Contributing Factors to Rural Energy Use, Costs, and Affordability in the Early 2020s

Justin B. Winikoff, Hannah Kamen and Richelle L. Winkler

No 413176, Economic Information Bulletin from United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service

Abstract: Affordable access to energy is critical for economic and physical welfare. This report draws largely on data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey to study energy affordability in the rural United States, focusing on household costs and factors contributing to energy affordability. Rural households spend more of their income on home energy use than their urban counterparts. This disparity is driven primarily by differences in heating costs. Several factors explain the higher costs (including heating fuel type, the prevalence of mobile homes, and exposure to cold temperatures). Low-income rural households tend to live in less energy efficient homes and spend more money per square foot on both heating and cooling.

Keywords: Research Research Methods/Statistical Methods; Resource/Energy Economics and Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 41
Date: 2026-10
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:uersib:413176

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.413176

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