Consumer Expenditure Survey · BLS CE 2024
Electricity spending
U.S. households spent $1,833/yr on electricity in 2024 - 2.3% of the average budget . Up 4% vs 2023 ; the top income quintile outspends the bottom by 1.9×. Figures from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey.
- 2024 avg
- $1,833
- Budget share
- 2.3%
- vs 2023
- +4.0%
CES spend plate
Line ELECTRICITY · Electricity $1,833 · 2.3%
SHARE-THIN · QUINT-FLAT · YOY-UP · REAL-INLINE · REGION-SOUTH · BOOK-MID
- SHARE-THIN 2.3% of budget
- QUINT-FLAT 1.9× Q5/Q1
- YOY-UP +4.0% YoY
- REAL-INLINE Near CPI
- REGION-SOUTH South leads
- BOOK-MID #30/99 dollars
Nearest dollar peer: Telephone services ($-373)
Instrument codes from this line’s budget share, income-quintile gap, YoY move, real change vs ~21% CPI-U (2020-2024), regional lead, and corpus book size, not a budgeting recommendation.
Spend neighbourhood around Electricity
Lowest and highest poles plus nearest dollar peers among sibling lines, not a full-board reprint. Figures from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey.
Dollar neighbourhood · Electricity
Average annual spending · 2024 · poles + near peers
this line
Spending Trend (2020–2024)
Electricity spending per household, 2020–2024
National average annual spending
| Year | Annual Amount |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,833 |
| 2023 | $1,763 |
| 2022 | $1,683 |
| 2021 | $1,551 |
| 2020 | $1,516 |
Income stretch on a large electricity line
A large CES line: top-quintile households spend $2,376/yr here vs $1,276 at the bottom (1.9×).
| Income Group | Annual Amount |
|---|---|
| Lowest 20% | $1,276 |
| Second 20% | $1,674 |
| Middle 20% | $1,813 |
| Fourth 20% | $2,023 |
| Highest 20% | $2,376 |
South leads electricity geographically
South leads at $2,042/yr among the bigger CES categories.
Lifecycle peak · 45–54
45–54 heads spend the most on this line at $2,158/yr - a lifecycle peak on a large budget share.
Frequently Asked Questions (show 6)
How much does the average household spend on electricity? ▼
Is electricity spending increasing? ▼
How does income affect electricity spending? ▼
Which region spends the most on electricity? ▼
Which age group spends the most on electricity? ▼
Does household size affect electricity spending? ▼
Other large CES lines near electricity
Dollar-amount and budget-share neighbours from BLS CE 2024 (this category excluded).
Similar dollar amount
Nearest other categories by 2024 average annual spending ($1,833 here).
| Category | 2024 avg |
|---|---|
| Household operations | $1,921 |
| Vehicle insurance | $1,993 |
| Apparel and services | $2,001 |
| Education | $1,569 |
| Telephone services | $1,460 |
| Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs | $1,414 |
| Cash contributions | $2,292 |
| Other household expenses | $1,374 |
Similar budget share
Nearest other categories by share of the household budget (2.3% here).
| Category | Budget share |
|---|---|
| Household operations | 2.4% |
| Apparel and services | 2.5% |
| Vehicle insurance | 2.5% |
| Education | 2.0% |
| Telephone services | 1.9% |
| Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs | 1.8% |
| Cellular phone service | 1.7% |
| Other household expenses | 1.7% |
Average household budget · Methodology · BLS CEX source
Informational only - not advice. See disclaimer.