How much electricity does a clothes dryer use?
In U.S. homes that have one, a clothes dryer uses about 680 kWh a year, or 57 kWh a month. At the 2025 average residential price of 17.2¢ per kWh that is $117 a year or $9.76 a month. These are EIA estimates from its Residential Energy Consumption Survey of homes and their utility bills, not a manufacturer's label.
What decides the number
Homes with an electric dryer used 680 kWh a year to dry laundry. The number of people in the home matters most: one-person homes used 391 kWh, homes with five members 1,060 kWh. Full loads, a clean lint filter and a moisture sensor instead of a fixed timer reduce the run time.
Clothes Dryer electricity use by home
By household size
| Household size | kWh / year | Cost / year at 17.2¢ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 member | 391 | $67 |
| 2 members | 620 | $107 |
| 3 members | 809 | $139 |
| 4 members | 943 | $162 |
| 5 members | 1,060 | $183 |
| 6 or more members | 1,231 | $212 |
By type of home
| Type of home | kWh / year | Cost / year at 17.2¢ |
|---|---|---|
| Single-family detached | 725 | $125 |
| Single-family attached | 555 | $96 |
| Apartments in buildings with 2–4 units | 554 | $95 |
| Apartments in buildings with 5 or more units | 497 | $86 |
| Mobile homes | 758 | $131 |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), Tables CE5.3a/CE5.3b, average site electricity consumption per household using the end use (revised March 2024).
Cost to run a clothes dryer in every state
| State | ¢/kWh | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 40.4 | $22.89 | $274.72 |
| California | 31.4 | $17.77 | $213.18 |
| Massachusetts | 30.4 | $17.23 | $206.79 |
| Rhode Island | 29.5 | $16.71 | $200.46 |
| Connecticut | 29.3 | $16.61 | $199.31 |
| Maine | 27.7 | $15.69 | $188.29 |
| New York | 26.4 | $14.95 | $179.45 |
| Alaska | 26.1 | $14.80 | $177.55 |
| New Hampshire | 24.5 | $13.90 | $166.80 |
| Vermont | 22.8 | $12.91 | $154.97 |
| New Jersey | 22.5 | $12.74 | $152.86 |
| District of Columbia | 21.9 | $12.42 | $149.06 |
| Michigan | 20.0 | $11.35 | $136.20 |
| Maryland | 19.5 | $11.07 | $132.80 |
| Pennsylvania | 19.3 | $10.93 | $131.17 |
| Wisconsin | 18.1 | $10.25 | $122.94 |
| Illinois | 17.7 | $10.01 | $120.16 |
| Delaware | 17.1 | $9.72 | $116.62 |
| Ohio | 16.9 | $9.58 | $114.92 |
| Alabama | 16.1 | $9.12 | $109.41 |
| Indiana | 16.0 | $9.04 | $108.53 |
| Minnesota | 15.8 | $8.97 | $107.64 |
| Colorado | 15.7 | $8.89 | $106.69 |
| Oregon | 15.5 | $8.76 | $105.13 |
| Texas | 15.4 | $8.73 | $104.72 |
| West Virginia | 15.4 | $8.72 | $104.65 |
| Virginia | 15.3 | $8.66 | $103.90 |
| Arizona | 15.3 | $8.65 | $103.77 |
| Florida | 15.2 | $8.62 | $103.43 |
| South Carolina | 15.1 | $8.57 | $102.82 |
| New Mexico | 14.8 | $8.42 | $100.98 |
| Georgia | 14.7 | $8.35 | $100.23 |
| Kansas | 14.4 | $8.18 | $98.19 |
| Mississippi | 14.0 | $7.95 | $95.40 |
| North Carolina | 14.0 | $7.93 | $95.20 |
| Iowa | 13.6 | $7.72 | $92.62 |
| Wyoming | 13.4 | $7.58 | $90.92 |
| South Dakota | 13.3 | $7.55 | $90.58 |
| Missouri | 13.3 | $7.54 | $90.44 |
| Nevada | 13.3 | $7.51 | $90.17 |
| Tennessee | 13.2 | $7.49 | $89.90 |
| Oklahoma | 13.2 | $7.49 | $89.83 |
| Washington | 13.2 | $7.46 | $89.56 |
| Kentucky | 13.1 | $7.44 | $89.28 |
| Utah | 13.0 | $7.38 | $88.54 |
| Montana | 13.0 | $7.36 | $88.33 |
| Arkansas | 12.9 | $7.29 | $87.52 |
| Louisiana | 12.5 | $7.09 | $85.14 |
| Nebraska | 12.1 | $6.83 | $81.94 |
| Idaho | 11.8 | $6.70 | $80.44 |
| North Dakota | 11.8 | $6.70 | $80.38 |
680 kWh a year at each state's 2025 average residential price (EIA-861), all charges included.
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