Missouri · City
Commercial electricity in Columbia, Missouri
Which electric utilities serve businesses in Columbia, what each charged commercial customers in EIA’s 2025 data, and where Missouri’s prices stand.
EIA lists 7 electric utilities in Boone County, which contains Columbia. City of Columbia, the city’s own utility, averaged 12.73¢ per kWh for its commercial customers in 2025. Missouri’s average commercial price was 10.91¢ per kWh over the 12 months to August 2026.
Source: EIA Form EIA-861 (2025) and Form EIA-861M; U.S. Census Bureau
Electric utilities serving Columbia
These are the utilities EIA records in Boone County. EIA lists a utility in a county when it has customers anywhere in it, so this is everyone with a presence, ordered by commercial customers across Missouri, not a statement about any one address. Prices are EIA’s averages over all of each utility’s commercial customers: revenue divided by kWh.
City of Columbia is a city-owned utility named for Columbia, and city-owned utilities usually serve the area inside the city’s limits, so it is the likely utility for many addresses there. It billed its 7,634 commercial customers an average 12.73¢ per kWh in 2025.
| Utility | Type | Commercial customers in MO | Average commercial price, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Columbia | Municipal | 7,634 | 12.73¢ |
| Ameren Missouri | Investor-owned | 167,657 | 10.29¢ |
| Boone Electric Coop | Cooperative | 1,457 | 11.02¢ |
| Callaway Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | 884 | 12.24¢ |
| Consolidated Electric Coop | Cooperative | 581 | 11.67¢ |
| City of Centralia | fewer than 500 commercial customers | ||
| Howard Electric Coop | fewer than 500 commercial customers |
Find the list for a single ZIP Code with the utility lookup, or set utilities side by side with the comparison tool.
What businesses in Columbia pay
Across Missouri, businesses paid an average 10.91¢ per kWh over the 12 months to August 2026, 21.3% below the U.S. average of 13.87¢, and up 5.3% on the 12 months before. That ranks Missouri 41 of 51, where 1 is the highest price. In 2025 the average commercial account in the state used 6,211 kWh a month, about $650 a month at the state price; that is a mean pulled up by a few very large users, so most small businesses use less.
A city has no price of its own: two businesses on the same street can pay very different amounts per kWh, because the rate schedule, the size of the peak and, where it is allowed, the supply contract matter more than the location. The Missouri page has the state’s price history since 2010 and every utility with at least 500 commercial customers.
Choosing a supplier in Columbia
Missouri commercial accounts buy supply from their regulated utility. Rate schedule selection and demand management drive controllable cost.
Where prices are heading
EIA does not forecast single states. For the West North Central census division, which includes Missouri, its November 2026 Short-Term Energy Outlook puts the average commercial price at 10.80¢ per kWh for 2026 and 10.89¢ for 2027, up 4.4% from 10.43¢ in 2025. The forecast for every region.
About Columbia
The Census Bureau estimates Columbia had 130,851 residents on July 1, 2025, up 3.6% from 126,315 in 2020. It lies in Boone County.
Other cities in Missouri
Common questions
- Who provides electricity to businesses in Columbia?
- EIA lists City of Columbia, Ameren Missouri, Boone Electric Coop and Callaway Electric Cooperative and 3 more as electric utilities in Boone County. Which one serves a given address depends on the street; the utility on an existing bill is the definitive answer, and a utility can confirm service for a new site.
- What is the average commercial electricity rate in Columbia?
- There is no official figure for a city. EIA publishes prices by state and by utility: City of Columbia averaged 12.73¢ per kWh for its commercial customers in 2025, and Missouri averaged 10.91¢ over the 12 months to August 2026. A business’s own price depends on its rate schedule, its demand and, where it can choose, its supply contract.
- Can a business in Columbia choose its electricity supplier?
- Missouri commercial accounts buy supply from their regulated utility. Rate schedule selection and demand management drive controllable cost. The state page for Missouri explains how it works and who regulates it.
Averages describe Columbia; a bill describes your business. A person can read yours: rate schedule, demand, riders, contract window. Nobody calls unless you ask.