Are we customers or “victims?”
It’s Official: According to a new study by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics SDG&E customers are paying the highest rates for electricity in the entire USA. These rates are even higher than “outlier” states such as Hawaii, and Alaska. A significant portion of the higher costs are due to a lax regulatory environment, increased expenditures on deferred-maintenance fire prevention, and the fact that ratepayers have been forced to fund the failed San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.
In 2023, San Diego was listed as the most expensive city in the USA (source), but as of December 2024, the price of living here has climbed even higher according to new data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics showing that our electric rates are 2.5 times higher that the rest of the USA on average.
As the table below demonstrates, no other cities in the USA have higher electric rates than SDG&E. Not even Hawaii or Alaska have higher rates.
| Oct. | Sep. | Oct. | |
| 2023 | 2024 | 2024 | |
| U.S. | $0.17 | $0.18 | $0.18 |
| Northeast(1) | 0.212 | 0.235 | 0.234 |
| New England | 0.258 | 0.283 | 0.283 |
| Boston | 0.282 | 0.302 | 0.302 |
| Middle Atlantic | 0.19 | 0.209 | 0.208 |
| New York | 0.233 | 0.273 | 0.274 |
| Philadelphia | 0.194 | 0.206 | 0.204 |
| Midwest(2) | 0.152 | 0.166 | 0.159 |
| East North Central | 0.163 | 0.168 | 0.166 |
| Chicago | 0.16 | 0.168 | 0.167 |
| Detroit | 0.202 | 0.212 | 0.205 |
| West North Central | 0.129 | 0.162 | 0.144 |
| Minneapolis | 0.176 | 0.199 | 0.178 |
| St. Louis | 0.126 | 0.124 | |
| South(3) | 0.153 | 0.158 | 0.156 |
| South Atlantic | 0.154 | 0.161 | 0.159 |
| Atlanta | 0.146 | 0.181 | 0.157 |
| Baltimore | 0.185 | 0.176 | 0.182 |
| Miami | 0.158 | 0.141 | 0.141 |
| Tampa | |||
| Washington, D.C. | 0.167 | 0.171 | 0.172 |
| East South Central | 0.147 | 0.148 | 0.139 |
| West South Central | 0.155 | 0.155 | 0.162 |
| Dallas | 0.169 | 0.184 | 0.196 |
| Houston | 0.179 | 0.183 | |
| West(4) | 0.201 | 0.208 | 0.211 |
| Mountain | 0.151 | 0.154 | 0.154 |
| Denver | 0.151 | ||
| Phoenix | 0.16 | 0.174 | 0.174 |
| Pacific | 0.234 | 0.239 | 0.244 |
| Los Angeles | 0.287 | 0.282 | 0.286 |
| Riverside | 0.295 | 0.258 | 0.27 |
| San Diego | 0.475 | 0.417 | 0.419 |
| San Francisco | 0.35 | 0.383 | 0.389 |
| Seattle | 0.127 | 0.139 | 0.139 |
| Urban Alaska | 0.21 | 0.236 | 0.242 |
| Urban Hawaii | 0.43 | 0.415 | 0.405 |