# Bay City, Texas electricity: AEP Texas Central wires, 1 split ZIP code to check

_Updated October 19, 2026. Data: ERCOT Oct 5, 2026; Power to Choose Oct 19, 2026, 7:59 AM CT._

**In short:** ERCOT counts 8,549 active residential meters with a Bay City address, all on AEP Texas Central's wires (October 5, 2026). 1 of Bay City's ZIP codes is split, so most addresses can shop, but yours needs a check.

## Moving to Bay City

Local numbers for setting up a home in Bay City, each checked on the official source. More contacts: https://powerhopper.energy/texas-electricity/bay-city/move-in-information

- **Water and utility billing:** utility billing (start, transfer or stop water service), 979-245-2322.
- **Public schools:** Bay City ISD.
- **Driver license:** Texas DPS Driver License Office: Bay City, 512-424-2600.

## Who delivers electricity in Bay City?
ERCOT counts 8,549 active residential meters with a Bay City address, all on AEP Texas Central's wires (October 5, 2026).

## Can every address in Bay City choose?
8,548 of 8,548 Bay City-addressed competitive homes (100%) are in split ZIP codes (77414), where a neighbor may have a different utility.

## What is different about Bay City?
- Bay City counted about 17,488 residents in the Census Bureau's 2025 estimate, against 18,064 in the 2020 base, a change of -3.2%. The largest one-year change was -422 people, from July 2021 to July 2022. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv)
- AEP Texas Central share: 1.1% of its 810,296 competitive residential meters carry a Bay City address. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- From Oct. 7 to Oct. 18, 2026, 20 residential meters in Bay City's main ZIP codes went from vacant to active in ERCOT's daily files, which usually means a move-in. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- Bay City's main ZIP codes: 8,567 active and 987 de-energized residential meters (10.3% de-energized, usually empty or between tenants). (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- Nearly all Bay City-addressed competitive homes (8,548) are in one ZIP code, 77414. ZIP-wide, ERCOT counts 8,567 competitive meters for 10,351 Census households, a 0.83 ratio. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- 41.6% of households in 77414 rent (ACS 2020-2024), the most among Bay City's main ZIP codes, so a lot of Bay City electricity accounts open and close with each lease. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- In 77414, the ZIP holding most Bay City homes, the ACS 2020-2024 survey finds a median household income of $59,128, 41.6% renters and 26.5% of households with $250+ monthly electric bills. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- Of Bay City's six nearest towns, Wharton has the most competitive homes (6,513, 25 mi away) and El Campo the fewest per household (1.02). (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)

## By the numbers
- Population (July 1, 2025 estimate): 17,488
- Population (2020 estimates base): 18,064
- Occupied households (ACS 2020-2024): 7,342
- Active residential meters with a Bay City address: 8,549
- Active business meters with a Bay City address: 1,897
- Residential meters per Census household: 1.16
- Delivery utilities (homes): AEP Texas Central 8,549
- Counties: Matagorda
- ZIP codes touching Bay City: 1
- Split ZIP codes (flagged below): 1

## Plan prices (median ¢/kWh at 500 / 1,000 / 2,000 kWh)
- AEP Texas Central: 12.7 / 12.1 / 12; delivery 5.6898¢/kWh + $3.24/mo

## ZIP codes
**Not every address in these ZIP codes has retail choice; check your exact address.**

| ZIP | Postal cities | Land in city | Competitive homes | Households | Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77414 | Bay City 100% | 2% | 8,567 | 10,351 | 0.83 | Split. Most homes, not all. Mostly outside Bay City city limits. |

## Business electricity in Bay City
1,897 active business meters. Power Hopper compares offers from retail electric providers and direct suppliers; for high-consumption businesses we can run a competitive bid. No savings or bidder count is promised. Businesses in Texas retail-choice areas can request a rate review online.

## Questions
**Can Bay City residents pick their own electric company?** Most Bay City homes can. ERCOT's October 5, 2026 extract has 8,549 Bay City-addressed homes on AEP Texas Central's competitive system, compared with 7,342 households in the Census survey. Split ZIP codes for Bay City: 77414; on those, check the exact address.
**What is the biggest Bay City ZIP code for electricity customers?** ZIP 77414: 8,548 of its 8,567 competitive residential meters use a Bay City address, and the ZIP has about 10,351 Census households (ratio 0.83).
**Can businesses in Bay City choose an electricity provider?** Yes, where AEP Texas Central delivers: 1,897 Bay City-addressed business meters are on the competitive market in ERCOT's data, and large accounts can also buy from commercial suppliers directly.
**I'm moving to Bay City. How do I set up electricity?** 15.4% of 77414 residents moved within a year (ACS), and 20 77414 meters turned from vacant to active Oct. 7-18, 2026. Check that your Bay City address is on AEP Texas Central's wires, then choose a plan and start date.
**Who restores power in Bay City after an outage?** AEP Texas Central, at aeptexas.com/outages: it carries power to all 8,549 Bay City-addressed competitive homes, whatever retail provider bills them.

## Sources
- ERCOT TDSP ESIID Extract (report 203): full extract as of Oct 5, 2026; daily files Oct 7-18, 2026: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (B25003 households, B01003 population): https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/
- Census Vintage 2025 city and town population estimates: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv
- Census 2020 ZCTA-to-place and ZCTA-to-county relationship files: https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/rel2020/zcta520/
- EIA-861 (2024) utility service territories by county: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861/
- PUCT Power to Choose residential offer export, Oct 19, 2026, 7:59 AM CT: https://www.powertochoose.org/en-us/Plan/ExportToCsv
- PUCT: Choosing an Electric Plan: https://www.puc.texas.gov/consumer-help/electricity/electric-plan/
- PUCT broker directory (BR260201): https://www.puc.texas.gov/industry/electric/directories/brk/alpha_brk/
- AEP Texas (Central Division): https://www.aeptexas.com/
- AEP Texas Central delivery tariff (effective September 29, 2026): https://www.aeptexas.com/lib/docs/ratesandtariffs/Texas/AEP_TEXAS_TARIFF_Eff_Sept_29_2026v1.pdf
- Census Bureau Vintage 2025 city and town population estimates: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv
- ERCOT TDSP ESIID Extract (report 203), Oct 5, 2026: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203
- ERCOT daily TDSP ESIID Extract files, Oct 7-18, 2026, via Power Hopper's Oct 18 ZIP study: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203
- ERCOT TDSP ESIID Extract (report 203), Oct 5, 2026: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203
- ERCOT TDSP ESIID Extract (report 203), Oct 5, 2026: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25003: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25003: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25003: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/
- ERCOT TDSP ESIID Extract (report 203), Oct 5, 2026: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25003: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/

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