# Dayton, Texas electricity: only part of town can choose a provider

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

**In short:** ERCOT counts 1,650 active residential meters with a Dayton address, all on CenterPoint's wires (October 5, 2026). Only part of Dayton is on the competitive market; the Census counts about 3,110 households in the city. Many of the rest likely get power from an electric co-op or another utility without retail choice, so check your exact address.

## Moving to Dayton

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

- **City hall (ask about water service):** City of Dayton: City Hall (main line), 936-258-2642.
- **Natural gas:** CenterPoint Energy: gas customer service (Houston area), 713-659-2111.
- **Public schools:** Dayton ISD.
- **Driver license:** Texas DPS Driver License Office: Liberty, 512-424-2600.

## Who delivers electricity in Dayton?
ERCOT counts 1,650 active residential meters with a Dayton address, all on CenterPoint's wires (October 5, 2026).

## Can every address in Dayton choose?
Split ZIP codes holding Dayton homes: 77535. They carry 1,650 of the 1,650 competitive homes with a Dayton address (100%); on those streets a neighbor's utility can differ from yours.

## What is different about Dayton?
- The Census Bureau's July 1, 2025 estimate for Dayton is 10,226 people, up 21.8% on the 2020 estimates base of 8,393. The largest one-year change was +479 people, from July 2023 to July 2024. July 1 estimates in between: 8,759 (2021), 8,987 (2022), 9,332 (2023), 9,811 (2024). (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv)
- Dayton covers 30.7 square miles of land (Census 2025 Gazetteer). That works out to about 334 residents and 101 occupied households per square mile of land, with roughly 3.3 residents for every Dayton 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/)
- Dayton's postal city carries 1,650 competitive homes, fewer than the city's 3,110 Census households (ratio 0.53). Part of that gap is Dayton homes with a neighboring city's mailing address; part fits co-op or city-utility service. (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/)
- CenterPoint delivers to 2,585,110 competitive homes in all; the 1,650 with a Dayton address are 0.06 percent of them, roughly one in 1,567. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- On October 5, 2026, ERCOT showed 335 home meters switched off (de-energized) in the ZIP codes most Dayton homes use, against 2,652 switched on; that 11.2 percent is mostly vacant houses and apartments between occupants. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- One ZIP code, 77535, holds almost every Dayton-addressed competitive home (1,650); it also carries 998 Mont Belvieu addresses. Taken whole, 77535 has 0.24 competitive meters per Census household: 2,652 meters, 11,219 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/)
- By the Census Bureau's 2025 estimates, Dayton is the number 2 city or town by population among the 13 that reach into Liberty County, one place ahead of Cleveland (9,936 residents). (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv)
- Mailing cities on the 2,652 competitive home meters in 77535, Dayton's main ZIP code: Dayton 1,650, Mont Belvieu 998. A mailing city is not a city limit, so the service address, not the postal name, settles which utility serves a home. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- Neighbors differ: Baytown, about 17 miles away, has 51,848 competitive homes on its postal city, while Beach City manages 0.02 per household. (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): 10,226
- Population (2020 estimates base): 8,393
- Occupied households (ACS 2020-2024): 3,110
- Active residential meters with a Dayton address: 1,650
- Active business meters with a Dayton address: 174
- Residential meters per Census household: 0.53
- Delivery utilities (homes): CenterPoint 1,650
- Counties: Liberty
- ZIP codes touching Dayton: 1
- Split ZIP codes (flagged below): 1

## Plan prices (median ¢/kWh at 500 / 1,000 / 2,000 kWh)
- CenterPoint: 14 / 13.2 / 13; delivery 6.5333¢/kWh + $4.90/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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77535 | Dayton 62%, Mont Belvieu 38% | 10% | 2,652 | 11,219 | 0.24 | Split. Partial coverage. Split: City of Liberty (Liberty city limits cover about 3% of the ZIP's land); that utility's customers can't choose. Mostly outside Dayton city limits. |

## Business electricity in Dayton
174 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 I choose my electricity provider in Dayton?** Some can: 1,650 Dayton-addressed homes are on the competitive market, against about 3,110 city households. Many others likely belong to an electric co-op and can't choose. Addresses in 77535 (split) need an exact-address check before you shop.
**What is the biggest Dayton ZIP code for electricity customers?** That is 77535, home to 1,650 of the competitive meters with a Dayton address. ZIP-wide: 2,652 ERCOT meters, about 11,219 Census households, 0.24 per household.
**How much is electricity in Dayton right now?** On October 19, 2026, the median fixed-rate Power to Choose listing on CenterPoint's wires was 13.2¢ per kWh at 1,000 kWh a month (173 listings); CenterPoint's delivery charge of 6.5333¢ per kWh plus $4.90 a month is included. A median is not a quote.
**How do I start electric service at a new Dayton address?** 16.3% of 77535 residents moved within a year (ACS), and 2 meters in 77535 turned from vacant to active Oct. 7-18, 2026. Check that your Dayton address is on CenterPoint's wires, then choose a plan and start date.
**How many Dayton homes are on the competitive electricity market?** ERCOT's October 5, 2026 extract lists 1,650 competitive residential meters with a Dayton mailing address and 174 business meters; ACS 2020-2024: 3,110 occupied Dayton households.
**Who restores power in Dayton after an outage?** Call CenterPoint (centerpointenergy.com/outage), the wires utility for Dayton's 1,650 competitive homes; a retail provider can't fix lines. Co-op members report outages to their co-op.

## 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/
- CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric: https://www.centerpointenergy.com/
- CenterPoint delivery tariff (effective October 1, 2026): https://ftp.puc.texas.gov/public/puct-info/industry/electric/rates/tdr/tdu/CenterPoint_Rate_Report.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 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 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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