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This visualization draws from two different data sources, both created by the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The first data source is the Form EIA-861 (and EIA-861S, the shortform for smaller utilities). These forms collect data from distribution utilities and power marketers of electricity, including information on number of customers, total MWh sales, and revenue. For this visualization, average price of electricity is calculated using the sales and revenue data from EIA.
The second data source is the EIA U.S. Energy Atlas “Electric Retail Service Territories” map, which represents electric power retail service territories for investor-owned utilities (IOUs), municipal utilities and public utility districts (PUDs), and cooperative utilities. These are areas serviced by electric power utilities responsible for the retail sale of electric power to local customers—whether commercial, industrial, or residential.
Across all customer types (commercial, industrial, residential) and utilities, the average price of electricity in the Northwest is $0.10/kWh. Based on available 2023 data from the EIA-861 form, which does not include some smaller utilities, average residential prices are among the lowest in the country and range from $0.11/kWh in Idaho and Washington to $0.13/kWh in Montana and Oregon.
Learn more about Northwest electric utilities in this blog, which also details some known discrepancies in the EIA Electric Retail Service Territories map used for this visualization.
On the map, hover your mouse to see exact data and click on a utility territory to filter the bar chart below. Filter the map by state or utility type using the dropdown menus on the right. Type a utility name in the text box to show it on the map.
By default, the bar charts rank utilities by number of customers. Switch the view to rank them by Utility Name, Total Sales, or Average Price by selecting the bar chart icon next to each category name.
Click on the "reset" button (third from the left in the bottom right-hand toolbar) to return to the original view. To learn more about interacting with the visualizations, visit Tableau Tips.
