Happy National Energy Awareness Month!
With 16% of U.S. electricity generation expected to come from solar and wind power in 2023, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s Most & Least Energy-Efficient States, as well as expert commentary.
To gauge the financial impact of doing more with less energy – the average American household spends at least $2,000 per year on utilities and another $3,120 on motor fuel and oil – WalletHub compared the auto- and home-energy efficiency in 48 U.S. states. Due to data limitations, Alaska and Hawaii were excluded from our analysis.
According to the report, South Carolina ranks dead last and North Carolina came in more toward the middle of the list at #36.
Most & Least Energy-Efficient States
| Overall Rank* | State | Total Score | Home Energy Efficiency | Auto Energy Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah | 87.58 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 85.86 | 8 | 1 |
| 3 | Vermont | 85.06 | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | New York | 82.93 | 4 | 10 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | 81.46 | 7 | 4 |
| 6 | Minnesota | 81.27 | 2 | 21 |
| 7 | California | 80.98 | 10 | 3 |
| 8 | Colorado | 79.50 | 5 | 14 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | 77.16 | 6 | 17 |
| 10 | Washington | 72.69 | 17 | 8 |
| 11 | New Jersey | 71.08 | 19 | 12 |
| 12 | Illinois | 70.96 | 18 | 13 |
| 13 | Connecticut | 70.96 | 20 | 11 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | 70.57 | 11 | 31 |
| 15 | Maine | 70.16 | 14 | 28 |
| 16 | Maryland | 69.57 | 27 | 5 |
| 17 | Nevada | 69.50 | 15 | 24 |
| 18 | Michigan | 69.02 | 22 | 18 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | 68.23 | 24 | 19 |
| 20 | Oregon | 67.17 | 26 | 22 |
| 21 | Ohio | 64.22 | 29 | 20 |
| 22 | Florida | 62.07 | 35 | 2 |
| 23 | Arizona | 61.90 | 31 | 16 |
| 24 | Idaho | 61.36 | 16 | 36 |
| 25 | Iowa | 61.01 | 12 | 44 |
| 26 | Kansas | 60.60 | 30 | 26 |
| 27 | South Dakota | 58.26 | 9 | 46 |
| 28 | Indiana | 57.47 | 32 | 30 |
| 29 | Delaware | 56.63 | 34 | 23 |
| 30 | Montana | 56.28 | 23 | 42 |
| 31 | North Dakota | 56.20 | 13 | 47 |
| 32 | New Mexico | 54.69 | 25 | 43 |
| 33 | Nebraska | 53.81 | 28 | 40 |
| 34 | Virginia | 52.22 | 33 | 32 |
| 35 | Missouri | 50.48 | 37 | 29 |
| 36 | North Carolina | 48.76 | 41 | 15 |
| 37 | Kentucky | 44.99 | 38 | 33 |
| 38 | Georgia | 44.46 | 46 | 9 |
| 39 | Wyoming | 44.26 | 21 | 48 |
| 40 | Texas | 43.27 | 36 | 41 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | 41.00 | 39 | 37 |
| 42 | Tennessee | 39.65 | 45 | 27 |
| 43 | Louisiana | 39.63 | 47 | 25 |
| 44 | Arkansas | 39.57 | 42 | 34 |
| 45 | Mississippi | 37.36 | 40 | 39 |
| 46 | Alabama | 34.37 | 44 | 35 |
| 47 | West Virginia | 31.03 | 43 | 45 |
| 48 | South Carolina | 24.24 | 48 | 38 |
| N/A** | Alaska | |||
| N/A** | Hawaii |
Notes: *No. 1 = Most Energy-Efficient