Wealthy PotAverage Utility Bills: What US Households Pay for Water, Gas, Electricity, Phone and Internet
The average US household spent $4,737 a year on utilities in 2024, or about $395 a month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. That covers electricity ($153 a month), natural gas ($41), water and sewer ($47), trash collection ($21), heating oil and propane ($10) and phone service ($122, almost all of it cell phones). Home internet is counted separately by BLS and adds about $58 a month, bringing the total to roughly $453. These are averages across all households, including renters whose water or gas is in the rent, so a household that pays a given bill directly usually pays more than the average shown.
Table of Contents
The Short Answer
- $395 a month ($4,736.50 a year) is what the average household spent on utilities, fuels and public services in 2024 (BLS). With home internet it is about $453.
- Water and sewer: $47 a month on average across all households. Only about 62% report paying it directly in a given quarter; for them it is roughly $76.
- Natural gas: $41 a month across all households, but only about half have a gas bill. EIA prices and usage put a typical gas customer at about $72 a month in 2024.
- Cell phone: $113 a month per household (all lines), up 7.1% from 2023.
- Home internet: $58 a month across all households, or roughly $75 for households that report paying for it.
- Electricity: $153 a month in household spending (BLS 2024); EIA's newest utility data put the average residential bill at about $151 in 2025.
Average Monthly Bill by Utility
The Consumer Expenditure Survey is the government's main record of what households actually pay. BLS interviews households every quarter about their bills and publishes the annual average per "consumer unit," which is close to a household. The 2024 results, released in December 2025, are the latest; the 2025 results are scheduled for October 29, 2026.
| Utility | Per year, 2024 | Per month | Change from 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity | $1,832.89 | $153 | +4.0% |
| Natural gas | $492.57 | $41 | -8.8% |
| Fuel oil, propane and other fuels | $125.32 | $10 | -10.2% |
| Water and sewer | $559.48 | $47 | +7.3% |
| Trash and garbage collection | $257.87 | $21 | +4.2% |
| Cell phone service | $1,359.39 | $113 | +7.1% |
| Landline and VoIP phone | $100.29 | $8 | -24.7% |
| Total utilities, fuels and public services | $4,736.50 | $395 | +2.4% |
| Home internet (counted separately by BLS) | $697.90 | $58 | -0.3% |
| Cable and satellite TV (counted separately by BLS) | $454.09 | $38 | -7.6% |
Utilities took 6.0% of total household spending in 2024, against $78,535 in total annual spending per household. For where utilities sit in the rest of the budget, see average monthly expenses.
One point explains most of the disagreement between "average utility bill" figures online. BLS averages every bill over all households, including those that never receive it. About half of households have no natural gas bill, and many renters have water, sewer and trash included in their rent. Averaged that way, the gas bill is $41; for the households that actually get one, it is roughly double. The sections below give both views where the data allow.
Average Water and Sewer Bill
Households spent $559.48 on water and sewer in 2024, about $47 a month, up 7.3% from $521.60 in 2023. Add trash collection ($257.87) and the BLS line "water and other public services" comes to $826.03 a year, or about $69 a month.
| Measure | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Water and sewer, average over all households | $559.48 | $47 |
| Share of households reporting a water/sewer bill in a quarter | 61.7% | |
| Water and sewer, households that report paying (rough estimate) | about $906 | about $76 |
| Trash collection, average over all households | $257.87 | $21 |
| Trash collection, households that report paying (rough estimate) | about $572 | about $48 |
| Water, sewer, trash and other public services, all households | $826.03 | $69 |
The gap between owners and renters is large. Homeowners spent $1,090 a year on water and other public services (about $91 a month); renters spent $337 (about $28), because their landlord usually pays. If you own a house and pay water, sewer and trash yourself, $90 to $100 a month is a more realistic benchmark than the all-household average. The Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense program gives a similar order of magnitude: "The average family spends more than $1,000 per year in water costs."
Usage drives the bill. EPA says the average American family uses more than 300 gallons of water a day at home, about 70% of it indoors, and each person uses an average of 82 gallons a day. Outdoor watering is about 30% of household use nationally but much more in dry climates, which is one reason the West has the highest water bills (see by region). Leaks matter too: EPA estimates the average family can waste 9,400 gallons a year from household leaks.
Average Gas Bill
Across all households, natural gas spending was $492.57 in 2024, about $41 a month, down 8.8% from 2023, when EIA's average residential gas price fell 5.8%. Only 50.3% of households reported a gas bill in a typical quarter, so the all-household average understates what gas customers pay.
