Michigan Ranks Among America’s Priciest States to Power a Haunted House This Halloween, New Study Finds

Photo by 3D Render

Courtesy of Payless Power

Halloween decorations may be lighting up neighborhoods across Michigan, but powering a haunted house comes at a higher price than in much of America. Michigan ranks among the nation’s 15 most expensive states to run a full haunted-house display, costing an estimated $8.37 in electricity throughout October, nearly 27% above the $6.60 cost at the typical U.S. rate.

Michigan is also the most expensive state in the Midwest to power a haunted house,

ahead of Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana. Despite having one of the country’s 15 lowest average October household electric bills at $106, Michigan’s residential electricity rate of 20.5 cents per kilowatt-hour makes Halloween decorations more expensive to power than in most states.

To find out where Halloween decorations cost the most to power, Payless Power, a Texas electricity provider, analyzed federal electricity data across all 50 states and calculated the cost of running three Halloween displays and 11 common decorations using October 2025 electricity rates. The study also examined a decade of October household electric bills and surveyed 1,006 Americans in September 2026 about how energy costs are affecting their Halloween spending.

Key Takeaways:

• Michigan ranks as America’s 14th most expensive state to power a haunted house, with a full Halloween display costing $8.37 in electricity for October, nearly 27% above the $6.60 cost at the typical U.S. rate.

• Michigan is the most expensive state in the Midwest to run a haunted house, ahead of Illinois (No. 15, $7.67), Wisconsin (No. 16, $7.52), Ohio (No. 18, $7.30), and Indiana (No. 19, $7.10).

• Michigan’s residential electricity rate stands at 20.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, approximately 27% above the national median state rate of 16.1 cents, making Halloween decorations more expensive to power than in most states.

• Michigan households pay the 13th-lowest average October electric bill in America at $106, approximately $14 below the $120 national median. Despite ranking among the 15 most expensive states for haunted-house electricity costs, Michigan has one of the country’s 15 lowest overall October household bills.

• Powering a haunted house in Michigan costs around 65% more than in Louisiana, America’s cheapest state for Halloween display electricity costs. The same monthlong setup costs $8.37 in Michigan, compared with just $5.07 in Louisiana, a difference of $3.30.

• A full haunted-house display costs around $6.60 for October at the typical U.S. electricity rate, compared with just 63 cents for a basic porch display and $3.25 for a larger yard setup. These estimates assume decorations run five hours nightly, except the fog machine, which runs for one hour.

• More than 1 in 3 Americans (37%) surveyed have cut back on Halloween decorations because of rising energy costs, showing how electricity bills are influencing holiday decorating decisions.

• Nearly half of surveyed Americans (48%) believe Halloween decorations have become more expensive than they are worth, while 31% say they are spending less on decorations than they did last year.

• Traditional incandescent Halloween string lights cost nearly eight times as much to power as LED alternatives. Running three strands of incandescent mini lights for five hours nightly costs approximately $3 for October at the typical U.S. rate, compared with just 38 cents for equivalent LED strands. A fog machine costs approximately $2.35 for October when used one hour nightly, while the illuminated eyes of a 12-foot skeleton cost just 25 cents.

• The 10 most expensive states to power a haunted house: Hawaii ($16.26), California ($13.75), Massachusetts ($12.84), Rhode Island ($12.75), Connecticut ($11.34), New Hampshire ($11.16), New York ($11.03), Maine ($10.90), Alaska ($10.83), and Vermont ($10.14).

• The 10 least expensive states to power a haunted house: Louisiana ($5.07), Idaho ($5.10), North Dakota ($5.25), Missouri ($5.30), Tennessee ($5.34), Nebraska ($5.37), Arkansas ($5.43), Iowa ($5.52), Kentucky ($5.57), and Utah ($5.60).

• The 10 states with the highest average October household electric bills: Hawaii ($220), Texas ($175), Florida ($172), Alabama ($157), Massachusetts ($155), Mississippi ($154), California ($152), Maryland ($147), Connecticut ($146), and Louisiana ($144).

• The 10 states with the lowest average October household electric bills: New Mexico ($85), Utah ($86), Idaho ($92), Nevada ($92), Colorado ($95), Iowa ($95), Montana ($95), Nebraska ($101), Wyoming ($101), and Wisconsin ($103). Minnesota is tied with Wisconsin at the rounded dollar amount.

You can view the full study here: https://paylesspower.com/blog/the-cost-of-halloween/