average"), collected every month from stores. Each year shown is the average of that year's 12 monthly prices. BLS collected no food or electricity prices in October 2025 (during the federal government shutdown), so a 2025 figure averages the months that were published.
Source: BLS average price, electricity per kWh (APU000072610), times 1,000. View the source.
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