Updated October 10, 2026. Rewritten with October 2026 electricity rates for every state mentioned, current mining revenue and sources. The new numbers change the conclusion: at today’s difficulty, no state’s average home electricity rate is low enough for a current-generation miner to break even. Earlier versions linked to a live dashboard that is not available.
Electricity price decides whether a Bitcoin miner makes or loses money. It matters more than the brand of machine, the pool you join or the day’s Bitcoin price. I host my own Antminer S21+ in Washington State instead of running it at home in Maryland for exactly this reason.
This guide compares state electricity rates in October 2026 and shows what they mean for one common machine.
The math for one machine
An Antminer S21+ (235 TH/s, 3,877 W) runs around the clock and uses about 2,830 kWh a month. At today’s difficulty and a Bitcoin price around $82,000, it earns roughly $278 a month in block rewards before pool fees. That puts its breakeven electricity price at about 9.8 cents per kWh. Pay more than that and the machine loses money; pay less and it earns a little.
Cheapest states for residential electricity (October 2026)
| State | Residential ¢/kWh | S21+ power cost/month | Net/month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 13.11 | $371 | −$93 |
| Nebraska | 13.25 | $375 | −$97 |
| Utah | 13.37 | $378 | −$101 |
| Louisiana | 13.49 | $382 | −$104 |
| Tennessee | 14.07 | $398 | −$120 |
| Arkansas | 14.12 | $399 | −$122 |
| North Dakota | 14.12 | $399 | −$122 |
| Oklahoma | 14.33 | $405 | −$128 |
| Washington | 14.91 | $422 | −$144 |
| Texas | 15.94 | $451 | −$173 |
Even the cheapest states average more than 13 cents per kWh for homes, well above breakeven. Home mining with a full-size machine only works if your actual rate is far below your state’s average: an off-peak or time-of-use plan, an agricultural or small-business rate, or your own solar.
Where home mining clearly does not work
| State | Residential ¢/kWh | S21+ net/month |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 21.84 | −$340 |
| California | 34.74 | −$705 |
| Hawaii | 52.72 | −$1,214 |
Massachusetts, Maine, New York and Rhode Island all average close to 30 cents per kWh as well.
Commercial rates and why miners cluster where they do
Large miners do not pay residential rates. Commercial averages are much lower in some states: about 8.0 cents in North Dakota, 8.7 cents in Texas and 8.8 cents in Nebraska, and industrial contracts go lower still. Texas also lets large miners earn money by switching off when the grid is stressed. Washington’s central region draws miners for cheap hydroelectric power from the Columbia River system, mostly through industrial-scale facilities rather than home service.
Laws matter too. Arkansas and Montana both passed “right to mine” laws in 2023 that limit how local governments can single out mining, though Arkansas later added restrictions on foreign ownership of mining businesses. Noise rules and local zoning are still the most common obstacles for anyone running machines near homes.
The hosted mining alternative
If your home power is expensive, you can buy a machine and pay a hosting company to run it in a facility with cheap industrial power. Hosting fees usually bundle electricity, cooling and basic maintenance.
My hosting costs $209.60 a month at 7.4 cents per kWh. At today’s numbers, that leaves an S21+ with roughly $68 a month before pool fees. Running the same machine at home in Maryland would cost about $618 a month in electricity, a loss of about $340 a month.
The trade-off is trust and control. You depend on the host’s uptime, repair process and business health, and getting a machine back can take time. Read the contract terms on downtime, repairs and returns before you ship hardware anywhere.
The bottom line
- Know your actual rate from your bill, not a state average.
- At current difficulty, a modern miner needs power below roughly 10 cents per kWh just to break even.
- For most people in the U.S., that means hosting, not home mining.
Sources
- ElectricChoice: Electricity rates by state (updated October 7, 2026)
- MiningNow: Antminer S21+ specifications
- CoinWarz: Bitcoin difficulty (October 11, 2026)
- CryptoTimes: Bitcoin holds near $82K (October 10, 2026)
- Bitcoin Magazine: Arkansas passes right-to-mine bill (2023)
- crypto.news: Montana passes right-to-mine proposal (2023)
- CryptoSlate: Arkansas digital asset mining ownership restrictions
- Author’s own hosting invoices
This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Revenue figures are calculations at October 2026 difficulty and price and will change. Verify your own utility rate before making mining decisions.