Study50 states and DC
We crossed 30 years of NOAA humidity normals with July 2026 electricity prices. In Florida, outdoor air brought to 65°F tops 60% humidity 11 months a year. At the EPA’s standard yearly use, a typical 50-pint unit costs $78 to run there, and $175 in California.
What the data shows
Year-round
12of 12 months
Every month, outdoor air brought down to 65°F tops 60% humidity. At 48.00¢ a kWh, a typical 50-pint unit costs $250 a year, the most of any state. The Hawaii guide sizes one for a home there.
Lower 48
11months above 60%
Its summer dew point is 73.0°F, typical of its stations. Power at 15.03¢ keeps the yearly cost to $78. See the Florida guide.
Cheapest power
$66a year
At 12.72¢ a kWh, it has the cheapest electricity in the study. It ranks third on months above 60%.
Fewer months, bigger bill
$175in California
Electricity costs 33.61¢ a kWh there, against 15.03¢, with three such months against 11. Florida’s longer humid season would likely narrow the gap.
At 65°F
9states at zero
They are Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Arizona, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and Nevada. Cooler basements change this. At 60°F, Alaska counts 2 humid months. The count covers outdoor humidity only, not leaks.
Every state at a glance
Each dot is a state. To the right, more months above 60% in a 65°F basement. Higher up, a bigger yearly bill for the same 50-pint unit.
The full table
Most humid first. Humid months and dew point are the middle value across a state’s NOAA stations.
| State | Humid months | Summer dew point | Electricity | Yearly cost | Stations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 12 | 67.7°F | 48.00¢ | $250 | 6 |
| Florida | 11 | 73.0°F | 15.03¢ | $78 | 22 |
| Louisiana | 9 | 73.0°F | 12.72¢ | $66 | 7 |
| Georgia | 7 | 69.9°F | 16.27¢ | $85 | 15 |
| Texas | 7 | 68.3°F | 15.88¢ | $83 | 26 |
| Mississippi | 7 | 70.2°F | 14.54¢ | $76 | 4 |
| Alabama | 6.5 | 69.3°F | 16.40¢ | $85 | 8 |
| South Carolina | 6 | 69.2°F | 15.47¢ | $80 | 6 |
| North Carolina | 6 | 68.4°F | 15.16¢ | $79 | 11 |
| Arkansas | 6 | 69.6°F | 14.33¢ | $75 | 7 |
| Maryland | 5 | 64.3°F | 21.41¢ | $111 | 3 |
| Delaware | 5 | 65.7°F | 18.48¢ | $96 | 1 |
| Virginia | 5 | 66.2°F | 17.55¢ | $91 | 11 |
| Missouri | 5 | 65.5°F | 16.09¢ | $84 | 9 |
| Kansas | 5 | 63.2°F | 15.27¢ | $79 | 11 |
| Oklahoma | 5 | 66.1°F | 14.35¢ | $75 | 6 |
| Kentucky | 5 | 65.5°F | 13.81¢ | $72 | 8 |
| Tennessee | 5 | 67.2°F | 13.71¢ | $71 | 5 |
| Massachusetts | 4 | 59.6°F | 30.49¢ | $159 | 1 |
| New York | 4 | 59.0°F | 29.90¢ | $155 | 14 |
| Rhode Island | 4 | 60.8°F | 28.29¢ | $147 | 1 |
| New Hampshire | 4 | 58.1°F | 26.60¢ | $138 | 3 |
| New Jersey | 4 | 63.7°F | 25.19¢ | $131 | 5 |
| Connecticut | 4 | 61.0°F | 24.16¢ | $126 | 2 |
| Michigan | 4 | 58.8°F | 23.05¢ | $120 | 14 |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | 60.3°F | 21.72¢ | $113 | 12 |
| Ohio | 4 | 61.6°F | 19.45¢ | $101 | 11 |
| Illinois | 4 | 62.8°F | 19.22¢ | $100 | 9 |
| Wisconsin | 4 | 59.0°F | 19.06¢ | $99 | 7 |
| Indiana | 4 | 63.0°F | 16.73¢ | $87 | 5 |
| Iowa | 4 | 62.5°F | 15.99¢ | $83 | 7 |
| West Virginia | 4 | 62.4°F | 15.78¢ | $82 | 7 |
| Nebraska | 4 | 61.6°F | 13.78¢ | $72 | 10 |
| Vermont | 3.5 | 56.8°F | 23.75¢ | $124 | 2 |
| California | 3 | 52.5°F | 33.61¢ | $175 | 29 |
| Maine | 3 | 55.8°F | 32.41¢ | $169 | 4 |
| Minnesota | 3 | 57.8°F | 17.45¢ | $91 | 10 |
| South Dakota | 3 | 58.3°F | 15.37¢ | $80 | 8 |
| North Dakota | 3 | 55.3°F | 13.41¢ | $70 | 7 |
| New Mexico | 1.5 | 48.5°F | 16.09¢ | $84 | 8 |
| Washington | 1 | 48.6°F | 14.71¢ | $76 | 12 |
| Alaska | 0 | 47.4°F | 28.83¢ | $150 | 22 |
| Colorado | 0 | 46.4°F | 17.00¢ | $88 | 13 |
| Oregon | 0 | 48.2°F | 15.97¢ | $83 | 13 |
| Arizona | 0 | 42.8°F | 15.38¢ | $80 | 9 |
| Montana | 0 | 45.2°F | 14.99¢ | $78 | 10 |
| Wyoming | 0 | 41.2°F | 14.36¢ | $75 | 8 |
| Idaho | 0 | 41.8°F | 13.73¢ | $71 | 4 |
| Utah | 0 | 38.8°F | 13.12¢ | $68 | 4 |
| Nevada | 0 | 33.9°F | 12.77¢ | $66 | 8 |
| District of Columbia | No station | 25.21¢ | $131 |
Method
For each NOAA station, we take the normal dew point of each month, from hourly normals for 1991-2020. We bring that air to 65°F, a cool basement, and count the months above 60%, the ceiling the EPA gives for indoor humidity. Each state gets the middle value of its stations, so 6.5 or 3.5 means an even count of them. Summer dew point is the June–August average, taken the same way. The humidity by city tool runs this calculation for 445 locations.
We start from the median energy use of certified 45–50 pint portables on the EPA list, 520 kWh a year. We multiply it by each state’s average home electricity price for July 2026, from the EIA’s Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A. Prices are for July 2026 only, applied to a full year. The running cost tool does it for any certified model.
The EPA’s yearly figure is the same in every state. In a humid state, a unit runs longer, so the real bill is likely higher than shown. A basement at another temperature changes the count. The District of Columbia has no NOAA station in the normals we use, so its humid months are blank. Delaware, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island have a single station each.
Using these figures. You may quote, chart, and republish them under a CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab) license. Credit Humidwise with a link to this page, and cite NOAA, the EIA, and the EPA. Every value is in a CSV file, with its source.
Sources. Palecki, M.; Durre, I.; Applequist, S.; Arguez, A.; Lawrimore, J. (2021). U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Hourly Climate Normals (1991-2020). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. https://doi.org/10.25921/e3zh-ag77 Accessed Oct 5, 2026. EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, July 2026. EPA, certified dehumidifiers list, updated Oct 15, 2026.