# Monahans, 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 4,661 active residential meters with a Monahans address, all on Oncor's wires (October 5, 2026). 3 of Monahans's ZIP codes are split, so most addresses can shop, but yours needs a check.

## Moving to Monahans

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

- **City hall (ask about water service):** City of Monahans: City Hall (main line), 432-943-4343.
- **Natural gas:** Texas Gas Service: customer service, 800-700-2443.
- **Public schools:** Monahans-Wickett-Pyote ISD, Wink-Loving ISD.
- **Driver license:** Texas DPS Driver License Office: Monahans, 512-424-2600.

## Who delivers electricity in Monahans?
ERCOT counts 4,661 active residential meters with a Monahans address, all on Oncor's wires (October 5, 2026).

## Can every address in Monahans choose?
Split ZIP codes holding Monahans homes: 79743, 79788, 79777. They carry 25 of the 4,589 competitive homes with a Monahans address (1%); on those streets a neighbor's utility can differ from yours.

## What is different about Monahans?
- Monahans counted about 7,427 residents in the Census Bureau's 2025 estimate, against 7,839 in the 2020 base, a change of -5.3%. The largest one-year change was -406 people, from July 2020 to July 2021. July 1 estimates in between: 7,454 (2021), 7,346 (2022), 7,349 (2023), 7,402 (2024). (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv)
- Monahans covers 28.9 square miles of land (Census 2025 Gazetteer). That works out to about 257 residents and 99 occupied households per square mile of land, with roughly 2.6 residents for every Monahans 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. 4,661 competitive residential meters use Monahans as their postal city, while the city itself has 2,873 Census households, a ratio of 1.62. (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/)
- Of the 3,564,530 homes Oncor serves on the competitive market, 0.1% have a Monahans mailing address. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- Move-ins show up as vacant-to-active switches in ERCOT's daily files: 14 of them in the ZIP codes most Monahans homes use, Oct. 7-18, 2026. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- On October 5, 2026, ERCOT showed 832 home meters switched off (de-energized) in the ZIP codes most Monahans homes use, against 4,803 switched on; that 14.8 percent is mostly vacant houses and apartments between occupants. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- One ZIP code, 79756, holds almost every Monahans-addressed competitive home (4,564); it also carries 235 Thorntonville addresses. Taken whole, 79756 has 1.29 competitive meters per Census household: 4,803 meters, 3,729 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/)
- Among the 6 cities and towns that reach into Ward County, Monahans places 1 for competitive homes on its postal city; second place is Thorntonville, at 235. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- By the Census Bureau's 2025 estimates, Monahans is the number 1 city or town by population among the 6 that reach into Ward County, one place ahead of Thorntonville (537 residents). (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv)
- Mailing cities on the 4,803 competitive home meters in 79756, Monahans's main ZIP code: Monahans 4,564, Thorntonville 235. 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)
- Electric bills over $250 a month: 47.6 percent of households in 79756, Monahans's main ZIP code, per the ACS 2020-2024; the same survey puts median household income there at $67,468 and the renter share at 23.4 percent. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- Monahans's land splits across 2 main ZIP codes, led by 79756 (22%) and 79788 (13%), per the Census 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/rel2020/zcta520/)

## By the numbers
- Population (July 1, 2025 estimate): 7,427
- Population (2020 estimates base): 7,839
- Occupied households (ACS 2020-2024): 2,873
- Active residential meters with a Monahans address: 4,661
- Active business meters with a Monahans address: 3,691
- Residential meters per Census household: 1.62
- Delivery utilities (homes): Oncor 4,661
- Counties: Ward, Winkler
- ZIP codes touching Monahans: 4
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79756 | Monahans 95%, Thorntonville 5% | 4% | 4,803 | 3,729 | 1.29 | Near-full coverage. Mostly outside Monahans city limits. |
| 79788 | Wickett 100% | 25% | 212 | 252 | 0.84 | Split. Most homes, not all. Two delivery utilities: TNMP 161, Oncor 51 homes. |
| 79777 | Pyote 100% | 1% | 114 | 50 | 2.28 | Split. Too few homes to rate. Two delivery utilities: Oncor 107, TNMP 7 homes. Mostly outside Monahans city limits. |
| 79743 | Monahans 50%, Imperial 40%, Imperial Oil Field 10% | 0% | 50 | 98 | 0.51 | Split. Too few homes to rate. Two delivery utilities: Oncor 45, AEP Texas North 5 homes. Mostly outside Monahans city limits. |

## Business electricity in Monahans
3,691 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 Monahans have electricity choice?** Most Monahans homes can. ERCOT's October 5, 2026 extract has 4,661 Monahans-addressed homes on Oncor's competitive system, compared with 2,873 households in the Census survey. Addresses in 79743, 79788, 79777 (all split) need an exact-address check before you shop.
**Which Monahans ZIP code has the most homes on the competitive market?** 79756. It holds 4,564 Monahans-addressed competitive homes; counting every address in the ZIP, ERCOT has 4,803 meters for roughly 3,729 households, a 1.29 ratio.
**What do Monahans 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 Monahans. How do I set up electricity?** Start with the address check: Oncor-delivered Monahans homes choose among the plans offered there and set a start date. Turnover is real in 79756, where 6.9% moved in the past year (ACS); ERCOT logged 14 vacant-to-active meters in 79756 Oct. 7-18, 2026.
**Why are there more electric meters than households in Monahans?** 4,661 Monahans-addressed meters against 2,873 city households is 1.62 per household: the Monahans 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 do I call in Monahans when the power goes out?** Oncor, at oncor.com/outages: it carries power to all 4,661 Monahans-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/
- Census 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file: https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/rel2020/zcta520/

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