Empire District Electric Co
Investor Owned electric utility · Missouri · #158 of 3,199 U.S. utilities by customers · EIA utility #5860
Empire District Electric Co is a investor owned electric utility serving 190,255 customers in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma. In 2025 it sold 4,866 gigawatt-hours of electricity for $610.31M in revenue, an average realized rate of 12.54¢ per kWh across all customer classes and 14.67¢ per kWh for residential customers. Its reported service territory covers 21 counties. EIA records its activities as: generation, transmission, buying transmission, distribution, wholesale marketing.
Customers, sales and rates by customer class (2025)
| Class | Customers | Sales (GWh) | Revenue | Avg realized rate | Share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 161,373 | 2,019 | $296.25M | 14.67¢ | |
| Commercial | 28,566 | 1,710 | $211.54M | 12.37¢ | |
| Industrial | 316 | 1,136 | $102.52M | 9.02¢ | |
| Total | 190,255 | 4,866 | $610.31M | 12.54¢ |
Average realized rate = revenue divided by sales as reported on EIA Form 861. It blends fixed charges, demand charges and riders into one per-kWh figure; it is not the utility's tariff rate. Estimated residential bill assumes the average residential customer's actual 2025 usage (1,043 kWh/month).
Operations by state
| State | Customers | Sales (GWh) | Residential rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 169,593 | 4,295 | 14.77¢ |
| Kansas | 9,987 | 228 | 13.35¢ |
| Arkansas | 5,743 | 181 | 13.80¢ |
| Oklahoma | 4,932 | 161 | 14.93¢ |
Five-year trend
| Year | Customers | Sales (GWh) | Revenue | Residential rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 178,980 | 4,736 | $532.99M | 13.26¢ |
| 2022 | 181,326 | 5,041 | $648.52M | 15.02¢ |
| 2023 | 185,566 | 4,705 | $638.74M | 15.72¢ |
| 2024 | 188,414 | 4,773 | $613.59M | 14.85¢ |
| 2025 | 190,255 | 4,866 | $610.31M | 14.67¢ |
Reliability (2025)
Average outage time (SAIDI): 167 minutes per customer per year
Average outages (SAIFI): 1.10 per customer
Average restoration time (CAIDI): 151 minutes
As reported for Missouri under the IEEE standard, with major event days included where the standard reports them. Lower is better; see the reliability rankings.
Energy supply (2025)
Net generation: 3,927 GWh
Wholesale power purchased: 2,000 GWh
Winter peak demand: 1,224 MW
Meters & rooftop solar (2025)
Smart (AMI) meters: 99.8% of 191,998 meters
Customer-sited generation (net metering): 6,105 installations, 122.3 MW of capacity
Counties served
Barry, MOBarton, MOBenton, ARCedar, MOCherokee, KSChristian, MOCraig, OKDade, MODallas, MODelaware, OKGreene, MOHickory, MOJasper, MOLabette, KSLawrence, MOMcDonald, MOOttawa, OKPolk, MOSt Clair, MOStone, MOTaney, MO
Other large utilities in Missouri
- Union Electric Co - (MO) - 1,271,896 customers, residential 13.26¢
- Evergy Metro - 590,440 customers, residential 13.41¢
- Evergy Missouri West - 349,970 customers, residential 12.10¢
- City Utilities of Springfield - (MO) - 122,487 customers, residential 11.65¢
- Cuivre River Electric Coop Inc - 75,876 customers, residential 11.36¢
- City of Independence - (MO) - 59,213 customers, residential 16.54¢
- City of Columbia - (MO) - 53,559 customers, residential 15.50¢
- White River Valley El Coop Inc - 48,644 customers, residential 15.47¢
All Missouri utilities and rates
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 2025 (filed by the utility; figures as published). Utility #5860 in the EIA frame.