# Childress, Texas electricity: AEP Texas North wires and 2,315 competitive homes

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

**In short:** ERCOT counts 2,315 active residential meters with a Childress address, all on AEP Texas North's wires (October 5, 2026). Nearly every Childress address in our data is on AEP Texas North's wires and can pick a retail provider.

## Moving to Childress

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

- **City hall (ask about water service):** City of Childress: City Hall (main line), 940-937-3683.
- **Trash pickup:** City of Childress Sanitation, 940-937-3683.
- **Natural gas:** Atmos Energy: customer service, 888-286-6700.
- **Public schools:** Childress ISD.
- **Driver license:** Texas DPS Driver License Office: Childress, 512-424-2600.

## Who delivers electricity in Childress?
ERCOT counts 2,315 active residential meters with a Childress address, all on AEP Texas North's wires (October 5, 2026).

## Can every address in Childress choose?
No split flag on any ZIP code that holds Childress's 2,315 competitive homes; most streets here can shop.

## What is different about Childress?
- Childress counted about 5,650 residents in the Census Bureau's 2025 estimate, against 5,729 in the 2020 base, a change of -1.4%. The largest one-year change was -64 people, from July 2023 to July 2024. July 1 estimates in between: 5,777 (2021), 5,809 (2022), 5,754 (2023), 5,690 (2024). (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv)
- Childress covers 8.3 square miles of land (Census 2025 Gazetteer). That works out to about 684 residents and 182 occupied households per square mile of land, with roughly 3.8 residents for every Childress household. (Source: https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- Mailing addresses stretch past city limits here. 2,315 competitive residential meters use Childress as their postal city, while the city itself has 1,504 Census households, a ratio of 1.54. (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/)
- Childress-addressed homes make up 1.4% of the 163,108 residential meters on AEP Texas North's competitive system. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- Vacancy signal: 18.2 percent of residential meters in Childress's core ZIP codes were de-energized on October 5, 2026 (521 off, 2,337 on), per ERCOT. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- One ZIP code, 79201, holds almost every Childress-addressed competitive home (2,315). Taken whole, 79201 has 1.25 competitive meters per Census household: 2,337 meters, 1,877 households. (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/)
- Electric bills over $250 a month: 17.2 percent of households in 79201, Childress's main ZIP code, per the ACS 2020-2024; the same survey puts median household income there at $58,438 and the renter share at 28.4 percent. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)

## By the numbers
- Population (July 1, 2025 estimate): 5,650
- Population (2020 estimates base): 5,729
- Occupied households (ACS 2020-2024): 1,504
- Active residential meters with a Childress address: 2,315
- Active business meters with a Childress address: 773
- Residential meters per Census household: 1.54
- Delivery utilities (homes): AEP Texas North 2,315
- Counties: Childress
- ZIP codes touching Childress: 1
- Split ZIP codes (flagged below): 0

## Plan prices (median ¢/kWh at 500 / 1,000 / 2,000 kWh)
- AEP Texas North: 13.7 / 13 / 12.8; delivery 5.5751¢/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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79201 | Childress 99% | 1% | 2,337 | 1,877 | 1.25 | Near-full coverage. Mostly outside Childress city limits. |

## Business electricity in Childress
773 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
**Does Childress have electricity choice?** Yes, where AEP Texas North's wires reach the house, which in Childress is most of the city: 2,315 homes with a Childress mailing address were on the competitive market on October 5, 2026, 1.54 for each Census household. No Childress ZIP code carries a split flag, but only an address lookup is certain.
**Which Childress ZIP code has the most homes on the competitive market?** That is 79201, home to 2,315 of the competitive meters with a Childress address. ZIP-wide: 2,337 ERCOT meters, about 1,877 Census households, 1.25 per household.
**How much is electricity in Childress right now?** On October 19, 2026, the median fixed-rate Power to Choose listing on AEP Texas North's wires was 13¢ per kWh at 1,000 kWh a month (160 listings); AEP Texas North's delivery charge of 5.5751¢ per kWh plus $3.24 a month is included. A median is not a quote.
**I'm moving to Childress. How do I set up electricity?** Start with the address check: AEP Texas North-delivered Childress homes choose among the plans offered there and set a start date. Turnover is real in 79201, where 16.8% moved in the past year (ACS); ERCOT logged 7 vacant-to-active meters in 79201 Oct. 7-18, 2026.
**Why are there more electric meters than households in Childress?** 2,315 Childress-addressed meters against 1,504 city households is 1.54 per household: the Childress postal area extends past city limits, and new homes get meters before the Census counts them. It doesn't mean every nearby address can choose.
**Where do I report a Childress power outage?** Call AEP Texas North (aeptexas.com/outages), the wires utility for Childress's 2,315 competitive homes; a retail provider can't fix lines.

## 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 (North Division): https://www.aeptexas.com/
- AEP Texas North 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
- Census Bureau 2025 Gazetteer Files, Texas places (land and water area): https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html
- 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
- 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/
- 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
- 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/

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