District of Columbia energy profile

Manufacturing energy costs in District of Columbia

As of Jul 2026, industrial electricity in District of Columbia runs 32.15 cents per kWh. That is 229.1% more expensive than the U.S. average and places the state 50 of 51 nationally.

Current prices in District of Columbia

  • Industrial electricity: 32.15 cents per kWh (Jul 2026, EIA).
  • Commercial electricity, the rate a warehouse or distribution center in District of Columbia typically pays: 23.88 cents per kWh.
  • District of Columbia does not report an industrial natural gas price for the latest month; plants there should use their utility contract rate.
  • Just below District of Columbia on the price ladder: Rhode Island at 22.86, Alaska at 24.81, California at 25.11 cents. Just above: Hawaii at 39.33 cents.

What the rate does to operating cost

  • A 10 kW machine running a 4,000 hour year costs about 12,860 in electricity at District of Columbia rates versus 3,908 at the national average; at 50 kW the gap is 64,300 versus 19,540, and at 200 kW it is 257,200 versus 78,160.
  • At this rate, efficiency projects clear their hurdle faster in District of Columbia than almost anywhere: every avoided kWh is worth more, so compressed air leak repairs, VFD retrofits, and scheduling around demand charges deserve a fresh look.

What factory labor pays in District of Columbia

  • Industrial production managers: $59.82/hr median in District of Columbia versus $60.61 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Industrial engineers: $49.66/hr median in District of Columbia versus $49.25 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Industrial machinery mechanics: $42.15/hr median in District of Columbia versus $31.02 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Forklift and industrial truck operators: $40.25/hr median in District of Columbia versus $22.32 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Production supervisors: $38.47/hr median in District of Columbia versus $35.79 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Machinists: $35.05/hr median in District of Columbia versus $28.24 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • District of Columbia employs about 1,000 manufacturing workers as of Aug 2026 (BLS).

Manufacturing base in District of Columbia

  • District of Columbia has 104 manufacturing establishments employing about 1,164 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).
  • Largest sectors by establishment count: food manufacturing (25), printing and related support (24), fabricated metal products (6), machinery manufacturing (3), transportation equipment (3).

Sources and update cadence

  • Prices come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and refresh automatically when the agency publishes; this page also archives each month's District of Columbia observation so the local price history deepens over time.

Last reviewed 2026-09-24.