Minnesota · City
Commercial electricity in Rochester, Minnesota
Which electric utilities serve businesses in Rochester, what each charged commercial customers in EIA’s 2025 data, and where Minnesota’s prices stand.
EIA lists 6 electric utilities in Olmsted County, which contains Rochester. Rochester Public Utilities, the city’s own utility, averaged 14.03¢ per kWh for its commercial customers in 2025. Minnesota’s average commercial price was 12.56¢ 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 Rochester
These are the utilities EIA records in Olmsted 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 Minnesota, not a statement about any one address. Prices are EIA’s averages over all of each utility’s commercial customers: revenue divided by kWh.
Rochester Public Utilities is a city-owned utility named for Rochester, 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 5,234 commercial customers an average 14.03¢ per kWh in 2025.
| Utility | Type | Commercial customers in MN | Average commercial price, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester Public Utilities | Municipal | 5,234 | 14.03¢ |
| Xcel Energy Minnesota | Investor-owned | 145,622 | 12.73¢ |
| Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | 3,628 | 12.08¢ |
| People's Cooperative Services | Cooperative | 2,225 | 14.21¢ |
| MiEnergy Cooperative | Cooperative | 1,062 | 12.72¢ |
| Goodhue County Coop Elec Assn | 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 Rochester pay
Across Minnesota, businesses paid an average 12.56¢ per kWh over the 12 months to August 2026, 9.4% below the U.S. average of 13.87¢, and up 3.0% on the 12 months before. That ranks Minnesota 26 of 51, where 1 is the highest price. In 2025 the average commercial account in the state used 6,121 kWh a month, about $756 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 Minnesota page has the state’s price history since 2010 and every utility with at least 500 commercial customers.
Choosing a supplier in Rochester
Minnesota commercial accounts buy supply from their regulated utility. Tariff fit, demand charges and efficiency programs carry the cost decisions.
Where prices are heading
EIA does not forecast single states. For the West North Central census division, which includes Minnesota, 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 Rochester
The Census Bureau estimates Rochester had 124,292 residents on July 1, 2025, up 2.2% from 121,591 in 2020. It lies in Olmsted County.
Other cities in Minnesota
Common questions
- Who provides electricity to businesses in Rochester?
- EIA lists Rochester Public Utilities, Xcel Energy Minnesota, Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative and People's Cooperative Services and 2 more as electric utilities in Olmsted 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 Rochester?
- There is no official figure for a city. EIA publishes prices by state and by utility: Rochester Public Utilities averaged 14.03¢ per kWh for its commercial customers in 2025, and Minnesota averaged 12.56¢ 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 Rochester choose its electricity supplier?
- Minnesota commercial accounts buy supply from their regulated utility. Tariff fit, demand charges and efficiency programs carry the cost decisions. The state page for Minnesota explains how it works and who regulates it.
Averages describe Rochester; a bill describes your business. A person can read yours: rate schedule, demand, riders, contract window. Nobody calls unless you ask.