The Energy Information Administration measures the customer side directly. In 2024, US gas utilities delivered 4,389,004 million cubic feet of gas to 73,719,064 residential customers at an average price of $14.50 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf). That works out to about 59.5 Mcf per customer and a bill of roughly $863 a year, or $72 a month (our calculation). BLS data give a similar rough figure for households that report a gas bill: about $979 a year, or $82 a month.
| Year | Residential gas price ($ per Mcf) | Residential gas delivered (million cubic feet) |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $12.18 | 4,716,658 |
| 2022 | $14.75 | 4,964,255 |
| 2023 | $15.40 | 4,524,345 |
| 2024 | $14.50 | 4,389,004 |
| 2025 | $15.34 | 4,842,571 |
Gas bills likely rose in 2025. The price was 5.8% higher and households used 10.3% more gas than in 2024. EIA has not yet published the 2025 customer count, so we have not computed a 2025 bill. Gas bills are also seasonal, peaking in winter when gas is used for heating, so compare a bill with the same month a year earlier.
Households without piped gas heat with fuel oil, propane, wood or electricity. Spending on fuel oil and other fuels averaged $125.32 a year across all households, but it is concentrated: Northeast households spent $421, against $50 to $89 in other regions.
Average Electric Bill
Electricity is the biggest utility bill for most households: $1,832.89 in 2024, or $153 a month, according to BLS. EIA's final 2025 utility data, released October 7, 2026, put residential revenue at $261.8 billion from 144.8 million customer accounts, an average of about $151 a month for 874 kWh at 17.23 cents per kWh (our calculation from EIA's revenue and customer totals). State-by-state bills, rates and what drives them are on our average electric bill page.
Average Cell Phone Bill
Households spent $1,359.39 on cell phone service in 2024, about $113 a month. That is per household, covering every line on the account, not per person. It rose 7.1% from $1,269.72 in 2023, faster than any other utility except water and sewer.
| Phone measure, 2024 | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Cell phone service, all households | $1,359.39 | $113 |
| Cell phone service, households that report paying (rough estimate) | about $1,644 | about $137 |
| Landline and VoIP, all households | $100.29 | $8 |
| Total telephone services | $1,459.68 | $122 |
Cell phone spending tracks household size. One-person households spent $733 a year (about $61 a month); households of five or more spent $2,146 (about $179). Landlines are now mainly a retiree expense: households headed by someone 75 or older spent $287 a year on landline and VoIP service, against $8 for those under 25.
Average Internet Bill
No federal agency publishes an official average home internet bill. The closest primary measure is the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey line "computer information services (internet)," which counts what households paid for internet access. In 2024 it averaged $697.90 a year, or $58 a month, across all households, almost unchanged from $700.13 in 2023.
About 77.5% of households reported an internet expense in a typical quarter. Dividing by that share gives a rough figure of about $901 a year, or $75 a month, for households that pay for home internet (our calculation). Cable and satellite TV are a separate BLS line: $454.09 a year on average across all households, reported by about a third of them.
Two cautions. First, many households buy internet in a bundle with TV or phone service, so treat the split between those lines as approximate. Second, the BLS figure is 2024 spending; it does not reflect any price changes since. For a current figure, your own bill or the plan prices in your area are more reliable than any national average.
Utility Bills by Region
| Per month, 2024 | Northeast | Midwest | South | West |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity | $150 | $126 | $170 | $149 |
| Natural gas | $58 | $57 | $26 | $40 |
| Fuel oil and other fuels | $35 | $7 | $4 | $5 |
| Water, sewer, trash and other public services | $55 | $62 | $67 | $90 |
| Cell phone service | $113 | $105 | $113 | $122 |
| Total utilities | $424 | $365 | $387 | $415 |
The mix differs more than the total. The South spends the most on electricity and the least on gas. The Northeast and Midwest spend more than twice as much on gas as the South, and the Northeast carries almost all the country's heating oil spending. The West has the highest water and public-service bills, at $1,080 a year, consistent with EPA's point that outdoor watering takes a larger share of household water in dry areas.
Utility prices also vary widely by state: our cost of living calculator compares utility, rent and overall price levels between any two states or metro areas.
Owners vs Renters, and Household Size
| Per month, 2024 | Homeowners | Renters |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity | $177 | $109 |
| Natural gas | $52 | $21 |
| Water, sewer, trash and other public services | $91 | $28 |
| Cell phone service | $125 | $91 |
| Total utilities | $471 | $254 |
Renters spend about half what owners do on utilities. Part of that is smaller homes and households, and part is that many leases include water, trash and sometimes heat. When comparing apartments, a lower rent with utilities excluded can cost more than a higher rent with them included; our average rent page has the rent side of that comparison.
Household size has a steady effect. Annual utility spending was $2,978 for one person (about $248 a month), $4,837 for two ($403), $5,573 for three ($464), $6,180 for four ($515) and $6,737 for five or more ($561). Each extra person adds less than the one before, because heating, cooling and fixed service charges are shared.
Utility Bills for Households 65 and Older
Households headed by someone 65 or older spent $4,480 on utilities in 2024, about $373 a month, only 5% less than the all-household average even though they had fewer people (1.8 on average against 2.4) and much lower incomes. Utilities therefore take a larger share of a retiree budget.
| Per month, 2024 | All households | Age 65 to 74 | Age 75 and older |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity | $153 | $147 | $134 |
| Natural gas | $41 | $41 | $45 |
| Fuel oil and other fuels | $10 | $14 | $13 |
| Water, sewer, trash and other public services | $69 | $72 | $70 |
| Cell phone service | $113 | $98 | $67 |
| Landline and VoIP | $8 | $15 | $24 |
| Total utilities | $395 | $388 | $353 |
Older households spend about the same as everyone else on heating and water and less on cell phones, while keeping landlines. Because the water, gas and electricity bills barely fall with age, they are worth building into a retirement budget at close to their pre-retirement level. See average retirement income for the income side and budgeting on a fixed income for planning.
