Florida electricity prices rise 27.6% but trail the national increase

Across Central Florida, the July power bill arrived after weeks of air conditioners humming from morning to midnight. Statewide, Florida households paid an average of 15.0 cents per kWh for electricity in July 2026, up from 11.8 cents per kWh in July 2021.

That works out to a rise of 27.6%. It is a real squeeze on household budgets, but Florida's price grew more slowly than the nation's. The U.S. residential price rose 32.4% over the same stretch, so Florida's increase trailed the national one by 4.8 percentage points.

The price per kilowatt-hour is the cost of each unit of power a home uses. In a Central Florida summer, when cooling runs nearly nonstop, a higher rate is multiplied across a lot more usage. That is why this number matters most right now.

Florida climbed, the U.S. climbed faster

Nationally, the average residential price went from 13.8 cents per kWh in July 2021 to 18.3 cents per kWh in July 2026. Measured in cents, Florida's price rose 3.3 cents per kWh while the U.S. price rose 4.5 cents per kWh.

So Florida started cheaper than the national average and stayed cheaper. Its price grew more slowly both in percentage terms and in actual cents added to each kilowatt-hour.

The most recent year shows the split most clearly. From July 2025 to July 2026, Florida's residential price fell 0.5%, while the U.S. price rose 4.9%.

In other words, Florida's price was essentially flat over the past year as the national price kept moving up. The price figures show that the paths diverged. They do not explain why.

A wider gap in Florida's favor

Another way to see the trend is to subtract the U.S. price from Florida's. In July 2021, that difference was -2.1 cents per kWh. By July 2026, it was -3.3 cents per kWh.

A negative number here means Florida's price was below the national price. The larger negative figure in 2026 means the gap widened: Florida households are paying less per kilowatt-hour, relative to the rest of the country, than they were in 2021.

The national picture has drawn attention well beyond Florida. A U.S. Chamber of Commerce analysis found that Americans are paying substantially more for electricity than they were not long ago (U.S. Chamber of Commerce). That analysis used its own time frame and methods, so its figure is not directly comparable to the July-to-July numbers in this report.

Why do states move at different speeds? Speaking about states in general, not Florida in particular, the Chamber said the difference comes down to the policy choices a state has made, the energy infrastructure it has built and its access to fuels (U.S. Chamber of Commerce).

The data used here does not say which of those factors, if any, explains Florida's slower climb or its flat past year. Answering that would take information about individual utilities, fuel costs and rate decisions that this price data does not include.

What it means for Central Floridians

These are statewide averages. A household in Orange, Seminole, Osceola or Lake County pays the rate set by its own utility and plan, which may sit above or below the Florida average.

The price per kilowatt-hour is also not the same as the bill. A bigger home, an older air conditioner or a hotter month can push a bill up even when the rate holds steady. A household that used more power this July than last could see a higher bill despite Florida's flat price.

There is no metro-level comparison in this data. It reports prices by state, so it cannot tell us how the Orlando area compares with peer metros such as Charlotte, Austin, San Antonio or Las Vegas. Tampa-St. Petersburg shares the same statewide Florida figure.

Still, the broad comparison is clear. From July 2021 to July 2026, Florida's residential price rose a lot, but the national price rose more, and Florida's edge over the U.S. average grew.

Here is what to watch in the months ahead:

• New monthly price data for August and September 2026, when Central Florida cooling demand typically stays high.
• Whether Florida's flat year holds, or whether the national rise of 4.9% over the past year starts showing up in Florida prices.
• Revisions to recent months, since the latest monthly figures can change as more utility data comes in.
• Rate decisions by individual utilities, which shape what Central Florida households actually pay but are not captured in a statewide average.

How we did this

We used the monthly average residential electricity price for Florida and for the U.S. as a whole. We compared July 2021 with July 2026, and July 2025 with July 2026, using the same month each time to avoid seasonal swings. We measured change both in percent and in cents per kilowatt-hour, and tracked the difference between Florida's price and the national price.

Kilowatt-hour (kWh): The unit of electricity on a power bill. Running a device that draws a kilowatt of power for an hour uses a kilowatt-hour. Average residential price: The average price per kilowatt-hour paid by home customers across a state or the nation. It can differ from the rate printed on any single bill. Percentage points: The simple difference between a pair of percentages, found by subtracting the smaller from the larger. Florida's increase trailed the U.S. increase by 4.8 percentage points.

Limitations

• The most recent monthly figures may be revised as more utility reports come in, so the July 2026 numbers could shift slightly.
• These are statewide averages. They do not show the rate any particular Central Florida utility charges or what a specific household pays.
• The price per kilowatt-hour is not the monthly bill. Bills also depend on how much electricity a home uses, which rises sharply in summer.
• The data shows how prices changed, not why. It does not identify the causes of Florida's slower increase or its flat past year.
• The data reports prices by state, so it cannot compare the Orlando area with peer metros in other states.
• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce figure cited in this report comes from a separate analysis with its own time frame and is not directly comparable to these numbers.

Sources

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