Planned capacity
planned facility power, all published states33.7 GW
EIA data, Rank.ai analysis
Cheapest industrial power for data centers
The lowest statewide average industrial electricity rate in the U.S., the benchmark power price for siting AI data centers.
industrial retail rate, lowest-cost state5.08¢ / kWh+0.92¢/kWhin New Mexico
Behind the number
The full field
- New Mexico5.08¢
- Louisiana6.10¢
- Tennessee6.92¢
- Texas7.21¢
- Kentucky7.37¢
- Washington7.43¢
- Mississippi7.57¢
- Arkansas7.85¢
- South Carolina7.88¢
- Montana7.97¢
- Alabama8.11¢
- North Dakota8.12¢
The board in rank order. The headline number is the top-ranked row, highlighted. Showing the top 12 of 51 ranked entries.
| Rank | Entry | industrial retail rate, lowest-cost state |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | 5.08¢ / kWh |
| 2 | Louisiana | 6.10¢ / kWh |
| 3 | Tennessee | 6.92¢ / kWh |
| 4 | Texas | 7.21¢ / kWh |
| 5 | Kentucky | 7.37¢ / kWh |
| 6 | Washington | 7.43¢ / kWh |
| 7 | Mississippi | 7.57¢ / kWh |
| 8 | Arkansas | 7.85¢ / kWh |
| 9 | South Carolina | 7.88¢ / kWh |
| 10 | Montana | 7.97¢ / kWh |
| 11 | Alabama | 8.11¢ / kWh |
| 12 | North Dakota | 8.12¢ / kWh |
Over time
How the number has moved
View chart data
| As of | industrial retail rate, lowest-cost state |
|---|---|
| Aug 31, 23:59 UTC | 5.08¢ / kWh |
| Jul 31, 23:59 UTC | 4.16¢ / kWh |
| Jun 30, 23:59 UTC | 4.62¢ / kWh |
| May 31, 23:59 UTC | 4.45¢ / kWh |
EIA data, Rank.ai analysis
About this metric
Electricity is the largest recurring input cost of an AI data center, and industrial retail rates vary several-fold between U.S. states. This chart tracks the floor: the cheapest statewide average industrial rate in the country, along with which state currently holds it.
Rates are monthly statewide average retail prices to ultimate industrial customers as reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in cents per kilowatt-hour. A statewide industrial average is not a negotiated data-center tariff, but it is the consistent public benchmark siting teams start from, published on the same basis for all fifty states.
A few tenths of a cent per kilowatt-hour compounds into tens of millions of dollars a year at gigawatt scale. Read this line against the planned-capacity chart to see whether announcements follow cheap power.
Charts
Related charts
See how often AI names you.
Enter your website. In about two minutes, Rank.ai asks ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini 12 questions your customers ask and grades how often they name you.
- Your grade out of 100How often AI names you, cites your site, and how high it ranks you.
- Who gets namedEvery competitor in the answers, most named first.
- The pages AI readsThe sources behind each answer.
- Three fixesWhat to fix first, with a brief for the first article.