Latest Power Outage Statistics and Causes Tracker
As the world’s technological landscape continues to grow and the demand for electricity increases, so too do the occurrences of power outages. Check out Critter Guard’s curated list where we track power outages statistics and data below or check out our power outages infographic.
Power Outages’ Impact on Homeowners and Businesses Statistics
- In 2023, more than 5.3 million customers were affected by 73,694 sustained outages. (Heartland Energy)
- Among about 73% of the U.S. population with available data, there was an estimated average of 520 million customer-hours total without power annually. (Pinkerton)
- 54% of the respondents to the 2023 Uptime Institute data center survey say their most recent significant, serious, or severe power outage cost more than $100,000. (Uptime Intelligence)
- The decade from 2011-2021 experienced 64% more major power outages than that from 2000-2010. (Climate Central)
Animal-Related Power Outage Statistics
Power outages around the globe are caused by a multitude of factors such as severe weather, transmission overload, human error, and animal interference. While a lot of power outages result from severe weather, animal related power outages are common cause of a tremendous number of power outages each year both in the US and nationwide. In fact, animal interference is the second leading cause of power outages in the US. Check out these animal-related power outages statistics below:
- In 2023, squirrels caused 7,196 animal-related power outages in the United States. (American Public Power Association)
- About 13 million Americans lose power to wildlife annually. (The Nature Conservancy)
- In the Midwest, 19.2% of power outages were caused by squirrels in 2023. (American Public Power Association)
- In 2023, birds caused 2,506 outages for American public power customers. (American Public Power Association)
- According to Unitil, 11% of power outages within Unitil's service territory are related specifically to squirrels, with peak activity typically occurring in the springtime. (Unitil)
- Estimates of wildlife outages per year have typically been in the tens of thousands. (INMR)
- In April 2024, an osprey attempting to make a nest on top of a transmission line caused a power outage for thousands of residents in Hancock County, Maine after a branch fell on the pole and caused the insulator to fail. (News Center Maine)
- In December 2024, a roof rat got into a power substation and caused a short circuit at Rider University, resulting in a campus-wide power failure. (The Rider News)
- In 2024, animal-related incidents accounted for 15% of Edgecombe-Martin County Electric Membership Corporations' total power disruptions. (Edgecombe-Martin County EMC)
- In July 2024, roughly 12,800 Rogue Valley residents were left without power when a squirrel slipped into an Ashland power station and short-circuited breakers. (Ashland News)
- On March 24, 2025, a raccoon got into equipment at a substation and caused power outages for 2,541 residents in Litchfield County, Connecticut. (CT Insider)
- In August 2024, a snake triggered a power outage impacting 11,700 residents in Virginia after coming in contact with a transformer. (The Economic Times)
- In September 2024, over 4,500 Bryan, TX residents were left without power after doves touched two pieces of electrical equipment, causing an electrocution. (KBTX)
- In May 2024, the Henpeck Substation in Franklin, TN experienced four power outages caused by snakes over the course of eight days. (Yahoo)
Costs of Power Outages
Whatever the cause, unexpected power outages can lead to extra expenses for utilities, businesses, and homeowners alike. Check out these power outage costs statistics below:
- The global cost of wildlife outages has been estimated at over $10 billion a year. (INMR)
- Animal-caused electric outages can cause direct and consequential damage ranging to more than $1M per occurrence. (Hubbell, Oct 2020)
- The Joint Economic Committee estimates power outages are costing the U.S. economy around $150 billion each year. (Joint Economic Committee)
- ITIC’s 2024 Hourly Cost of Downtime survey indicates a single hour of server downtime totals $300,000 or more for 90% percent of mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large enterprises. (ITIC)
Power Outage Stats Infographic
Click the image below to view a full-size version of infographic. If you would like to use this infographic on your website, you can embed it by copying the following code. This ensures you will have the latest version of the infographic on your website at all times:
Share This Infographic
If you would like to use this infographic on your website, you can embed it by copying the following code:
Historical Power Outage Statistics
The following are power outage statistics from older datasets and research. However, we believe they are still are useful to know and understand the overall impact animals have on power outages.
- Collectively, utility customers experienced 1.33 billion outage hours in 2020. (SP Global)
- The average American experienced just over eight hours of power outages in 2020. (EIA)
- A 2018 survey found that one in four companies experience a power outage at least once a month. (Bloom Energy)
- Squirrels and other wildlife are the most common cause of outages at public power utilities. (American Public Power Association, April 2016)
- In 2019, squirrels caused more than 15,000 animal-related power outages. (Entergy)
- On average, 48% of outages caused by squirrels and other wildlife occur during the months of May, June, and October. (Unitil)
- In March 2022, a bird that flew into an electrical substation was blamed for taking out power for nearly 10,000 customers in New Orleans, LA. (NY Times)
- In 2016, a weasel was the cause of a shutdown of Europe's Large Hadron Collider. (BBC)
- In 2019, more than 2,000 animals caused more than 22,000 outages in Entergy Mississippi’s service area. (Entergy)
- In September 2022, nearly 10,000 Minneapolis residents were left in the dark for just under an hour after a squirrel disrupted power transmission. (NY Post)
- In Stillwater, OK, 40% of electric outages were caused by small animals in 2022. (Stillwater)
- In 2019, birds caused about 1,200 outages for Entergy Mississippi customers. (Entergy)
- In 2019, raccoons caused more than 600 outages for Entergy Mississippi customers. (Entergy)
- In 2019, snakes disrupted power for 1,855 Entergy Mississippi customers. (Entergy)
- On May 4, 2018, near Eugene, OR, a bird pooped on a piece of equipment near a substation and cut power, taking radio station KLCC off the air for about 10 minutes. (EATON)
- Since 2010, Horry Electric Cooperative, Inc. has reported nearly 60 outages (including substation and downline outages) that were caused by snakes. (Horry Electric Coop)
- Animal-related power outages cost utility companies between $15 million and $18 million per year. (Utility Products)
- The U.S. Department of Energy estimates power outages are costing American businesses around $150 billion per year. (US Department of Energy)
Contact Critter Guard Today to Help Prevent Animal Caused Power Outages
At Critter Guard, we offer humane wildlife control solutions to help reduce the occurrence and impact of animal-related power outages for utilities, businesses, and homeowners. To learn more about our wildlife control products, check out our Solutions page or visit our online shop!
View Our Products Available for Purchase Via Our Online Store
Content Written by John Sims
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