Is Your Utility Bill High?
Comparing your total with $395 tells you little, because the average mixes renters and owners, gas and all-electric homes, and every climate. A better check, one bill at a time:
- Use the right comparison group. If you own and pay water, sewer and trash yourself, compare with the owner figure ($91 a month), not the all-household one ($69). If you have gas service, compare with the roughly $72 to $82 for gas customers, not $41.
- Compare with your region. A Southern household paying $170 a month for electricity is at the regional average, not above it.
- Compare the same month last year. Gas and electricity are seasonal; a January gas bill is not comparable with a July one.
- Look for usage problems first. On water, a leak can waste thousands of gallons a year (EPA estimates 9,400 for the average family). On power and gas, heating and cooling dominate.
- Check plan costs on phone and internet. These are the bills set by a contract rather than by usage, and they rose faster than most utilities in 2024.
In a 50/30/20 budget, utilities belong in the "needs" half. Many utilities offer budget billing that spreads seasonal peaks across the year; it does not lower the total, but it makes it predictable. Our guide to reducing monthly expenses covers the practical cuts, and the budget calculator shows where the savings would go.
Sources & Methodology
- BLS, Consumer Expenditure Surveys, 2024, Table 2500: all consumer units, detailed, released December 2025, and the 2023 detailed table for year-on-year changes.
- BLS CE 2024, Table 1800: region of residence; Table 1710: housing tenure; Table 1400: household size; Table 1300: age of reference person.
- EIA, Natural Gas Prices, annual, Natural Gas Consumption by End Use and Number of Natural Gas Consumers, released September 30, 2026.
- EIA, Annual sales to ultimate customers by state and sector (EIA-861), 2010 to 2025: final 2025 residential revenue, sales and customers, released October 7, 2026.
- EPA WaterSense, How We Use Water and Statistics and Facts: household water use, leaks and annual water costs.
Method notes. BLS publishes annual spending per consumer unit; every monthly figure on this page is our calculation (annual mean divided by 12). BLS averages each expense over all households, including those that do not receive that bill. Our "households that report paying" figures divide the annual mean by the share of households that reported the expense in a quarter; they are rough estimates, not BLS statistics. The EIA gas bill estimate divides residential gas volume by the number of residential customers and multiplies by the average residential price. The 2025 electric bill divides EIA's total residential revenue by residential customer accounts. EIA counts utility accounts while BLS counts households, so their figures differ slightly. BLS data for 2025 are due on October 29, 2026; this page will be updated then.
This article is for general information and is not financial advice. Figures are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Energy Information Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, checked against the primary sources on 2026-10-09. Monthly amounts and per-payer estimates are our own calculations from published data. Your own bills depend on your location, home, household size, provider and usage.
FAQ
What is the average utility bill per month?
About $395 a month for electricity, gas, other fuels, water, sewer, trash and phone service, based on BLS household spending in 2024 ($4,736.50 a year). Adding home internet brings it to about $453.
What is the average water bill?
Across all US households, water and sewer averaged $559.48 in 2024, about $47 a month. For households that pay a water bill directly, a rough estimate is about $76 a month, and homeowners spent about $91 a month on water, sewer, trash and other public services combined.
What is the average gas bill?
About $72 a month for a residential natural gas customer in 2024, based on EIA's average usage and price. Averaged over all households, including the roughly half with no gas service, it was $41 a month.
What is the average cell phone bill?
US households spent $1,359.39 on cell phone service in 2024, about $113 a month for all lines on the account. One-person households spent about $61 a month and households of five or more about $179.
What is the average internet bill?
Household spending on internet service averaged $697.90 in 2024, about $58 a month across all households, or roughly $75 a month for households that report paying for it. No federal agency publishes an official average internet price.
Which region has the highest utility bills?
The Northeast, at about $424 a month in 2024, followed by the West at $415. The Midwest was lowest at $365. The South pays the most for electricity, the Northeast and Midwest the most for gas, and the West the most for water.
How much are utilities for a one-bedroom apartment?
BLS does not publish utility spending by apartment size. The closest figures are renters, who spent about $254 a month on utilities including phone in 2024, and one-person households, at about $248 a month.
Do retirees pay less for utilities?
Only a little. Households headed by someone 65 or older spent about $373 a month in 2024, against $395 for all households. They spent less on cell phones but about the same on heating, water and electricity.
Cite This Page
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"Average Utility Bills: What US Households Pay for Water, Gas, Electricity, Phone and Internet." Wealthy Pot, 2026. https://wealthypot.com/average-utility-bills/
