BENCO Electric Cooperative electricity rates in Minnesota, 2025
BENCO Electric Cooperative’s 18,500 residential customers paid an average of 16.14¢ per kWh in 2025, 2% above the Minnesota average of 15.83¢. The typical home used 978 kWh a month, for an average bill of $158.
- 16.14¢avg ¢/kWh (2025)+1.12¢ (+7.4%) vs 2024
- $158Avg monthly billMinnesota: $118
- 978 kWhAvg monthly useMinnesota: 743 kWh
- 18,500Residential customersFull-service utility
| Sector | Customers | Sales (MWh) | Revenue | ¢/kWh 2025 | ¢/kWh 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 18,500 | 217,093 | $35,048,000 | 16.14¢ | 15.03¢ | +1.12¢ (+7.4%) |
| Commercial | 1,569 | 93,530 | $12,909,000 | 13.80¢ | 12.75¢ | +1.05¢ (+8.3%) |
| Industrial | 17 | 43,543 | $4,055,000 | 9.31¢ | 9.47¢ | −0.16¢ (-1.7%) |
| All sectors | 20,086 | 354,166 | $52,012,000 | 14.69¢ | 13.32¢ | +1.37¢ (+10.3%) |
How BENCO Electric Cooperative compares
- Minnesota residential average, 2025: 15.83¢ per kWh, 743 kWh a month, $118 average bill. U.S. average: 17.23¢, 874 kWh, $151.
- Among 44 full-service utilities in Minnesota with at least 1,000 residential customers, BENCO Electric Cooperative ranks 32 of 44 from lowest to highest average price.
- Latest monthly figure: Minnesota homes paid 17.20¢ per kWh in August 2026 (preliminary), against 16.89¢ in August 2025. Summer months often run higher than the annual average.
- From 2024 to 2025 this average rose 7.4%; the state average rose 2.4%.
- BENCO Electric Cooperative is an electric cooperative, owned by the members it serves; its board sets rates. Balancing authority: MISO.
Where BENCO Electric Cooperative serves
EIA lists 5 Minnesota counties in its 2025 service territory: Blue Earth, Faribault, Le Sueur, Nicollet, Sibley.
38 ZIP codes are matched to BENCO Electric Cooperative in NREL’s 2024 ZIP file: 55334, 55396, 56001, 56003, 56009, 56010, 56013, 56014, 56021, 56023, 56025, 56027, 56029, 56033, 56034, 56037, 56039, 56041, 56047, 56048, 56050, 56051, 56054, 56055, 56058, 56060, 56062, 56065, 56068, 56072, 56073, 56074, 56078, 56082, 56088, 56090, 56097, 56098. Utility boundaries do not follow ZIP lines, so a ZIP can have more than one provider.
Minnesota full-service utilities with similar rates
| Provider | ¢/kWh | Avg bill | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Central Electric Assn | 15.51¢ | $217 | 4,657 |
| Dakota Electric Association | 15.63¢ | $116 | 109,148 |
| ALLETE, Inc. | 15.86¢ | $107 | 126,520 |
| Shakopee Public Utilities Comm | 15.91¢ | $106 | 18,970 |
| City of Anoka | 16.20¢ | $92 | 11,624 |
| City of Elk River | 16.27¢ | $124 | 11,935 |
| Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric | 16.46¢ | $161 | 10,788 |
| City of Chaska (MN) | 16.75¢ | $112 | 11,194 |
Sources
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Annual Electric Power Industry Report, Form EIA-861, 2025 final data (f8612025.zip, file dated October 7, 2026): Sales to Ultimate Customers, Average Monthly Bill and Service Territory tables.
- EIA Form EIA-861, 2024 final data (f8612024.zip, file dated December 4, 2025), for the 2024 comparison.
- EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (average price by state, August 2026 and August 2025; 2026 values are preliminary), file dated October 22, 2026.
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory via OpenEI, U.S. Electric Utility Companies and Rates: Look-up by Zipcode (2024) (investor-owned and other utilities, files dated November 10, 2025), used only to match ZIP codes to utilities.
Average price = residential revenue ÷ residential kWh sold, as reported to EIA. It includes fixed monthly charges, taxes passed through in revenue and seasonal tiers, averaged over the year. Your own rate depends on your tariff and usage.