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Electricity Rates in Maryland (MD)
Residential electricity in Maryland averages 21.40¢ per kWh as of August 2026 — 17.8% above the US average of 18.17¢. That ranks Maryland #37 of the 50 states and DC, cheapest to most expensive.
- Average rate
- 21.40¢per kWh, August 2026
- Average electric bill
- $20212-month average, 955 kWh/month
- Year over year
- +7.6% vs August 2025
- National rank
- #37of 51, cheapest first
Five-year price trend
Monthly residential retail price, cents per kWh. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, retail sales of electricity. Last updated August 2026.
Rates by sector in Maryland
| Sector | Price (¢/kWh) | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | 21.40 | Homes and apartments |
| Commercial | 17.00 | Offices, shops, schools |
| Industrial | 12.19 | Factories and heavy manufacturing |
Residential customers in Maryland pay about 26% more per kWh than commercial customers. That gap is normal: delivering power to many small homes costs more per unit than serving a few large sites.
What is the average electric bill in Maryland?
About $202 a month. That is the twelve months to August 2026, calculated the way EIA calculates it: total residential revenue divided by the number of residential customers. A Maryland household uses an average of 955 kWh a month — 9% more than the national average of 875 kWh, at an average rate over those twelve months of 21.18¢ per kWh.
Usage matters as much as price here, which is why a cheap state can still have a high bill. At the national average of 875 kWh a month, that same twelve-month rate would produce a bill of about $185. That second figure is the one to use when comparing states, because it holds usage constant and lets the rate alone show through.
Against your own usage, at 21.18¢ per kWh — the twelve-month rate, the same basis as the bill above:
| Monthly usage | Estimated cost | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| 400 kWh | $84.72 | Small apartment |
| 700 kWh | $148.26 | Two-bedroom home |
| 1,000 kWh | $211.80 | Family home |
| 1,500 kWh | $317.70 | Large or all-electric home |
| 2,000 kWh | $423.60 | Large home with electric heat |
States with similar rates
| State | ¢/kWh | vs Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 19.32 | -2.08¢ |
| Ohio | 19.38 | -2.02¢ |
| Wisconsin | 19.41 | -1.99¢ |
| Pennsylvania | 21.77 | +0.37¢ |
| Michigan | 22.99 | +1.59¢ |
| Vermont | 23.84 | +2.44¢ |
Maryland compared with the rest of the South
Of the 17 jurisdictions in the South, 15 are cheaper than Maryland. Regional comparisons tend to be fairer than national ones: states in the same region share climate, heating fuels and often the same wholesale power market.
| South | ¢/kWh | vs Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 12.87 | -8.53¢ |
| Tennessee | 13.42 | -7.98¢ |
| Kentucky | 13.80 | -7.60¢ |
| Arkansas | 14.37 | -7.03¢ |
| Mississippi | 14.43 | -6.97¢ |
| Oklahoma | 14.82 | -6.58¢ |
| North Carolina | 14.95 | -6.45¢ |
| Florida | 14.99 | -6.41¢ |
| South Carolina | 15.76 | -5.64¢ |
| Georgia | 15.90 | -5.50¢ |
| Texas | 15.91 | -5.49¢ |
| West Virginia | 16.31 | -5.09¢ |
| Alabama | 16.33 | -5.07¢ |
| Virginia | 17.64 | -3.76¢ |
| Delaware | 18.70 | -2.70¢ |
| District of Columbia | 25.98 | +4.58¢ |
Common questions
What is the average electricity rate in Maryland (MD)?
21.40 cents per kWh for residential customers as of August 2026. This is a state-wide average across every utility in Maryland, so your own rate will differ depending on your provider and rate plan.
Is electricity expensive in Maryland?
Yes, by national standards. Maryland’s rate is 17.8% above the national average of 18.17¢ per kWh, ranking #37 of the 50 states and DC from cheapest to most expensive. The bill depends on usage as much as the rate, though — see the average bill above.
Why is my bill different from the figures on this page?
Delivery, capacity riders and the fixed monthly customer charge are already inside these numbers — EIA divides total utility revenue by total sales, so everything the utility collects is spread across every kWh. What the state-wide average cannot capture is your own situation. Using well below Maryland’s average raises your effective rate, because the fixed charge is divided over fewer kilowatt-hours; tiered rate plans charge more per kWh above a usage threshold; rates vary between utilities within the state; and state or local sales taxes are generally not counted as utility revenue, so they are added on top.
How often is this page updated?
The EIA publishes retail electricity data monthly, on roughly a two-month lag, and revises recent months as utilities report. This page re-reads that feed every day, so it reflects the newest published figure for Maryland — currently August 2026.
Can I choose a cheaper electricity supplier in Maryland?
Yes. Maryland has a deregulated retail market, so you can switch the supply portion of your bill to a competing retailer while your existing utility continues to handle delivery and billing. Only the supply charge changes; delivery is not something you can shop for. How deregulation affects what you actually pay →
Estimate your own cost
Electricity guides
- Does Cold Weather Increase EV Charging Costs?
- How Much Does It Cost to Run an Electric Water Heater?
- How Much Does a Space Heater Cost to Run?
- Why Cheap Electricity Doesn't Mean a Cheap Bill
- What Uses the Most Electricity in a Home?
- Which US States Have Deregulated Electricity?
Download the data
Every month this page draws on, as a CSV — residential, commercial and industrial, from January 2001 to August 2026, with price, revenue, sales and customer counts in each row. Free to use and republish; it is US government data. If you publish anything based on it, please credit KilowattHQ with a link to this page.