Roughly one in six U.S. households has fallen behind on utility payments as residential energy costs continue to rise, according to federal survey data tracking household hardship. The U.S. Census Bureau tracks this pressure through its Household Pulse Survey, which measures the share of adults living in homes where an energy bill went unpaid in full over the prior twelve months. A separate joint analysis by The Century Foundation and Protect Borrowers found that overdue utility balances are growing, adding urgency to a problem that hits low-income and fixed-income households hardest during peak cooling and heating seasons.
Rising electricity prices and the bills households cannot pay
The federal government collects two data streams that, taken together, explain why so many families are struggling. The Census Bureau publishes its recurring Household Pulse results, a national survey of adult Americans that captures whether respondents were unable to pay an energy bill in full during the preceding twelve months. That indicator, formally labeled ENERGYBILL_RATE, gives researchers a near-real-time read on energy insecurity across demographics and geographies and can be broken out by state and metro area in successive waves.
On the cost side, the Energy Information Administration publishes its Electric Power Monthly, which tracks electricity sales, revenue, and average residential prices by state and region. In a recent outlook on summer conditions, the EIA projected that typical residential electricity bills would be slightly higher during summer 2024, citing both usage patterns and regional price drivers; that assessment was summarized in a Today in Energy explainer that highlighted hotter weather and fuel costs as key factors. Those price increases do not land evenly. States with older grid infrastructure, extreme summer heat, or heavy reliance on natural gas generation tend to see sharper bill spikes, which in turn squeeze households with the least financial cushion.
The central question is whether the regions recording the steepest month-to-month residential price jumps in EIA data also show the largest increases in ENERGYBILL_RATE across successive Pulse Survey waves. No published federal cross-tabulation currently links the two datasets at the state level, but the directional logic is straightforward: when the per-kilowatt-hour price climbs faster than wages, more households fall behind. Utility arrears then accumulate, and households must decide which bills to prioritize, often delaying medical care, cutting back on food, or risking disconnection notices during extreme weather.
Federal data and advocacy research point the same direction
The Census Bureau’s survey-based approach and the EIA’s price-tracking infrastructure are independent systems, yet both signal the same trend. The Pulse Survey captures self-reported hardship from a large, nationally representative sample, allowing analysts to see which groups are most likely to miss payments, from renters to parents of young children. The EIA’s monthly price series, available through its open data tools, documents the cost pressures those households face and how quickly they are changing in different parts of the country.
When a joint analysis by The Century Foundation and Protect Borrowers, reported by the Associated Press, found rising overdue utility balances, it added a third line of evidence from outside the federal statistical apparatus. That work drew on account-level data from utilities and debt collectors to estimate how many households were carrying past-due balances and how large those balances had become. While the advocacy analysis is not directly comparable to federal surveys, it underscored that unpaid bills are not just a one-time shock but a growing stock of household debt.
That convergence matters because each source has blind spots on its own. The Pulse Survey does not capture the dollar amount owed or the specific utility involved, and respondents may underreport or misremember the timing of missed payments. The EIA tracks prices but not individual payment behavior, so it cannot show which families are pushed into arrears when prices rise. The Century Foundation and Protect Borrowers analysis fills part of that gap by examining actual balances owed, though its methodology and sampling frame differ from federal surveys. Together, the three sources build a stronger case than any single dataset could that energy insecurity is widespread, persistent, and closely tied to underlying price trends.
Gaps in the data and what households should watch next
Several pieces of the picture are still missing. There is no unified federal dataset that links household income, local utility prices, and actual arrears over time, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly when a temporary spike in usage becomes a long-term debt problem. State-level reporting rules for utilities vary widely, and disconnection moratoriums during extreme weather or public health emergencies can temporarily mask the depth of arrears without resolving them.
For households, the most immediate concern is practical rather than statistical: how to keep the lights and air conditioning on without falling further behind. Consumer advocates urge families to contact their utility as soon as a bill looks unaffordable, since many companies offer payment plans, budget billing that smooths seasonal swings, or referrals to assistance programs. Federal and state programs, such as energy bill assistance for low-income households, can help cover part of the gap, but eligibility rules and funding levels fluctuate and may not fully match the scale of need reflected in national surveys.
Researchers, meanwhile, are watching upcoming releases of Pulse Survey hardship indicators and EIA price data to see whether summer 2024 brings another jump in both electricity costs and reported nonpayment. If ENERGYBILL_RATE continues to climb alongside average residential prices, it will strengthen the argument for more durable policy responses, from weatherization investments that permanently lower usage to reforms in how utilities structure late fees and reconnection charges. Until then, the best available evidence suggests that energy insecurity is not an isolated hardship but a growing feature of household balance sheets in an era of rising power costs.
