US Power Outage Tracker
State-by-state electric grid reliability ranked by SAIDI (how long outages last) and SAIFI (how often they happen), using the latest EIA Form 861 data. Plus: major recent events and practical backup-power sizing for each state's risk profile.
The average US household lost 5.5 hours of power in 2024
Gulf states, Appalachia, and hurricane-exposed coastal regions consistently see 7–10× that average. Louisiana customers averaged over nine hours of outages in 2024, with Hurricane Francine and Helene's remnants accounting for the bulk of that. If you live in a high-SAIDI state, sizing a solar generator for a single-day outage is not enough — plan for multi-day events.
SAIDI — System Average Interruption Duration Index
Total minutes of outage the average customer experienced over the year. Measures outage length. Reported excluding major event days unless noted.
SAIFI — System Average Interruption Frequency Index
Number of sustained outages (5+ minutes) the average customer experienced in the year. Measures outage frequency.
State ranking by outage severity (2024 data)
States ranked from worst to best outage experience. Includes major event days from Helene, Milton, and Beryl — the 2024 hurricane season pushed Gulf and Southeast totals significantly above typical years.
| Rank | State | SAIDI (min) | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Louisiana | 560 | extreme |
| #2 | West Virginia | 470 | extreme |
| #3 | Maine | 410 | extreme |
| #4 | Arkansas | 380 | high |
| #5 | Mississippi | 360 | high |
| #6 | Florida | 340 | high |
| #7 | Kentucky | 320 | high |
| #8 | Tennessee | 310 | high |
| #9 | Alabama | 295 | high |
| #10 | North Carolina | 280 | high |
| #11 | Oklahoma | 265 | high |
| #12 | Texas | 240 | moderate |
| #13 | Missouri | 225 | moderate |
| #14 | Georgia | 210 | moderate |
| #15 | South Carolina | 205 | moderate |
| #16 | Michigan | 195 | moderate |
| #17 | Ohio | 185 | moderate |
| #18 | Pennsylvania | 175 | moderate |
| #19 | Virginia | 170 | moderate |
| #20 | New York | 165 | moderate |
| #21 | Indiana | 160 | moderate |
| #22 | Washington | 150 | moderate |
| #23 | Oregon | 145 | moderate |
| #24 | California | 140 | moderate |
| #25 | New Jersey | 130 | moderate |
| #26 | Iowa | 120 | low |
| #27 | Wisconsin | 115 | low |
| #28 | Minnesota | 110 | low |
| #29 | Illinois | 105 | low |
| #30 | Massachusetts | 95 | low |
| #31 | Connecticut | 90 | low |
| #32 | Maryland | 88 | low |
| #33 | Arizona | 75 | low |
| #34 | New Mexico | 72 | low |
| #35 | Colorado | 68 | low |
| #36 | Utah | 55 | low |
| #37 | Nevada | 50 | low |
States not shown had SAIDI values below 50 minutes or aggregated reporting issues in the 2024 EIA dataset. Data reported for the 37 most significant states by population and outage exposure.
Major US outage events (2024–2025)
Hurricane Helene
~4.6M customers lost power across FL, GA, NC, SC, TN, VA. Western NC worst-hit — weeks of restoration in mountain communities.
Hurricane Milton
~3.4M Florida customers dark. Pinellas, Sarasota, Hillsborough counties took 7–14 days for full restoration.
Hurricane Beryl
~2.7M Texas customers lost power, primarily in the Houston metro. CenterPoint restoration criticized.
Winter Storm Enzo / Cora
~500K customers across Gulf Coast states during arctic outbreak. Grid-scale generation forced offline in LA, MS, TX.
Midwest derecho
~1.1M customers in IL, IN, OH, KY. High winds downed transmission infrastructure.
Backup power sizing by outage risk
The right solar generator depends on your state's outage profile. For a detailed breakdown of what each class can run, see our appliance power guide.
Short, rare outages
A mid-class solar generator (700–1,500 Wh) covers a typical outage: fridge + WiFi + phones + a few LED lights. Examples: Jackery 1000 Plus, EcoFlow DELTA 2. Solar panels optional.
Regular multi-hour outages
Large class (1,500–3,600 Wh) with 200W+ of solar input. Covers 1–2 days of essentials. Examples: EcoFlow DELTA Pro, Anker Solix F2000.
Frequent or extended outages
Large or expandable XL class (3,600+ Wh with battery expansion). Plan for 3–5 day events. Pair with 400–800W of solar panels. Consider transfer switch integration.
Hurricane / ice-storm exposure
XL expandable system (6,000+ Wh) plus 800–1,600W solar array. Realistic planning horizon: 7+ days without utility power. Examples: EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra, Anker Solix F3800 Plus, Bluetti AC500+B300K.
Primary data sources
This page summarizes publicly available grid reliability data. For primary data, utility-specific reports, and real-time outage maps, consult:
- EIA Form 861 — Annual Electric Power Industry Report
Primary source. US DOE Energy Information Administration. All utility SAIDI/SAIFI data. Released in two rounds each year (summer early release, fall final).
- EIA Electric Power Annual
Companion annual report with aggregated reliability metrics and utility-level summaries.
- Eaton Blackout Tracker
Independent tracker of major US blackout events. Free annual report and searchable recent-events database.
- DOE OE-417 Emergency and Disturbance Reports
Federally mandated reports of electric emergency incidents and disturbances. Real-time filings from utilities.
- US Energy Atlas
Interactive maps of generation, transmission, and reliability data. Useful for state-level context.
- PowerOutage.us
Third-party live outage aggregator. Not authoritative for historical statistics but useful for real-time events.
Methodology & updates
State-level SAIDI and SAIFI values are weighted averages across utilities reporting to EIA Form 861, population-weighted where multiple utilities serve a state. Figures include major event days to reflect real customer experience, though EIA separately reports non-event-day values. Numbers are rounded for readability; consult the underlying EIA data files for exact figures. Major outage events list covers events affecting 500,000+ customers or causing week-plus restoration timelines. Corrections and feedback: hello@solargenreview.com.