Utah has landed among the nation's 10 most energy-efficient states, according to a new WalletHub ranking that scored the Beehive State eighth overall out of 48 states evaluated for how efficiently residents use energy in their homes and on the road. Utah posted an overall score of 75.13 out of 100, placing it just behind Colorado and ahead of states like Minnesota and Nevada.
The 2026 Most and Least Energy-Efficient States report, highlighted by kvnutalk.com, found Utah performed especially well on the home-efficiency side, ranking eighth nationally for home energy efficiency. The state's showing on the road side was weaker — Utah came in 15th for overall automobile energy efficiency, including 10th for vehicle-fuel efficiency and 25th for transportation efficiency. As ABC4 Utah reported from Salt Lake City, Utah's auto-efficiency ranking was based on annual vehicle miles driven per gallon of gasoline consumed and annual vehicle miles driven per capita, while home scores drew on residential energy consumption per capita measured against annual heating and cooling degree days.
How WalletHub Built the Rankings
WalletHub evaluated states using two equally weighted categories — home energy efficiency and automobile energy efficiency — each worth 50 points toward the overall score, the outlet's report notes. Home efficiency was calculated by comparing residential energy consumption per capita with annual heating and cooling degree days, while automobile efficiency was determined using vehicle miles traveled, gasoline consumption and annual miles driven per capita. The study compared energy consumption in homes and automobiles across 48 states, excluding Alaska and Hawaii because of data limitations.
California topped the list as the most energy-efficient state, followed by Vermont, New York, Washington and Massachusetts, according to wowo.com. Oregon and Colorado rounded out the top seven, with Colorado finishing just ahead of Utah at seventh overall with a score of 76.62, the same kvnutalk.com report states. Minnesota and Nevada followed Utah at ninth and 10th, respectively.
Regional Neighbors Show Mixed Results
Idaho, Utah's neighbor to the north, ranked 13th overall, with a stronger 14th-place finish for home energy efficiency but a weaker 30th-place showing for automobile energy efficiency, per the same kvnutalk.com report. Nevada, meanwhile, placed 10th overall in the broader ranking, as noted by dailyprogress.com. The pattern tracked a broader regional trend: northern and western states were generally found to be the most energy-efficient, while the least energy-efficient states clustered in the South, according to a 2023 WalletHub analysis cited by foxweather.com. That same southern pattern held in the 2026 data, with South Carolina, Alabama, West Virginia, Arkansas and Mississippi ranking at the very bottom, per fox13seattle.com.
Utah's Slide From the Top
Utah's eighth-place finish this year marks a notable drop from 2023, when the state ranked first overall with a score of 87.58 out of 100, according to the foxweather.com report. The state also falls into what WalletHub described as the most energy-efficient and most energy-expensive category, with Utah residents spending more of their paychecks on the energy they use, per the ABC4 Utah report.
Infrastructure, public transit, building standards and geography all strongly influenced how states scored, according to a report from fox5ny.com. WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said energy efficiency can help the planet and save consumers money by reducing energy consumption, according to the ABC4 Utah report.
What Efficiency Upgrades Could Mean for Utah Households
The potential savings are significant. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that adopting energy-efficient measures at home could reduce utility costs by as much as 25%, the kvnutalk.com report notes. On the road, choosing a more fuel-efficient vehicle could save the average driver more than $1,000 annually — a detail that underscores Utah's middling automobile-efficiency ranking even as its home scores remain strong.
