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How much does it cost to run a pool pump?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.31¢ per kilowatt-hour (July 2026), running a pool pump costs about $316 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 48.00¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- 22.0¢
- Per day of use
- $1.76
- Per month
- $26.37
- Per year
- $316
Assumption: 1,200 W, 8 hours a day, 180 days a year — 1,728 kWh a year. A single-speed 1.5 HP pump. Variable-speed pumps running longer at low speed use a fraction of this.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 12.72¢ | $18.32 | $220 |
| Nevada | 12.77¢ | $18.39 | $221 |
| Utah | 13.12¢ | $18.89 | $227 |
| North Dakota | 13.41¢ | $19.31 | $232 |
| Tennessee | 13.71¢ | $19.74 | $237 |
| Idaho | 13.73¢ | $19.77 | $237 |
| Nebraska | 13.78¢ | $19.84 | $238 |
| Kentucky | 13.81¢ | $19.89 | $239 |
| Arkansas | 14.33¢ | $20.64 | $248 |
| Oklahoma | 14.35¢ | $20.66 | $248 |
| Wyoming | 14.36¢ | $20.68 | $248 |
| Mississippi | 14.54¢ | $20.94 | $251 |
| Washington | 14.71¢ | $21.18 | $254 |
| Montana | 14.99¢ | $21.59 | $259 |
| Florida | 15.03¢ | $21.64 | $260 |
| North Carolina | 15.16¢ | $21.83 | $262 |
| Kansas | 15.27¢ | $21.99 | $264 |
| South Dakota | 15.37¢ | $22.13 | $266 |
| Arizona | 15.38¢ | $22.15 | $266 |
| South Carolina | 15.47¢ | $22.28 | $267 |
| West Virginia | 15.78¢ | $22.72 | $273 |
| Texas | 15.88¢ | $22.87 | $274 |
| Oregon | 15.97¢ | $23.00 | $276 |
| Iowa | 15.99¢ | $23.03 | $276 |
| Missouri | 16.09¢ | $23.17 | $278 |
| New Mexico | 16.09¢ | $23.17 | $278 |
| Georgia | 16.27¢ | $23.43 | $281 |
| Alabama | 16.40¢ | $23.62 | $283 |
| Indiana | 16.73¢ | $24.09 | $289 |
| Colorado | 17.00¢ | $24.48 | $294 |
| Minnesota | 17.45¢ | $25.13 | $302 |
| Virginia | 17.55¢ | $25.27 | $303 |
| Delaware | 18.48¢ | $26.61 | $319 |
| Wisconsin | 19.06¢ | $27.45 | $329 |
| Illinois | 19.22¢ | $27.68 | $332 |
| Ohio | 19.45¢ | $28.01 | $336 |
| Maryland | 21.41¢ | $30.83 | $370 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.72¢ | $31.28 | $375 |
| Michigan | 23.05¢ | $33.19 | $398 |
| Vermont | 23.75¢ | $34.20 | $410 |
| Connecticut | 24.16¢ | $34.79 | $417 |
| New Jersey | 25.19¢ | $36.27 | $435 |
| District of Columbia | 25.21¢ | $36.30 | $436 |
| New Hampshire | 26.60¢ | $38.30 | $460 |
| Rhode Island | 28.29¢ | $40.74 | $489 |
| Alaska | 28.83¢ | $41.52 | $498 |
| New York | 29.90¢ | $43.06 | $517 |
| Massachusetts | 30.49¢ | $43.91 | $527 |
| Maine | 32.41¢ | $46.67 | $560 |
| California | 33.61¢ | $48.40 | $581 |
| Hawaii | 48.00¢ | $69.12 | $829 |
Cutting the number down
- Pump power rises roughly with the cube of speed, so running at half speed for twice as long uses about a quarter of the energy.
- Most pools are turned over more often than they need. Cutting an hour a day is free money all season.
- A variable-speed pump is one of the few upgrades that routinely pays back within two seasons.
Questions
- How many watts does a pool pump use?
- About 1,200 W while running.
- How much does a pool pump cost per month?
- About $26.37 a month at the U.S. average rate, or $316 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Louisiana, at $220 a year, versus $829 in Hawaii — a spread of $610.