New Jersey households pay some of the highest utility bills in the nation, with the typical household spending a median of $5,568 annually on electricity, natural gas, water, sewer, and waste collection, according to a new national report.

The report, released Wednesday by bill payment company doxo, ranked New Jersey as the ninth-most expensive state for utility costs, with a median monthly utility bill of $464. Nationally, households spend a median of $363 per month, or $4,361 annually, on the same essential services.

The study found New Jersey households pay above the national median in each of the four utility categories examined. Median monthly costs in the Garden State include $139 for electricity, $111 for natural gas, $115 for waste and recycling, and $100 for water and sewer, according to the report.

Nationwide, Americans spend an estimated $582 billion annually on utility bills, which account for roughly 5% of household income, the report said. Electricity costs posted the largest year-over-year increase, rising 6.46%, while natural gas costs increased 5.63%, water and sewer costs rose 2.8%, and waste and recycling expenses climbed 2.74%.

The report comes just weeks after thousands of Jersey Central Power & Light customers across central New Jersey experienced prolonged outages following severe summer storms, prompting criticism from residents, local officials and state lawmakers over the utility’s response.

In response, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities earlier this month opened a formal investigation to examine JCP&L’s storm preparation, communications and restoration efforts. The board is encouraging customers affected by the July outages to submit comments that will become part of the official record as regulators evaluate the company’s performance.

Maryland ranked as the nation’s most expensive state for utilities, with a median monthly cost of $625, followed by Connecticut and Massachusetts. New Jersey placed ahead of Rhode Island to round out the top 10.

The findings are based on an analysis of actual bill payments made by more than 10 million consumers across more than 97% of U.S. ZIP codes. The report examined household spending on electricity, natural gas, water and sewer service, and waste and recycling collection.