How much electricity does a microwave use?
In U.S. homes that have one, a microwave uses about 107 kWh a year, or 9 kWh a month. At the 2025 average residential price of 17.2¢ per kWh that is $18 a year or $1.54 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
A microwave used 107 kWh a year on average. It draws around a thousand watts or more while it runs, but only for minutes a day.
Microwave electricity use by home
By household size
| Household size | kWh / year | Cost / year at 17.2¢ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 member | 85 | $15 |
| 2 members | 110 | $19 |
| 3 members | 113 | $19 |
| 4 members | 121 | $21 |
| 5 members | 128 | $22 |
| 6 or more members | 127 | $22 |
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 microwave in every state
| State | ¢/kWh | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 40.4 | $3.60 | $43.23 |
| California | 31.4 | $2.80 | $33.54 |
| Massachusetts | 30.4 | $2.71 | $32.54 |
| Rhode Island | 29.5 | $2.63 | $31.54 |
| Connecticut | 29.3 | $2.61 | $31.36 |
| Maine | 27.7 | $2.47 | $29.63 |
| New York | 26.4 | $2.35 | $28.24 |
| Alaska | 26.1 | $2.33 | $27.94 |
| New Hampshire | 24.5 | $2.19 | $26.25 |
| Vermont | 22.8 | $2.03 | $24.39 |
| New Jersey | 22.5 | $2.00 | $24.05 |
| District of Columbia | 21.9 | $1.95 | $23.45 |
| Michigan | 20.0 | $1.79 | $21.43 |
| Maryland | 19.5 | $1.74 | $20.90 |
| Pennsylvania | 19.3 | $1.72 | $20.64 |
| Wisconsin | 18.1 | $1.61 | $19.35 |
| Illinois | 17.7 | $1.58 | $18.91 |
| Delaware | 17.1 | $1.53 | $18.35 |
| Ohio | 16.9 | $1.51 | $18.08 |
| Alabama | 16.1 | $1.43 | $17.22 |
| Indiana | 16.0 | $1.42 | $17.08 |
| Minnesota | 15.8 | $1.41 | $16.94 |
| Colorado | 15.7 | $1.40 | $16.79 |
| Oregon | 15.5 | $1.38 | $16.54 |
| Texas | 15.4 | $1.37 | $16.48 |
| West Virginia | 15.4 | $1.37 | $16.47 |
| Virginia | 15.3 | $1.36 | $16.35 |
| Arizona | 15.3 | $1.36 | $16.33 |
| Florida | 15.2 | $1.36 | $16.27 |
| South Carolina | 15.1 | $1.35 | $16.18 |
| New Mexico | 14.8 | $1.32 | $15.89 |
| Georgia | 14.7 | $1.31 | $15.77 |
| Kansas | 14.4 | $1.29 | $15.45 |
| Mississippi | 14.0 | $1.25 | $15.01 |
| North Carolina | 14.0 | $1.25 | $14.98 |
| Iowa | 13.6 | $1.21 | $14.57 |
| Wyoming | 13.4 | $1.19 | $14.31 |
| South Dakota | 13.3 | $1.19 | $14.25 |
| Missouri | 13.3 | $1.19 | $14.23 |
| Nevada | 13.3 | $1.18 | $14.19 |
| Tennessee | 13.2 | $1.18 | $14.15 |
| Oklahoma | 13.2 | $1.18 | $14.13 |
| Washington | 13.2 | $1.17 | $14.09 |
| Kentucky | 13.1 | $1.17 | $14.05 |
| Utah | 13.0 | $1.16 | $13.93 |
| Montana | 13.0 | $1.16 | $13.90 |
| Arkansas | 12.9 | $1.15 | $13.77 |
| Louisiana | 12.5 | $1.12 | $13.40 |
| Nebraska | 12.1 | $1.07 | $12.89 |
| Idaho | 11.8 | $1.05 | $12.66 |
| North Dakota | 11.8 | $1.05 | $12.65 |
107 kWh a year at each state's 2025 average residential price (EIA-861), all charges included.
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