California Energy Price Data for April 2021

The April average price per gallon of regular gasoline in California rose 13 cents from March to $3.99. The California premium above the average for the US other than California ($2.80) rose to $1.19, a 42.4% difference.

In April, California remained at the highest gasoline price among the states and DC. Californians paid $1.42 a gallon more than consumers in Mississippi, the state with the lowest price.

The April average price per gallon of diesel in California rose 5 cents from March to $4.06. The California premium above the average for the US other than California ($3.01) rose to $1.05, a 34.8% difference.

In April, California prices rose to the highest cost for diesel among the states and DC.

The cost premium above the US (other than California) average price for regular gasoline ranged from $1.07 in the Central Valley Region (average April price of $3.87), to $1.26 in Central Sierra Region (average April price of $4.06).

California average Residential Price for the 12 months ended February 2021 was 20.70 cents/kWh, 62.9% higher than the US average of 12.71 cents/kWh for all states other than California. California’s residential prices remained the 6th highest in the nation.

For the 12 months ended February 2021, the average annual Residential electricity bill in California was $1,427, or 43.6% higher ($433) than the comparable bill in 2010 (the year the AB 32 implementation began with the Early Action items). In this same period, the average US (less CA) electricity bill for all the other states grew only 5.3% ($73).

Residential bills, however, vary widely by region, with the estimated annual household usage in 2018 as much as 59% higher in the interior regions compared to the milder climate coastal areas.

For the 12 months ended February 2021, California’s higher electricity prices translated into Residential ratepayers paying $7.6 billion more than the average ratepayer elsewhere in the US using the same amount of energy.

California average Commercial Price for the 12 months ended February 2021 was 17.96 cents/kWh, 77.1% higher than the US average of 10.14 cents/kWh for all states other than California. California’s commercial prices remained the 3rd highest in the nation and the highest among the contiguous states.

California average Industrial Price for the 12 months ended February 2021 was 14.61 cents/kWh, 128.6% higher than the US average of 6.39 cents/kWh for all states other than California. California’s industrial prices remained the 4th highest in the nation. Among the contiguous states, only Rhode Island was higher.

For the 12 months ended February 2021, California’s higher electricity prices translated into Commercial & Industrial ratepayers paying $11.9 billion more than ratepayers elsewhere in the US using the same amount of energy.