States With the Most Power Outages in 2024: EIA Data by State
West Virginia had the longest routine power outages in 2024, at 486 minutes per customer without major storm days. Here is how every state compares, and why storms change the ranking.
486
minutes without power per customer in West Virginia in 2024, not counting major storm days (highest)
3,137
minutes per customer in South Carolina in 2024 once major storm days are included
26
minutes in Washington, D.C., the lowest figure in the 2024 data
51
states and the District of Columbia in the EIA state totals
Power outages are one of those things most people only think about when the lights go out. But every year, U.S. utilities report exactly how long their customers were without electricity. We went through the latest state totals from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) to see which states spend the most time in the dark.
How we measure outage time
Utilities report a figure called SAIDI, the System Average Interruption Duration Index. In plain terms, it is the average number of minutes a customer went without power over a year. A state with a SAIDI of 486 means a typical customer there was without power for about eight hours across 2024.
EIA publishes two versions. One includes everything. The other leaves out major event days, meaning storms and other extreme events that push a utility far beyond its normal performance. The second version is closer to how reliable everyday service is, so we rank by it first.
The states with the longest everyday outages in 2024
Without major storm days, these ten states had the highest average outage time per customer in 2024:
| State | Minutes without power, no major storm days | Minutes including major storm days |
|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | 486 | 1,166 |
| Vermont | 275 | 697 |
| Maine | 274 | 1,749 |
| Mississippi | 266 | 567 |
| Hawaii | 226 | 321 |
| Georgia | 212 | 1,229 |
| Louisiana | 206 | 728 |
| Arkansas | 195 | 509 |
| Alaska | 192 | 327 |
| Idaho | 174 | 233 |
Source: EIA Form 861 reliability data, 2024 state totals.
The pattern is not just one bad year
A single storm can make a state look bad for a year. To check that, we averaged the no-storm figure over 2022, 2023 and 2024. The same states keep showing up near the top: West Virginia averaged 472 minutes, followed by Alaska at 284, Mississippi and Vermont at 255, Maine at 246, Arkansas at 230 and Louisiana at 216.
Storms change the picture completely
Once major event days are counted, the ranking changes. South Carolina tops the list at 3,137 minutes per customer in 2024, followed by Maine at 1,749, North Carolina at 1,441, Florida at 1,322 and Texas at 1,271. Those numbers reflect the severe storms that hit the Southeast and parts of New England that year, including the hurricanes that struck Florida and the Carolinas.
That is why both numbers matter. A state can have strong everyday reliability and still get hit hard when a major storm arrives, and the reverse is true too.
The states with the fewest outages
At the other end, the lowest no-storm figures in 2024 came from the District of Columbia at 26 minutes, Illinois at 59, Rhode Island at 61, South Dakota at 62 and Nevada at 64.
A closer look at Louisiana
Louisiana is one of the states that stays near the top across all three years. Our own utility comparison for the region shows what that looks like on the ground. In 2024, Entergy Louisiana customers in Baton Rouge were without power for 610 minutes in total, with an average of 2.04 outages per customer. Lafayette Utilities System customers, in the same state, were without power for 167 minutes. Comparing utilities in the same state can show very different experiences.
A state ranking is an average. It does not tell you what happens on your street. Rural customers on long power lines often see more outage time than the state average, while a city customer on a short, underground line may see very little.
What this data does not show
- It is utility-reported. Utilities calculate these figures using their own records, and the rules are set by the EIA.
- It is one year of totals. The 2024 figures are the most recent state totals EIA has published.
- Storms are not the same as poor service. A utility hit by a hurricane can look far worse than one with better everyday maintenance.
Our own outage reports come from people who tell us the power is out where they live. They are a measure of what visitors notice, not a statewide count. The methodology page explains how we handle those reports.
What to do during a long outage
- Check your utility first. Its outage map and phone line will have the most accurate restoration time.
- Keep a small emergency kit. A flashlight, a battery pack for your phone, and medication for at least three days is a good start.
- Keep the fridge closed. A closed fridge keeps food cold for about four hours. A full freezer holds its temperature for about two days.
Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form 861 Annual Electric Power Industry Report, reliability data for 2019 to 2024 (state totals). Louisiana utility comparison uses the same EIA source. Photo: Pexels, free to use.