There are many who question how we can better save electricity through renewable methods, decreased consumption, or any other strategy to keep costs down. However, who the top energy-draining culprit is among the United States is often up for debate, as there is a size vs. energy efficiency debate. We’ve compiled a list of the U.S. states and cities that use the most electricity.
Among states, a surprising leader in energy consumption per 2017 U.S. Energy Information Administration gives way to more usual suspects. Notably, the highest total energy consumption does not necessarily equal the highest energy bill per capita.
- Louisiana (960 million Btu per capita; $6,860 per capita annually)
- Wyoming (885 million Btu per capita; $7,672 per capita annually)
- North Dakota (836 million Btu per capita; $7,087 per capita annually)
- Alaska (822 million Btu per capita; $6,911 per capita annually)
- Iowa (496 million Btu per capita; $4,418 per capita annually)
- Texas (472 million Btu per capita; $4,540 per capita annually)
- Nebraska (457 million Btu per capita; $4,299 per capita annually)
- South Dakota (441 million Btu per capita; $4,393 per capita annually)
- Oklahoma (418 million Btu per capita; $3,969 per capita annually)
- West Virginia (416 million Btu per capita; $4,111 per capita annually)
- Indiana (406 million Btu per capita; $4,069 per capita annually)
- Montana (399 million Btu per capita; $4,347 per capita annually)
- Mississippi (394 million Btu per capita; $4,396 per capita annually)
- Alabama (390 million Btu per capita; $4,192 per capita annually)
- Kentucky (372 million Btu per capita; $3,893 per capita annually)
- Kansas (369 million Btu per capita; $3,841 per capita annually)
- Arkansas (352 million Btu per capita; $3,765 per capita annually)
- Minnesota (329 million Btu per capita; $3,604 per capita annually)
- South Carolina (327 million Btu per capita; $3,776 per capita annually)
- New Mexico (327 million Btu per capita; $3,520 per capita annually)
For many of these states, geographical size does not necessarily indicate the amount of energy consumption. The largest exception to the rule is the state of Texas, which is the largest energy consumer overall but still falls short on the per capita measurement. For many states, such as Louisiana, residential and commercial energy consumption is dwarfed by industrial consumption which clocks in at almost 70% of energy consumption in the state. Similarly, the rest of the top five top energy consuming states have high energy consumption due to a robust industrial sector. Industry often refers to manufacturing but in the case of some of these states, can also refer to energy production facilities which may not directly put energy back into the local power grid, such as an oil refinery.
Cities provide an even more interesting window into energy where warmer climates dominate. In 2019, the following cities were the top energy users in the United States.
- Phoenix, Arizona
- San Antonio, Texas
- Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
- Tampa, Florida
- Austin, Texas
- Palm Bay-Melbourne, Florida
- Houston, Texas
- Miami, Florida
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Columbus, Ohio
- Kansas City, Kansas
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Orlando, Florida
Whether the culprit is a climate which requires a more active air conditioning system or a lack of energy efficient appliances or education, there seems to be an overall trend in energy use based on the location of the city. No matter where you stand on energy use, energy efficiency, or alternative energy, you can see that this data demonstrates that size does not always determine amount of use.