Utility rates are climbing across the country, and Missouri is seeing some of the largest increases.
According to a national study by the Center for American Progress (CAP), some Missouri households are seeing monthly electricity increases exceeding $45.
In April, the Missouri Public Service Commission approved Ameren Missouri’s request to raise residential rates. On June 1, rates increased by about 12%, or roughly $14 a month for the average household.
Other states are also experiencing steep jumps. Parts of Massachusetts, Florida and Arkansas face projected increases of more than $30 a month. Even in Texas, customers are seeing increases of more than $20 depending on provider and region.
Federal figures show the pressure is accelerating. Electricity prices climbed nearly 7% from June 2024 to June 2025, and wholesale electricity costs rose about 40% in the past year as natural gas prices surged. CAP notes utilities across the country are citing rising fuel costs and expensive pipeline investments as reasons for rate increases.
“There are several reasons why utilities are raising rates so rapidly, including the need to modernize the aging electric grid, which has been burdened by extreme weather events made more frequent and costly due to climate change and growing energy demand due to artificial intelligence data centers,” CAP researchers said.
“At the same time, higher natural gas costs and a policy assault on new clean energy generation from the Trump administration are driving energy costs even higher.”
CAP also attributes part of the rising costs to pressures inside the utility system itself. Many rate filings cited the growing demand of large data centers, particularly those tied to artificial intelligence.
A U.S. Department of Energy analysis cited by CAP found data centers used about 4.4% of U.S. electricity in 2023 and could consume between 6.7% and 12% by 2028, forcing utilities to expand or upgrade systems faster than planned.
A utility rate tracker from CAP and the Natural Resources Defense Council shows roughly two out of every three electric customers and more than six in 10 natural gas customers are facing higher bills, affecting more than 108 million electricity customers and nearly 49 million natural gas customers across 49 states and Washington, D.C., with total added costs projected to reach about $85.8 billion by 2028.
Average household electricity bills in 2025 are already running 9.6% higher than in 2024, rising faster than wages and overall inflation. CAP estimates that approved or proposed increases will raise electricity bills by $67.7 billion and natural gas bills by $18.1 billion nationwide by the end of the decade.
Stacy M. Brown of Black Press USA contributed to this report.
Because Missourians voted Republican whom they thought were going to protect their interest and wallet but they were wrong
They got scammed by republican lawmakers
These utility companies are ripping all of us off im disabled and I get help with my gas bill. I have never been on budget billing because that is a nightmare in its self I got my gas bill and it didn’t look right when I called them they said I was on budget billing I ask them how I got on budget billing and they couldn’t tell me I told them never in my life have I been on budget billing and they still have no clue its BS if you ask me and the attorney general or who ever needs to take a closer look at it now my neighbor she told me that she has done the budget billing all her life and they took her off of budget billing when she called they told her she requested to not be on it which she has less income than me. They are ripping off the funds that help low income people. I would rather pay all electric than a gas bill
Yes we all figured we would get slammed. So much for caring about the people!!