# Marlin, Texas electricity: Oncor wires and 2,581 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 2,581 active residential meters with a Marlin address, all on Oncor's wires (October 5, 2026). Nearly every Marlin address in our data is on Oncor's wires and can pick a retail provider.

## Moving to Marlin

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

- **City hall (ask about water service):** City of Marlin: City Hall (general line), 254-883-1450.
- **Natural gas:** Atmos Energy: customer service, 888-286-6700.
- **Public schools:** Marlin ISD.
- **Driver license:** Texas DPS Driver License Office: Marlin, 512-424-2600.

## Who delivers electricity in Marlin?
ERCOT counts 2,581 active residential meters with a Marlin address, all on Oncor's wires (October 5, 2026).

## Can every address in Marlin choose?
No split flag on any ZIP code that holds Marlin's 2,561 competitive homes; most streets here can shop.

## What is different about Marlin?
- The Census Bureau's July 1, 2025 estimate for Marlin is 5,599 people, up 2.7% on the 2020 estimates base of 5,451. The largest one-year change was +93 people, from July 2022 to July 2023. July 1 estimates in between: 5,512 (2021), 5,470 (2022), 5,563 (2023), 5,575 (2024). (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv)
- Marlin covers 4.5 square miles of land (Census 2025 Gazetteer). That works out to about 1,240 residents and 459 occupied households per square mile of land, with roughly 2.7 residents for every Marlin 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/)
- Oncor delivers to 3,564,530 competitive homes in all; the 2,581 with a Marlin address are 0.07 percent of them, roughly one in 1,381. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- Move-ins show up as vacant-to-active switches in ERCOT's daily files: 13 of them in the ZIP codes most Marlin homes use, Oct. 7-18, 2026. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- On October 5, 2026, ERCOT showed 570 home meters switched off (de-energized) in the ZIP codes most Marlin homes use, against 2,477 switched on; that 18.7 percent is mostly vacant houses and apartments between occupants. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- Most Marlin electricity customers live in 76661: 2,474 homes, or 97 percent of the 2,561 with a Marlin address; the full ZIP comes to 1.01 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/)
- Among the 5 cities and towns that reach into Falls County, Marlin places 1 for competitive homes on its postal city; second place is Bruceville-Eddy, at 942. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- By the Census Bureau's 2025 estimates, Marlin is the number 1 city or town by population among the 5 that reach into Falls County, one place ahead of Bruceville-Eddy (1,483 residents). (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv)
- Renting is most common in 76661, where the ACS 2020-2024 counts 33.0 percent of households as renters; in that part of Marlin, electricity accounts change hands with each lease. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- Electric bills over $250 a month: 25.4 percent of households in 76661, Marlin's main ZIP code, per the ACS 2020-2024; the same survey puts median household income there at $41,056. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- Waco, 25 miles from Marlin, has the most competitive homes nearby (60,431); Bellmead has the fewest per household, still 1.05. (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): 5,599
- Population (2020 estimates base): 5,451
- Occupied households (ACS 2020-2024): 2,073
- Active residential meters with a Marlin address: 2,581
- Active business meters with a Marlin address: 883
- Residential meters per Census household: 1.25
- Delivery utilities (homes): Oncor 2,581
- Counties: Falls
- ZIP codes touching Marlin: 3
- Split ZIP codes (flagged below): 0

## 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76661 | Marlin 100% | 3% | 2,477 | 2,455 | 1.01 | Near-full coverage. Mostly outside Marlin city limits. |
| 76680 | Marlin 95%, Reagan 5% | 0% | 64 | 57 | 1.12 | Too few homes to rate. Mostly outside Marlin city limits. |
| 76685 | Marlin 65%, Satin 32%, Chilton 2% | 0% | 40 | 15 | 2.67 | Too few homes to rate. Mostly outside Marlin city limits. |

## Business electricity in Marlin
883 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 Marlin deregulated for electricity?** Most Marlin homes can. ERCOT's October 5, 2026 extract has 2,581 Marlin-addressed homes on Oncor's competitive system, compared with 2,073 households in the Census survey. No Marlin ZIP code carries a split flag, but only an address lookup is certain.
**Where do most Marlin electricity customers live?** That is 76661, home to 2,474 of the competitive meters with a Marlin address. ZIP-wide: 2,477 ERCOT meters, about 2,455 Census households, 1.01 per household.
**What do Marlin electricity plans cost per kWh?** On October 19, 2026, the median fixed-rate Power to Choose listing on Oncor's wires was 13.4¢ per kWh at 1,000 kWh a month (170 listings); Oncor's delivery charge of 6.8673¢ per kWh plus $4.06 a month is included. A median is not a quote.
**I'm moving to Marlin. How do I set up electricity?** 17.6% of 76661 residents moved within a year (ACS), and 13 meters in 76661 turned from vacant to active Oct. 7-18, 2026. Check that your Marlin address is on Oncor's wires, then choose a plan and start date.
**How many Marlin homes are on the competitive electricity market?** ERCOT's October 5, 2026 extract lists 2,581 competitive residential meters with a Marlin mailing address and 883 business meters; ACS 2020-2024: 2,073 occupied Marlin households.
**Where do I report a Marlin power outage?** Call Oncor (oncor.com/outages), the wires utility for Marlin's 2,581 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/
- 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
- 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
- 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/

BJW Ventures LLC d/b/a Power Hopper | PUCT BR260201