Solar Cost and Electricity Rate by State — 2026

Overview

Your state determines three of the four largest inputs to a solar estimate: what grid power costs, how much sun the roof receives, and what the utility pays for exports. The fourth — installed $/W — comes from your installer. This table lists all 50 states and DC with EIA's August 2026 residential rates verbatim, our installed-cost benchmark and its provenance, the NREL solar-resource band applied, and the export regime we could verify. Rates are preliminary EIA estimates for 2026; they are not your utility tariff.

How to read the cost column

For twelve states we carry EnergySage's September 2026 marketplace state averages. For every other state we apply a 2.80 $/W national modeling benchmark, bracketed by the 2026 EnergySage national average of roughly $2.60/W and LBNL's 2025 install-year cash-purchase median of about $3.00/W. We label these rows rather than presenting them as measured state prices. A real quote can differ by a dollar per watt.

Why rate and cost can point in opposite directions

Hawaii has the highest residential rate in the table at 47.18 ¢/kWh and one of the highest installed costs at $3.43/W. California combines a 29.75 ¢ rate with a low $2.52/W marketplace benchmark but a low export credit. Louisiana has the lowest rate at 12.87 ¢ and no verified statewide credit. High rate is good for payback; low export credit is bad; cheap hardware helps. Only a full model combines them.

Where the numbers come from

Electricity rates: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, August 2026 residential column (U.S. total 18.16 ¢/kWh, released October 23, 2026). Note that Table 5.6.B is a year-to-date series (U.S. 18.19) and must not be mixed with 5.6.A. Installed cost: EnergySage September 2026 state marketplace averages and the LBNL Tracking the Sun 2026 data update (covering installations through 2025). Solar resource: NREL NSRDB state-level climatology bands.

What the table cannot tell you

Your utility's export rate, your roof's shade, your household's load profile, your tax liability, and the incentives your specific utility offers. Use the table to choose a starting point, then open your state page and replace every default with a real number.

Key figures worth keeping

• 51 — states and DC covered, with EIA August 2026 rates reproduced verbatim.
• 18.16 cents/kWh — the U.S. residential total in that release.
• 12 — states with verified EnergySage September 2026 marketplace $/W averages.
• $2.80/W — the labeled national modeling benchmark used everywhere else.
• $2.60/W and $3.00/W — the two published bounds that bracket that benchmark.

How this shows up in a real estimate

A common mistake is to treat the rate column as a ranking of solar economics. It is not. California's 29.75-cent rate is attractive until you apply a roughly 4-cent export credit; Louisiana's 12.87-cent rate is unattractive even with cheap hardware; Hawaii's 47.18-cent rate is paired with the highest installed cost in our table at $3.43/W. The state page runs all of them through the same cash-flow model, which is the only way to see the combined effect. Use this table to pick a starting point, not a conclusion.

Checklist before you decide

• Check whether a $/W value is marked as a benchmark rather than a measured state price.
• Use Table 5.6.A for single-month rates; do not mix in 5.6.B year-to-date figures.
• Replace every default with your own bill, quote and tariff.
• Confirm the export regime with your utility before comparing states.
• Note that 2026 EIA values are flagged preliminary.