Tyler Residents Among Most Worried About Rising Energy Bills in Texas
Texas ranks as the most anxious state in the country when it comes to energy bills, according to a new Energy Bill Anxiety Index from Compare the Market
The index analysed energy awareness searches, financial strain searches and anxiety-related queries per 100,000 residents across all 50 states.
Tyler ranks among highest in Texas, with 41% of online energy-bill conversations expressing concern.
Key findings for Texas:
- Rank: 1st
- 302.9 energy awareness searches per 100k
- 209.3 financial strain searches per 100k
- Total anxiety score: 59.21/100
At a city level, Compare the Market analyzed social listening data throughout the last 12 months and the data found Midland (50%), McAllen (49%) and El Paso (46%) are seeing the highest share of online conversations expressing worry about rising energy costs.
| Cities | State | % of Online Conversations Expressing Concern About Energy Bills |
| Midland | Texas | 50% |
| McAllen | Texas | 49% |
| El Paso | Texas | 46% |
| Ft. Worth | Texas | 46% |
| Killeen | Texas | 45% |
| Longview | Texas | 45% |
| Dallas | Texas | 45% |
| San Antonio | Texas | 45% |
| Temple | Texas | 45% |
| Conroe | Texas | 45% |
| Corpus Christi | Texas | 44% |
| Denton | Texas | 44% |
| Wichita Falls | Texas | 44% |
| Waco | Texas | 44% |
| Plano | Texas | 44% |
| Texas City | Texas | 43% |
| Bryan | Texas | 43% |
| Amarillo | Texas | 42% |
| Houston | Texas | 41% |
| Tyler | Texas | 41% |
| Katy | Texas | 40% |
| Austin | Texas | 38% |
U.S. states ranked based on energy bill anxiety:
| State | Energy awareness searches per 100k | Financial strain searches per 100k | Emotional anxiety searches per 100k | Total score (Max 100) |
| Texas | 302.9 | 209.3 | 25.5 | 59.21 |
| West Virginia | 48.0 | 248 | 54.2 | 56.56 |
| Delaware | 60.8 | 186.3 | 53.2 | 51.37 |
| Alabama | 38.6 | 378.5 | 32.8 | 49.47 |
| Georgia | 48.7 | 306.1 | 37.8 | 48.09 |
| Ohio | 81.4 | 138.5 | 50.7 | 47.17 |
| Pennsylvania | 106.7 | 152.2 | 44.5 | 46.22 |
| Illinois | 54.1 | 140.2 | 48.9 | 42.46 |
| Maryland | 67.1 | 153.8 | 43.7 | 40.87 |
| North Carolina | 46.7 | 262 | 33.4 | 39.86 |
| Virginia | 48.3 | 159.1 | 44.4 | 39.69 |
| Indiana | 39.1 | 178.4 | 41.2 | 37.67 |
| Oklahoma | 36.4 | 241.5 | 33.9 | 37.08 |
| Massachusetts | 77.1 | 126 | 40.1 | 36.35 |
| Rhode Island | 67.4 | 98.9 | 44.1 | 36.02 |
| South Carolina | 51.8 | 237.6 | 30.3 | 35.49 |
| Kentucky | 41.8 | 196.8 | 35.3 | 34.68 |
| Vermont | 66.3 | 57.1 | 44.7 | 32.41 |
| Tennessee | 39.8 | 200.5 | 32.5 | 32.39 |
| Maine | 56.2 | 106.0 | 39.1 | 31.04 |
| Arkansas | 36.3 | 211.8 | 30.1 | 30.98 |
| Oregon | 43.5 | 156.6 | 32.8 | 28.91 |
| Connecticut | 138.5 | 70.5 | 28.8 | 28.81 |
| New Jersey | 44.4 | 113.7 | 36.2 | 27.84 |
| Missouri | 38.1 | 163.5 | 31.1 | 27.45 |
| Kansas | 43.4 | 150.5 | 29.6 | 25.56 |
| Louisiana | 43.3 | 241.9 | 19.4 | 25.50 |
| Michigan | 46.0 | 130.2 | 30.5 | 24.72 |
| Wisconsin | 34.1 | 67.6 | 38.8 | 24.43 |
| Florida | 35.4 | 223.8 | 20.2 | 23.51 |
| New York | 57.2 | 83.5 | 32.0 | 22.91 |
| Minnesota | 36.9 | 71.3 | 35.9 | 22.63 |
| Mississippi | 45.5 | 195.0 | 20.0 | 21.81 |
| New Hampshire | 77.4 | 53.2 | 30.5 | 21.19 |
| Wyoming | 74.9 | 63.0 | 28.9 | 20.45 |
| South Dakota | 58.4 | 50.8 | 31.4 | 19.42 |
| North Dakota | 72.8 | 42.7 | 28.9 | 18.26 |
| Nebraska | 42.9 | 86.8 | 27.9 | 17.97 |
| Arizona | 50.1 | 169.1 | 15.4 | 15.95 |
| Washington | 41.2 | 97.0 | 24.6 | 15.90 |
| Iowa | 38.9 | 94.1 | 24.1 | 14.91 |
| Utah | 28.8 | 43.7 | 28.8 | 12.91 |
| Alaska | 48.6 | 41.9 | 25.7 | 12.49 |
| New Mexico | 36.1 | 109.8 | 19.7 | 12.29 |
| Colorado | 38.1 | 104.7 | 19.6 | 11.96 |
| Hawaii | 43.6 | 94.0 | 18.7 | 10.83 |
| California | 34.2 | 124.8 | 16.6 | 10.82 |
| Montana | 59.8 | 29.0 | 22.9 | 10.21 |
| Idaho | 37.5 | 54.0 | 23.0 | 9.97 |
| Nevada | 39.5 | 104.1 | 15.6 | 8.64 |
Regionally, the data shows a clear divide in how energy bill anxiety is felt across the U.S. Southern states dominate the top of the ranking, with Texas (1), Alabama (4), Georgia (5) and Florida (30) all recording elevated levels of financial strain–related searches, suggesting affordability pressure is a major driver of concern.
In contrast, Appalachian and smaller eastern states, including West Virginia (2), Delaware (3) and Kentucky (17), tend to show higher emotional anxiety search rates, despite smaller populations, pointing to heightened sensitivity around household energy costs.
Meanwhile, many western states, such as California (47), Nevada (50) and Colorado (45), rank towards the bottom of the index, indicating lower relative anxiety even where absolute energy costs may be high, potentially reflecting higher average incomes or greater access to energy efficiency measures.
Meredith O’Brien, Head of Energy at Compare the Market, said there are ways to try lower your bills by making some habit changes.
“While energy bills can be a challenge to keep down, there are many ways that you can change your habits to reduce the strain on your wallet.
“Try buying eco-friendly appliances and products where possible, and pay attention to your energy provider’s peak times, as some may give you benefits for using electricity outside of peak usage hours.
“You can also compare your energy bills with other companies through Compare the Market. Just enter a few details and see if you can find a better deal.”
You can explore the full U.S. state rankings and global comparison here: https://www.comparethemarket.com.au/energy/features/energy-bills-anxiety-index/
Methodology:
This dataset ranks AUS states/territories, the 20 most populous AUS cities, and all US states by anxiety about energy bills, using 3 groups of search prompts. Each group’s data was collected, converted to per 100,000 population, and normalised to a score between 0 and 1. If data were missing, a score of 0 was given. These scores were then combined to give each location a total score out of 100, and locations were ranked from highest to lowest.
The search prompts can be found onsite within the blog.
