Iowa, Illinois Are Two Of The Least Energy-Expensive States

Even though July is normally the hottest month of the year, June was also dry and hot in the Quad Cities. We are running our A/C more with the warmer temps, drinking water more, and just taking up more energy. While our utility bills seem higher this time of year, the Quad Cities actually don't have that expensive of utilities, according to a new study.

A new study has come out showing the most and least energy-expensive states. Our friends at WalletHub know that people around the country are using more utilities in the midst of the summer and wanted to know which states use the most.

To find this data, WalletHub compared the average monthly energy bills in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia using the following equation:

(Average Monthly Consumption of Electricity * Average Retail Price of Electricity) + (Average Monthly Consumption of Natural Gas * Average Residential Price of Natural Gas) + (Average Monthly Consumption of Home Heating Oil * Average Residential Price of Home Heating Oil) + (Average Motor-Fuel Price * (Miles Traveled/Average Motor-Fuel Consumption/Number of Drivers in the State)) = Average Monthly Energy Bill in the State

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After finding all of that data used from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Federal Highway Administration, American Automobile Association, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, they finally came up with Average Monthly Energy Bill in the State to rank each state.

Here is how Iowa, Illinois, and the rest of the states, and Washington D.C. did:

Source: WalletHub

WalletHub found that Iowa and Illinois were pretty low on this list. We'll start with Iowa.

Iowa landed at #43 on this list. Here are the stats to show why Iowa landed at 43.

Total Energy Cost = $301
Monthly Electricity Cost (Rank) = $119 (32)
Monthly Natural-Gas Cost (Rank) = $38 (22)
Monthly Motor-Fuel Cost (Rank) = $143 (27)
Monthly Home Heating-Oil Cost (Rank) = $1 (25)

Iowa also ranks 51st in the lowest home heating-oil price.

Illinois has even cheaper utilities than Iowa. Illinois ranked at #45 and here are Illinois' stats:

Total Energy Cost = $300
Monthly Electricity Cost (Rank) = $101 (47)
Monthly Natural-Gas Cost (Rank) = $61 (5)
Monthly Motor-Fuel Cost (Rank) = $138 (35)
Monthly Home Heating-Oil Cost (Rank) = $0 (35)

LOOK: Here are the 25 best places to live in Iowa

Stacker compiled a list of the best places to live in Iowa using data from Niche. Niche ranks places to live based on a variety of factors including cost of living, schools, health care, recreation, and weather. Cities, suburbs, and towns were included. Listings and images are from realtor.com.

On the list, there's a robust mix of offerings from great schools and nightlife to high walkability and public parks. Some areas have enjoyed rapid growth thanks to new businesses moving to the area, while others offer glimpses into area history with well-preserved architecture and museums. Keep reading to see if your hometown made the list.

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Just saying the names of these towns immediately conjures up images of grand mansions, luxury cars, and ritzy restaurants. Read on to see which town in your home state took the title of the richest location and which place had the highest median income in the country. Who knows—your hometown might even be on this list.