2026 Misery Index for Central Pennsylvania

Every year the price for basic services increases around and after New Years. Taken together, Rock the Capital calls these increases the "Misery Index." Please find a brief explanation as well as the amount of the increases for basic services, i.e., cable, electric, gas, health care, phone, turnpike, and water.

Key Figures for Pennsylvania

In 2025, according to different reports, Pennsylvania's average income varies, with sources suggesting average salaries around $62,000 - $63,000 annually, while the median household income sat near $73,000 - $76,000, and the average weekly wage for private sector workers was about $1,111 as of May 2025. A single adult in PA needed roughly $95,000 to live comfortably, showing a gap between averages and actual living costs.

SmartAsset defines living comfortably as "being able to afford hobbies, vacations, retirement savings, education funds, and the occasional emergency --- in addition to necessities like housing, groceries, transportation and medical expenses."

MIT calculated the state's "living wage," or just enough to cover essentials such as food, housing, medical care, transportation and more. MIT reports a living wage for an individual in Pennsylvania is $47,652.80.

Health Care Premiums

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department finalized an average 21.5% increase for individual plans and 12.7% for small group plans for 2026.

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department "blocked a number of excessive increases that insurers requested." But some insurers will raise premiums as much as 38% in the individual market and 22% in the small group market.

If Congress were to extend enhanced tax credits, it would "immediately reduce insurance rates by 3% -- 5%" across Pennie individual and group plans. There have also been recent legislative proposals aimed to expand Association Health Plan (AHP) eligibility, which allows small businesses and self-employed individuals to join forces to purchase health insurance at lower rates. If passed, this could enhance access to more affordable health insurance for this group.

You can use Pennie.com to compare current plans, as costs vary widely.

PPL's Rate Increases

• PPL's 3.7% electric rate increase for its standard offer (Price-to-Compare) took effect December 1, 2025, raising the residential rate to 12.953 cents/kWh from 12.49 cents, adding about $4.63 monthly for typical users. This is the rate you pay if you choose PPL to supply electricity. This increase is due to rising energy market supply costs.

• The December 1 rate increase is different from the base rate increase currently under investigation. The larger base rate proposal reflects the portion of a customer's bill that pays for the operation and maintenance of the electricity distribution system, not the electricity itself.

PPL asked the state Public Utility Commission for a base rate hike of 6.98%, or about $13 a month for the average customer, in September 2025. The rate hike was proposed for December 1, 2025. The PUC suspended the rate hike for up to seven months while state regulators investigate the request. PUC investigations can lead to lower than requested increases.

If approved, the bill for a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month would increase 6.98%, or about $13, according to PPL. The bill of a commercial customer using 1,000 kWh and 3 kilowatts per month would increase 5.31%, or about $8.60.

Pennsylvania Turnpike

Tolls will rise again on the PA Turnpike to kick off 2026. The Pennsylvania Turnpike is raising toll rates for the 18th consecutive year with a 4% increase that begins on January 1, 2026. Tolls have been raised every year since 2009 and will continue to rise for the next 25 years.

• 2024: A 5% increase went into effect on January 7, 2024. The most common E-ZPass passenger vehicle toll rose from $1.80 to $1.90, while the Toll-by-Plate rate increased from $4.40 to $4.70.

• 2025: Another 5% toll increase went into effect in 2025.

• 2026: A 4% toll increase has been approved to take effect on January 4, 2026.

• Long-Term: Toll increases of 3-5% annually are projected to continue until around 2050 to pay off debt obligations.

UGI Gas Rate Changes

UGI Gas may increase base rate revenues by $69.5 million (8.9%) -- approximately $40.9 million less than the company's initial request of $110.4 million (14.1%). Additionally, the settlement includes a $1.25 adjustment to the monthly residential customer charge, as opposed to the $4.95 increase proposed by the company.

Under the settlement, the average bill for a residential customer using 72.9 hundred cubic feet (Ccf) of natural gas per month would increase from $103.57 to $110.51 per month (6.7%) as opposed to the 10.8% proposed increase in UGI Gas' initial filing.

The new rates will be applicable to service rendered on and after October 28, 2025.

Pennsylvania American Water Company ("PAWC")

PAWC has proposed a significant rate increase for water and wastewater services to fund $1.2 billion in system upgrades for main replacements, lead line removal, and PFAS treatment. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission ("PUC") has paused the proposal, and will conduct an investigation with public hearings. A final decision is expected by August 2026. Increases will be roughly $14 for water and $10 for sewer, varying by location.

• Typical Customer Impact (Proposed):

  • Water: Around $14/month increase.

  • Wastewater: About $10/month increase for sanitary sewer.

  • Combined Systems: Roughly $20/month increase.

• Range of Increases: Some customers could see increases of 9.8% to over 40% for water, and up to 54% for sewer.

Verizon

Verizon is raising fees after committing to a 3-Year Price Lock on July 31, 2025. Verizon will increase their tablet plans by $5 per month. For other fees, the "Admin & Telco Recovery Charge" is increasing from $3.50 to $3.78 and the "Regulatory Charge" will jump from $0.19 to $0.21.

• myPlan and other "Mix & Match" plans: In an increase that went into effect around August 1, 2025, specific plans were affected differently:

• "Unlimited" plans increased by $10 per month.

• "More Unlimited" plans increased by $5 or $10 per month, depending on the specific plan.

These aren't increases on Verizon's plans, but these fees are still price increases for customers. The price lock didn't include taxes and fees, so these were always going to be a part of the plan for Verizon to continue to raise prices. Verizon locks you into more expensive plans with a promise to not increase prices and then increases fees anyway.

Verizon is still promoting the 3-Year Lock Guarantee at Verizon.com.

AT&T

AT&T is implementing several price increases for various services in 2026, including prepaid wireless plans, home internet, and certain administrative fees. These increases are nationwide and apply to customers in Pennsylvania.

Wireless & Internet Service Increases

• Prepaid Plans: Certain AT&T Prepaid plans will see a $3 monthly increase, effective for payments made on or after February 6, 2026. This primarily affects the $30 and $40 plans.

• Home Internet: The monthly price for most AT&T Fiber and standard AT&T Internet services increased by $5 in December 2025, a change that will carry over into 2026. This does not affect fixed wireless subscribers.

Comcast & Xfinity

In May 2024, Xfinity, owned by Comcast which also owns Peacock, launched a StreamSaver bundle available to its Xfinity TV and Xfinity Internet customers.

This bundle includes access to the base tiers of Apple TV+, Netflix and Peacock for a monthly fee of $15.

Starting in late December 2025, that cost is to become $18 per month. That's an increase of 20%.

Sources: Belleville News-Democrat, Penn Live, Lancaster Newspapers, Pennsylvania American Water, Pennsylvania Insurance Department, Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, PPL Electric Utilities, UGI Utilities, Verizon, and WHYY.