2021 US Power Outage Report
In 2021, the average US customer went without power for about 8.9 hours — the 2nd worst of the 11 years on record, 1.3× the decade average. Figures are from DOE/ORNL EAGLE-I and include major storm days.
Avg hrs / customer
8.9
Customer-hours out
1331.3M
Rank (worst)
2nd
States with data
50
2021 in context — the last decade
Average hours without power per US customer.
Hardest-hit states in 2021
By longest average outage per customer (SAIDI). Storm-heavy states dominate.
| # | State | Avg hrs / customer | Peak customers out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisiana | 99.7 | 204,888 |
| 2 | Michigan | 26.6 | 265,444 |
| 3 | West Virginia | 21.4 | 35,274 |
| 4 | Texas | 21.0 | 455,986 |
| 5 | Oregon | 20.6 | 125,115 |
| 6 | Mississippi | 17.2 | 33,939 |
| 7 | Kentucky | 10.4 | 43,157 |
| 8 | North Carolina | 10.3 | 78,544 |
| 9 | Washington | 8.7 | 215,586 |
| 10 | Virginia | 8.7 | 57,010 |
| 11 | Nebraska | 8.3 | 138,327 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | 8.1 | 52,955 |
Hardest-hit counties in 2021
By peak customers out during the year's worst event.
1Harris County, TX455,9862Tarrant County, TX367,3163Dallas County, TX358,6504Plymouth County, MA351,2025Bexar County, TX329,7826Brazoria County, TX318,2427Travis County, TX273,8498Barnstable County, MA273,6349Wayne County, MI265,44410King County, WA215,58611Jefferson Parish, LA204,88812Orleans Parish, LA181,04013Fort Bend County, TX171,66014East Baton Rouge Parish, LA165,54915Galveston County, TX164,60616Oakland County, MI159,87117Sacramento County, CA156,26318Collin County, TX143,80319Douglas County, NE138,32720Montgomery County, TX135,412
Biggest single outages of 2021
| County | Began | Peak customers out |
|---|---|---|
| Harris County, TX | January 1, 2021 | 455,986 |
| Tarrant County, TX | February 11, 2021 | 367,316 |
| Dallas County, TX | February 8, 2021 | 358,650 |
| Plymouth County, MA | October 26, 2021 | 351,202 |
| Bexar County, TX | February 13, 2021 | 329,782 |
| Brazoria County, TX | February 14, 2021 | 318,242 |
| Travis County, TX | February 11, 2021 | 273,849 |
| Barnstable County, MA | October 26, 2021 | 273,634 |
| Wayne County, MI | August 11, 2021 | 265,444 |
| King County, WA | January 11, 2021 | 215,586 |
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.