# Palestine, 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 12,143 active residential meters with a Palestine address, all on Oncor's wires (October 5, 2026). 3 of Palestine's ZIP codes are split, so most addresses can shop, but yours needs a check.

## Moving to Palestine

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

- **Water and utility billing:** City of Palestine: Customer Service (utility billing), 903-731-8400.
- **Natural gas:** Atmos Energy: customer service, 888-286-6700.
- **Public schools:** Palestine ISD, Westwood ISD.
- **Driver license:** Texas DPS Driver License Office: Palestine, 512-424-2600.

## Who delivers electricity in Palestine?
ERCOT counts 12,143 active residential meters with a Palestine address, all on Oncor's wires (October 5, 2026).

## Can every address in Palestine choose?
5,044 of 12,124 Palestine-addressed competitive homes (42%) are in split ZIP codes (75803, 75861, 75763), where a neighbor may have a different utility.

## What is different about Palestine?
- The Census Bureau's July 1, 2025 estimate for Palestine is 19,555 people, up 5.5% on the 2020 estimates base of 18,542. The largest one-year change was +390 people, from July 2022 to July 2023. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/cities/totals/sub-est2025_48.csv)
- The Palestine mailing area is bigger than the city: ERCOT lists 12,143 competitive homes under the Palestine postal city, 1.8 for each of the city's 6,734 Census 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/)
- Oncor share: 0.3% of its 3,564,530 competitive residential meters carry a Palestine address. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- From Oct. 7 to Oct. 18, 2026, 19 residential meters in Palestine's main ZIP codes went from vacant to active in ERCOT's daily files, which usually means a move-in. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- De-energized homes, usually empty or between tenants, number 1,854 in Palestine's main ZIP codes, 13.4% of all 13,818 residential meters there. (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- Palestine's biggest ZIP code for electricity customers is 75801, with 7,044 of the 12,124 competitive homes that carry a Palestine address and a ZIP-wide ratio of 1.14 meters 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 competitive homes on its postal city, Palestine is number 1 of the 3 cities and towns touching Anderson County, ahead of Frankston (888). (Source: https://www.ercot.com/misapp/GetReports.do?reportTypeId=203)
- In ZIP 75861, which holds 96 Palestine-addressed homes, ERCOT counts only 0.18 competitive meters per Census household. EIA's 2024 data lists Houston County Electric Cooperative and Trinity Valley Electric Cooperative in the counties ERCOT and the Census link to that ZIP; their customers are not on the competitive market unless the utility opted 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/)
- 38.0% of households in 75801 rent (ACS 2020-2024), the most among Palestine's main ZIP codes, so a lot of Palestine electricity accounts open and close with each lease. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)
- 75803 is Palestine's highest-income main ZIP (median $61,794) and 75801 the other end ($56,787), per ACS 2020-2024; $250+ electric bills: 39.0% versus 33.6% of households. (Source: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/)

## By the numbers
- Population (July 1, 2025 estimate): 19,555
- Population (2020 estimates base): 18,542
- Occupied households (ACS 2020-2024): 6,734
- Active residential meters with a Palestine address: 12,143
- Active business meters with a Palestine address: 3,544
- Residential meters per Census household: 1.8
- Delivery utilities (homes): Oncor 12,143
- Counties: Anderson
- ZIP codes touching Palestine: 5
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75801 | Palestine 100% | 6% | 7,046 | 6,199 | 1.14 | Near-full coverage. Mostly outside Palestine city limits. |
| 75803 | Palestine 100% | 3% | 4,918 | 6,360 | 0.77 | Split. Most homes, not all. Mostly outside Palestine city limits. |
| 75763 | Frankston 97%, Palestine 3% | 0% | 920 | 2,424 | 0.38 | Split. Partial coverage. Mostly outside Palestine city limits. |
| 75861 | Palestine 83%, Tennessee Colony 17% | 0% | 115 | 648 | 0.18 | Split. Little coverage. Mostly outside Palestine city limits. |
| 75802 | Palestine 100% | 0% | 36 | n/a | n/a | PO box or special ZIP. Mostly outside Palestine city limits. |

## Business electricity in Palestine
3,544 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 Palestine deregulated for electricity?** Most Palestine homes can. ERCOT's October 5, 2026 extract has 12,143 Palestine-addressed homes on Oncor's competitive system, compared with 6,734 households in the Census survey. Split ZIP codes for Palestine: 75803, 75861, 75763; on those, check the exact address.
**Where do most Palestine electricity customers live?** ZIP 75801: 7,044 of its 7,046 competitive residential meters use a Palestine address, and the ZIP has about 6,199 Census households (ratio 1.14). 75861 trails at 0.18 meters per household.
**Are electric bills high in Palestine?** In 75803, 39.0% of households reported electricity bills of $250 or more a month in the ACS 2020-2024 survey, the highest among Palestine's main ZIP codes; in 75801 it was 33.6%. House size and heating type explain much of the difference.
**I'm moving to Palestine. How do I set up electricity?** Start with the address check: Oncor-delivered Palestine homes choose among the plans offered there and set a start date. Turnover is real in 75801, where 20.6% moved in the past year (ACS); ERCOT logged 10 vacant-to-active meters in 75801 Oct. 7-18, 2026.
**Why are there more electric meters than households in Palestine?** 12,143 Palestine-addressed meters against 6,734 city households is 1.8 per household: the Palestine 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 Palestine power outage?** Call Oncor (oncor.com/outages), the wires utility for Palestine's 12,143 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
- 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
- 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/
- 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