2018 US Power Outage Report
In 2018, the average US customer went without power for about 5.6 hours — the 8th 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
5.6
Customer-hours out
824.0M
Rank (worst)
8th
States with data
50
2018 in context — the last decade
Average hours without power per US customer.
Hardest-hit states in 2018
By longest average outage per customer (SAIDI). Storm-heavy states dominate.
| # | State | Avg hrs / customer | Peak customers out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina | 55.2 | 114,738 |
| 2 | Virginia | 18.7 | 136,046 |
| 3 | West Virginia | 13.4 | 18,220 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 12.6 | 148,898 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | 11.9 | 64,587 |
| 6 | Vermont | 11.4 | 14,231 |
| 7 | Maine | 10.9 | 23,369 |
| 8 | Michigan | 10.0 | 170,309 |
| 9 | New Jersey | 8.9 | 64,420 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | 8.3 | 123,280 |
| 11 | New York | 7.4 | 284,600 |
| 12 | Alaska | 6.2 | 47,060 |
Hardest-hit counties in 2018
By peak customers out during the year's worst event.
1Monroe County, NY284,6002Wayne County, MI170,3093Middlesex County, MA148,8984Erie County, NY147,8745Plymouth County, MA141,3836Fairfax city, VA136,0467Leon County, FL135,2158Barnstable County, MA128,2689Montgomery County, PA123,28010New Hanover County, NC114,73811Essex County, MA112,65512Delaware County, PA109,68613Los Angeles County, CA109,40914Maricopa County, AZ109,16015Montgomery County, MD108,67716Cook County, IL101,66217Bay County, FL100,59218Guilford County, NC95,81419Bucks County, PA94,23120Westchester County, NY88,376
Biggest single outages of 2018
| County | Began | Peak customers out |
|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, NY | July 10, 2018 | 284,600 |
| Wayne County, MI | April 15, 2018 | 170,309 |
| Middlesex County, MA | March 7, 2018 | 148,898 |
| Erie County, NY | July 9, 2018 | 147,874 |
| Plymouth County, MA | March 2, 2018 | 141,383 |
| Fairfax city, VA | March 2, 2018 | 136,046 |
| Leon County, FL | October 10, 2018 | 135,215 |
| Barnstable County, MA | March 12, 2018 | 128,268 |
| Montgomery County, PA | March 2, 2018 | 123,280 |
| New Hanover County, NC | September 13, 2018 | 114,738 |
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.