Power outages in Wisconsin
In 2025, the average Wisconsin customer was without power for 3.8 hours in total (230.0 minutes, or 3 hours 50 minutes). That is about 29 minutes below the US median of 258.7 minutes (4.3 hours) across the 50 states compared.
Trend
Outage time jumped from 1.9 hours in 2020 to 5.2 hours in 2021, the worst year in the data. Since then it has moved between 3.1 and 4.6 hours a year, with no steady direction.
Utilities in 2025
Sun Prairie Utilities had the lowest 2025 SAIDI at 10.5 minutes (0.2 hours). Wisconsin Public Service Corp had the highest at 630.0 minutes (10.5 hours).
| Utility | Customers | Hours / yr | Interruptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Public Service Corp | 469,667 | 10.5 | 1.4 |
| Northern States Power Co | 263,161 | 5.1 | 1.1 |
| Barron Electric Coop | 19,887 | 5.1 | 2.2 |
| Wisconsin Electric Power Co | 1,228,534 | 3.1 | 0.9 |
| Riverland Energy Cooperative | 20,218 | 2.8 | 1.5 |
| Dunn County Electric Coop | 10,623 | 2.1 | 0.8 |
| Oakdale Electric Coop | 18,227 | 2.0 | 1.1 |
| Adams-Columbia Electric Coop | 39,954 | 1.8 | 0.9 |
| Scenic Rivers Energy Coop | 14,716 | 1.8 | 1.2 |
| Polk-Burnett Electric Coop | 22,552 | 1.7 | 1.5 |
| Wisconsin Power & Light Co | 502,317 | 1.6 | 0.8 |
| City of Kaukauna (WI) | 17,205 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Wisconsin Rapids W W & L Comm | 15,073 | 0.8 | 0.5 |
| Madison Gas & Electric Co | 170,341 | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Manitowoc Public Utilities | 18,328 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Superior Water and Light Co | 14,818 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| City of Marshfield - (WI) | 13,908 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Oconomowoc Utilities | 11,639 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Sun Prairie Utilities | 18,906 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
What this means for backup power
For everyday outages, enter 4.1 hours in the calculator, which is the average length of one interruption. To ride out a year like 2021, size for 5.2 hours, the total outage time that year.
FAQ
What does SAIDI mean?
SAIDI is the total outage time the average customer has in one year. It is not the length of a single outage. In Wisconsin in 2025 it was 3.8 hours.
How long does one power outage in Wisconsin usually last?
On average, one interruption lasts about 4.1 hours. Use this number in the calculator to plan for an everyday outage.
How often do Wisconsin customers lose power?
In 2025, the average customer had 0.94 interruptions. In 2021, the worst year, the figure was 1.01.
Utility pages
Source: U.S. EIA Form 861 Reliability file. Data snapshot 2026-11-05.