# Decatur, Texas electricity: Oncor wires, 3 split ZIP codes 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 4,816 active residential meters with a Decatur address, all on Oncor's wires (October 5, 2026). 3 of Decatur's ZIP codes are split, so most addresses can shop, but yours needs a check.

## Moving to Decatur

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

- **City hall (ask about water service):** City of Decatur: City Hall (main line), 940-393-0200.
- **Natural gas:** Atmos Energy: customer service, 888-286-6700.
- **Public schools:** Decatur ISD.
- **Driver license:** Texas DPS Driver License Office: Decatur, 512-424-2600.

## Who delivers electricity in Decatur?
ERCOT counts 4,816 active residential meters with a Decatur address, all on Oncor's wires (October 5, 2026).

## Can every address in Decatur choose?
Split ZIP codes holding Decatur homes: 76234, 76487, 76073. They carry 4,808 of the 4,808 competitive homes with a Decatur address (100%); on those streets a neighbor's utility can differ from yours.

## What is different about Decatur?
- Population: 6,554 (2020 base) to 9,029 (July 2025), +37.8%, per Census Vintage 2025 estimates. The largest one-year change was +806 people, from July 2022 to July 2023. July 1 estimates in between: 6,923 (2021), 7,200 (2022), 8,006 (2023), 8,273 (2024). (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv)
- Decatur covers 9.3 square miles of land (Census 2025 Gazetteer). That works out to about 970 residents and 328 occupied households per square mile of land, with roughly 3.0 residents for every Decatur 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. 4,816 competitive residential meters use Decatur as their postal city, while the city itself has 3,059 Census households, a ratio of 1.57. Because Decatur has grown 38 percent since the 2020 base, the ACS 2020-2024 household figure likely runs behind today's count. (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/)
- Oncor share: 0.1% of its 3,564,530 competitive residential meters carry a Decatur address. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- Meter additions, Oct. 7-18, 2026 (ERCOT daily files): 26 across Decatur's core ZIP codes, led by 76487 at 23; vacant-to-active switches over those days: 6. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- Vacancy signal: 9.1 percent of residential meters in Decatur's core ZIP codes were de-energized on October 5, 2026 (508 off, 5,086 on), per ERCOT. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- Most Decatur electricity customers live in 76234: 4,476 homes, or 93 percent of the 4,808 with a Decatur address; the full ZIP comes to 0.60 meters a 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/)
- Decatur is 2 of 14 on a Wise County list of cities and towns ranked by postal-city competitive homes; the next one up is Fort Worth, at 356,890. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- By the Census Bureau's 2025 estimates, Decatur is the number 2 city or town by population among the 14 that reach into Wise County, one place ahead of Bridgeport (6,915 residents). (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv)
- Coverage gap: 76073, home to 79 Decatur-addressed meters, has 0.22 ERCOT meters for each household the Census counts there. That fits co-op service: EIA's 2024 lists for the counties tied to the ZIP include 4 co-ops, such as the Wise, Tri-County, and Denton County co-ops. Co-op homes stay off the competitive market unless their co-op opts in. (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/, https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861/)
- Income spread across Decatur's core ZIP codes (ACS 2020-2024): 76234 at a $93,727 median, 76487 at $77,361. Bills over $250 a month: 50.7 percent of households in the first, 55.6 percent in the second. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- Looking at Decatur's six closest towns, the largest competitive market belongs to Justin (3,859 homes on its postal city, about 19 miles off); the thinnest per household is Bridgeport, at 0.59. (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): 9,029
- Population (2020 estimates base): 6,554
- Occupied households (ACS 2020-2024): 3,059
- Active residential meters with a Decatur address: 4,816
- Active business meters with a Decatur address: 2,010
- Residential meters per Census household: 1.57
- Delivery utilities (homes): Oncor 4,816
- Counties: Wise
- ZIP codes touching Decatur: 3
- Split ZIP codes (flagged below): 3

## Plan prices (median ¢/kWh at 500 / 1,000 / 2,000 kWh)
- Oncor: 14.1 / 13.4 / 13.2; delivery 6.8673¢/kWh + $4.06/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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76234 | Decatur 100% | 3% | 4,493 | 7,544 | 0.6 | Split. Most homes, not all. Mostly outside Decatur city limits. |
| 76487 | Poolville 51%, Decatur 43%, Springtown 6% | 0% | 593 | 1,245 | 0.48 | Split. Partial coverage. 23 new residential meters Oct 7-18, 2026. Mostly outside Decatur city limits. |
| 76073 | Paradise 86%, Decatur 14% | 0% | 550 | 2,489 | 0.22 | Split. Partial coverage. Mostly outside Decatur city limits. |

## Business electricity in Decatur
2,010 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
**Is Decatur deregulated for electricity?** Most Decatur homes can. ERCOT's October 5, 2026 extract has 4,816 Decatur-addressed homes on Oncor's competitive system, compared with 3,059 households in the Census survey. Addresses in 76234, 76487, 76073 (all split) need an exact-address check before you shop.
**What is the biggest Decatur ZIP code for electricity customers?** That is 76234, home to 4,476 of the competitive meters with a Decatur address. ZIP-wide: 4,493 ERCOT meters, about 7,544 Census households, 0.60 per household. The weakest coverage among Decatur's ZIP codes: 76073, 0.22.
**Are electric bills high in Decatur?** 76487 has the highest share of $250-plus monthly electric bills among Decatur's core ZIP codes (55.6 percent of households, ACS 2020-2024); 76234 has 50.7 percent. Bigger and all-electric homes push the share up.
**How do I start electric service at a new Decatur address?** 12.1% of 76234 residents moved within a year (ACS), and 6 meters in 76234 turned from vacant to active Oct. 7-18, 2026. Check that your Decatur address is on Oncor's wires, then choose a plan and start date.
**Why are there more electric meters than households in Decatur?** 4,816 Decatur-addressed meters against 3,059 city households is 1.57 per household: the Decatur 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.
**Who restores power in Decatur after an outage?** Oncor, at oncor.com/outages: it carries power to all 4,816 Decatur-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/
- Oncor Electric Delivery: https://www.oncor.com/
- Oncor delivery tariff (effective October 4, 2026): https://interchange.puc.texas.gov/Documents/59249_105_1676040.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 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/
- ERCOT TDSP ESIID Extract (report 203), Oct 5, 2026: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203
- 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
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25003: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/
- EIA-861 (2024) utility service territories by county: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861/
- 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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