One in five Americans has cut back on groceries just to pay their electric bill. Find out how rising electricity costs are hitting households like yours — and what it means for your budget.
Electric bills have quietly become one of the most punishing costs in the American household. A new Consumer Reports survey found that one in five Americans has had to cut back on groceries just to keep the lights on — and roughly a quarter are living in uncomfortable heat or cold to save money.
Electricity prices in major U.S. cities have jumped 14% over just three years. Tell us about your situation and see how the squeeze compares to what millions of other Americans are facing right now.
- 1 in 5 — Cut back on groceries
- 14% — Electricity price jump
- 75% — Say higher bills strain finances
The squeeze on American households is real and it is widening. For millions of families, the electric bill is no longer just a utility expense — it has become a monthly financial reckoning that forces hard choices between basic needs.
Consumer Reports surveyed Americans and found that the burden falls hardest on lower-income households. Those earning less than $85,000 a year were more than twice as likely to say the increase in their electric bill was affecting their household finances. That threshold captures a wide swath of working Americans — teachers, hourly workers, caregivers, retirees — who have little room to absorb a 14% price jump.
Your Household Risk Profile
- Share who say higher bills strain their finances
Consumer Reports found households under $85,000/year are more than twice as likely to feel the financial strain of rising electric costs.
Americans are being asked to foot the bill for costs they didnt create and cant control. This survey shows people see through that. They want the costs and risks to stay with the corporate entities that create them, not residential customersSara Enright, senior director of safety and energy at Consumer Reports
Sara Enright, senior director of safety and energy at Consumer Reports, captured the frustration clearly: families are absorbing price increases driven by decisions made far above their pay grade, with no say in the outcome.
Consumer Reports specifically highlighted students, retirees, and others on fixed incomes as especially exposed when bills suddenly spike. Many survey respondents also said they find utility bills difficult to understand — making it nearly impossible to budget or push back. And a majority of Americans surveyed said utilities should focus on helping customers improve energy efficiency before simply producing and billing for more electricity.
The 14% electricity price increase in major U.S. cities over the past three years is not happening in isolation. The Consumer Price Index has climbed significantly across the broader economy, and with a national unemployment rate of 4.2% as of September 2026, many households are navigating both job market uncertainty and surging fixed costs — with utility bills near the top of the list.
The Consumer Reports findings arrive as millions of Americans prepare for another season of heating and cooling demands. For those already living at uncomfortable temperatures to cut costs, relief is not guaranteed without structural changes to how utilities pass costs to residential customers.
How Well Do You Know the Energy Cost Crisis?
Four questions. Test what you know — and learn what the Consumer Reports survey actually found.
What share of Americans said they cut back on groceries specifically to pay their electric bill?
- About 1 in 20 — The real number is far higher — Consumer Reports found 1 in 5 Americans made this trade-off, underscoring how routine the sacrifice has become.
- About 1 in 5 — Correct. One in five Americans has cut grocery spending to cover electric bills, per Consumer Reports — a scale that reflects how deeply utility costs are biting into household basics.
- About 1 in 3 — Consumer Reports found the figure is 1 in 5 — still alarming enough, and a sign the problem is widespread rather than isolated.
- About half — It's 1 in 5 — significant, but Consumer Reports did find roughly a quarter were also adjusting their thermostat to uncomfortable levels, which compounds the hardship.
By how much have electricity prices in major U.S. cities increased over the past three years?
- Around 5% — The actual increase is nearly three times that — 14% over three years, according to Consumer Reports. That kind of compounding hits households with tight margins especially hard.
- Around 14% — Correct. Electricity prices in major U.S. cities climbed 14% over three years — a significant jump that Consumer Reports says is straining budgets for nearly three-quarters of those who saw increases.
- Around 25% — Consumer Reports put the figure at 14% over three years — painful, but the share of households describing the increase as a financial strain (nearly 75%) shows even that level is damaging.
- Around 40% — The Consumer Reports figure is 14% over three years. Even that smaller number is causing 1 in 5 Americans to cut grocery spending — a hint at how little financial cushion many households have.
Consumer Reports identified an income dividing line where households are more than twice as likely to feel financial strain from rising electric bills. Where is that line?
- Under $50,000/year — Consumer Reports set the threshold at $85,000 — higher than many might expect. It means a substantial share of working Americans, not just those in poverty, are caught in the squeeze.
- Under $65,000/year — The actual threshold Consumer Reports identified is $85,000. That captures a broad middle-income range — teachers, trade workers, healthcare aides — where budgets are tight but safety nets are limited.
- Under $85,000/year — Correct. Consumer Reports found those earning less than $85,000 were more than twice as likely to say the increase in their electric bill was affecting their household finances.
- Under $100,000/year — Consumer Reports put the dividing line at $85,000 — meaning households above that figure are significantly less likely to describe electric bill increases as financially straining.
What did a majority of Americans surveyed by Consumer Reports say utilities should prioritize?
- Building more power plants — The opposite, actually. Consumer Reports found a majority of Americans believe utilities should help customers improve energy efficiency before moving to produce more electricity — and pass those costs along.
- Lowering executive pay — Consumer Reports didn't surface that finding — but respondents did say utilities should prioritize helping customers improve energy efficiency before expanding electricity production.
- Helping customers improve energy efficiency — Correct. A majority of Americans in the Consumer Reports survey said utilities should focus on helping customers use energy more efficiently — before simply generating and billing for more of it.
- Switching fully to renewable energy — Consumer Reports reported that the priority Americans identified was energy efficiency help for customers — not a specific energy source preference — before utilities pursued production expansion.
Steps You Can Take When Electric Bills Are Stretching Your Budget
- Ask your utility about energy efficiency programs — Consumer Reports found a majority of Americans believe utilities should help customers improve efficiency before raising rates. Many utilities offer free audits or rebates — ask directly.
- Request a budget billing or levelized payment plan — Many utilities allow customers to average their annual costs into equal monthly payments, smoothing out seasonal spikes that strain budgets.
- Ask if you qualify for low-income assistance programs — Consumer Reports flagged that students, retirees, and fixed-income households are especially exposed to sudden bill spikes — many qualify for assistance programs they don't know exist.
- Demand bill transparency — Consumer Reports found many Americans say their bills are hard to understand. Contact your utility and ask for a line-item explanation of what is driving increases on your account.
The Consumer Reports survey is a snapshot of a pressure that has been building quietly for years. One in five Americans cutting back on food to keep the lights on is not a minor inconvenience — it is a sign that a basic household expense has grown into a crisis-level financial burden for a significant share of the country.
The core tension Sara Enright described at Consumer Reports — households absorbing costs they did not create and cannot control — sits at the heart of why this story matters. Electricity is not optional. It powers heating systems, refrigerators, medical equipment, and the devices that connect people to work and school. When that cost rises faster than incomes, the sacrifices become deeply personal, and deeply inequitable.
Sources & References
- Primary source: Scripps News — Kelly Broderick
- Consumer Reports — Survey findings on Americans cutting back groceries and living uncomfortably to pay electric bills; income threshold data; utility transparency findings
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — National unemployment rate: 4.2%, September 2026, seasonally adjusted
