Home › Appliances › Electric clothes dryer
How much does it cost to run an electric clothes dryer?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.16¢ per kilowatt-hour (August 2026), running an electric clothes dryer costs about $142 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 47.18¢ across the country.
- Per cycle
- 54.5¢
- Per day
- 38.8¢
- Per month
- $11.80
- Per year
- $142
Assumption: 3.00 kWh per cycle, 5 cycles a week — 780 kWh a year. A standard vented electric dryer. Heat-pump dryers use roughly half this per load.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 12.72¢ | $8.27 | $99.22 |
| Louisiana | 12.87¢ | $8.37 | $100 |
| North Dakota | 13.31¢ | $8.65 | $104 |
| Utah | 13.31¢ | $8.65 | $104 |
| Idaho | 13.37¢ | $8.69 | $104 |
| Tennessee | 13.42¢ | $8.72 | $105 |
| Nebraska | 13.54¢ | $8.80 | $106 |
| Kentucky | 13.80¢ | $8.97 | $108 |
| Arkansas | 14.37¢ | $9.34 | $112 |
| Mississippi | 14.43¢ | $9.38 | $113 |
| Wyoming | 14.43¢ | $9.38 | $113 |
| Washington | 14.63¢ | $9.51 | $114 |
| Oklahoma | 14.82¢ | $9.63 | $116 |
| North Carolina | 14.95¢ | $9.72 | $117 |
| Florida | 14.99¢ | $9.74 | $117 |
| Arizona | 15.05¢ | $9.78 | $117 |
| South Dakota | 15.15¢ | $9.85 | $118 |
| Kansas | 15.47¢ | $10.06 | $121 |
| Montana | 15.57¢ | $10.12 | $121 |
| South Carolina | 15.76¢ | $10.24 | $123 |
| Georgia | 15.90¢ | $10.33 | $124 |
| Texas | 15.91¢ | $10.34 | $124 |
| Oregon | 15.92¢ | $10.35 | $124 |
| Missouri | 16.02¢ | $10.41 | $125 |
| West Virginia | 16.31¢ | $10.60 | $127 |
| Alabama | 16.33¢ | $10.61 | $127 |
| New Mexico | 16.51¢ | $10.73 | $129 |
| Indiana | 17.02¢ | $11.06 | $133 |
| Iowa | 17.06¢ | $11.09 | $133 |
| Colorado | 17.17¢ | $11.16 | $134 |
| Minnesota | 17.20¢ | $11.18 | $134 |
| Virginia | 17.64¢ | $11.47 | $138 |
| Delaware | 18.70¢ | $12.16 | $146 |
| Illinois | 19.32¢ | $12.56 | $151 |
| Ohio | 19.38¢ | $12.60 | $151 |
| Wisconsin | 19.41¢ | $12.62 | $151 |
| Maryland | 21.40¢ | $13.91 | $167 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.77¢ | $14.15 | $170 |
| Michigan | 22.99¢ | $14.94 | $179 |
| Vermont | 23.84¢ | $15.50 | $186 |
| Connecticut | 24.51¢ | $15.93 | $191 |
| New Jersey | 24.61¢ | $16.00 | $192 |
| District of Columbia | 25.98¢ | $16.89 | $203 |
| New Hampshire | 27.64¢ | $17.97 | $216 |
| Rhode Island | 28.18¢ | $18.32 | $220 |
| New York | 28.65¢ | $18.62 | $223 |
| Alaska | 29.41¢ | $19.12 | $229 |
| California | 29.75¢ | $19.34 | $232 |
| Massachusetts | 30.48¢ | $19.81 | $238 |
| Maine | 32.11¢ | $20.87 | $250 |
| Hawaii | 47.18¢ | $30.67 | $368 |
Cutting the number down
- The spin speed of the washer sets the dryer's workload. A faster final spin removes water mechanically instead of thermally, which is far cheaper.
- A blocked lint screen or crushed vent hose makes every load run longer at full heat.
- Back-to-back loads reuse a drum that is already hot.
Questions
- How many watts does an electric clothes dryer use?
- Usage is better expressed as 3.00 kWh per cycle, 5 cycles a week.
- How much does an electric clothes dryer cost per month?
- About $11.80 a month at the U.S. average rate, or $142 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Nevada, at $99.22 a year, versus $368 in Hawaii — a spread of $269.