2015 US Power Outage Report
In 2015, the average US customer went without power for about 2.9 hours — the 11th worst of the 11 years on record, below the decade average. Figures are from DOE/ORNL EAGLE-I and include major storm days.
Avg hrs / customer
2.9
Customer-hours out
391.3M
Rank (worst)
11th
States with data
48
2015 in context — the last decade
Average hours without power per US customer.
Hardest-hit states in 2015
By longest average outage per customer (SAIDI). Storm-heavy states dominate.
| # | State | Avg hrs / customer | Peak customers out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | 17.4 | 20,930 |
| 2 | Washington | 9.1 | 251,333 |
| 3 | North Carolina | 7.5 | 92,954 |
| 4 | Michigan | 6.8 | 61,704 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | 5.9 | 53,780 |
| 6 | Louisiana | 5.8 | 39,045 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | 5.1 | 38,402 |
| 8 | New Jersey | 4.5 | 93,824 |
| 9 | Arkansas | 3.7 | 26,362 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | 3.2 | 107,229 |
| 11 | Oregon | 3.2 | 31,073 |
| 12 | California | 3.1 | 124,111 |
Hardest-hit counties in 2015
By peak customers out during the year's worst event.
1Spokane County, WA251,3332Cook County, IL144,5383Orange County, CA124,1114King County, WA117,2625Delaware County, PA107,2296Camden County, NJ93,8247Bergen County, NJ93,1148Wake County, NC92,9549Gloucester County, NJ81,65710Cape May County, NJ76,55011Chester County, PA75,71812Hudson County, NJ73,09613Jackson County, MO73,06614Harris County, TX68,92015San Diego County, CA68,54916Tarrant County, TX67,37317Wayne County, MI61,70418Burlington County, NJ60,16619Whatcom County, WA54,37220Kent County, RI53,780
Biggest single outages of 2015
| County | Began | Peak customers out |
|---|---|---|
| Spokane County, WA | November 17, 2015 | 251,333 |
| Spokane County, WA | November 18, 2015 | 224,158 |
| Cook County, IL | March 11, 2015 | 144,538 |
| Orange County, CA | June 8, 2015 | 124,111 |
| King County, WA | August 25, 2015 | 117,262 |
| King County, WA | November 12, 2015 | 114,507 |
| Delaware County, PA | June 23, 2015 | 107,229 |
| Camden County, NJ | June 23, 2015 | 93,824 |
| Bergen County, NJ | August 20, 2015 | 93,114 |
| Wake County, NC | February 25, 2015 | 92,954 |
Source: DOE/ORNL EAGLE-I (15-minute county outage records; major disturbances from DOE OE-417). “Avg hours per customer” is a SAIDI-like measure — total outage customer-minutes divided by tracked customers. Coverage varies by year and utility.