Wharton, Texas electricity: CenterPoint wires and 6,513 competitive homes
Wharton sits on CenterPoint's wires. Below: ZIP by ZIP, who can shop, and what plans cost this month.
Last updated . Written by Power Hopper. Reviewed by Brent Ward, founder, on 2026-10-19. Data as of October 5, 2026 (meters) and October 19, 2026 (plan prices).
In short: ERCOT counts 6,513 active residential meters with a Wharton address, all on CenterPoint's wires (October 5, 2026). Nearly every Wharton address in our data is on CenterPoint's wires and can pick a retail provider.
Who delivers electricity in Wharton?
Outages: CenterPoint at centerpointenergy.com/outage.
CenterPoint delivery charges and area
Can every address in Wharton choose an electricity provider?
No split flag on any ZIP code that holds Wharton's 6,502 competitive homes; most streets here can shop.
Without retail choice unless opted in: 2 other utilities in Wharton County (EIA 2024).
Moving to Wharton
Local numbers for setting up a home in Wharton, each checked on the official source. More contacts, and a printable list, are on Wharton helpful move-in information.
- Water and utility billing: utility billing (start, transfer or stop water service), 979-532-2491.
- Natural gas: CenterPoint Energy: gas leak emergency (24/7), 888-876-5786.
- Public schools: Wharton ISD, Boling ISD.
- Driver license: Texas DPS Driver License Office: El Campo-Pierce, 512-424-2600.
You enter your address on the next screen, and we confirm there whether you can choose an electricity provider at that address.
Have a High Light Bill or Electric Bill?
If your electricity bill in Wharton came in higher than you expected, upload or enter it and see whether another plan could lower your electricity costs, or whether staying where you are makes more sense.
Weather and electricity in Wharton
Typical weather near Wharton, from the nearest NOAA station with a complete 1991-2020 record: El Campo, about 13 miles from the city center (station elevation 110 ft). These are normals for that station, not readings at your address. August is the warmest month on average, with a normal daily high of 96°F; January has the coolest average low, 42°F. Average daily highs reach 90°F or more in June to September. No month averages a daily low at or below freezing.
For electricity, the normals point to two seasons that can lift a household's usage: cooling-degree days (a measure of how far each day's mean temperature sits above 65°F) peak in August at 623 for the month, and heating-degree days (below 65°F) peak in January at 367. How much that matters to a bill depends on the home, its insulation, its heating fuel and the household, so use your own usage history, not a regional average, when you compare plans.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precipitation (in) | Cooling degree-days | Heating degree-days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65 | 42 | 3.1 | 16 | 367 |
| Feb | 68 | 46 | 2.0 | 26 | 243 |
| Mar | 76 | 53 | 2.8 | 82 | 112 |
| Apr | 82 | 59 | 3.1 | 184 | 26 |
| May | 88 | 67 | 4.8 | 378 | 2 |
| Jun | 92 | 73 | 4.9 | 522 | 0 |
| Jul | 95 | 75 | 4.3 | 617 | 0 |
| Aug | 96 | 74 | 3.9 | 623 | 0 |
| Sep | 93 | 70 | 5.7 | 489 | 0 |
| Oct | 85 | 60 | 5.6 | 265 | 21 |
| Nov | 75 | 51 | 5.7 | 82 | 136 |
| Dec | 67 | 45 | 3.7 | 24 | 307 |
Historical weather records for Wharton County
The Texas Railroad Commission's county table lists a record low of 3°F (1899) and a record high of 112°F (2000), and a regional estimate of 18 consecutive hours as a typical longest freezing or frozen-precipitation period for Wharton County. These are historical county extremes, not Wharton's monthly averages and not a forecast; the normals above describe ordinary months.
Reference only: the U.S. Energy Information Administration's 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey puts the average Texas household at about 13,440 kWh a year (about 1,120 kWh a month if spread evenly). That is a statewide average for 2020, not Wharton, and not an estimate for your home. EIA source.
Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, station USC00412786; Texas Railroad Commission, Historical Weather Data by County (2022).
What is different about electricity in Wharton?
- Population: 8,651 (2020 base) to 8,776 (July 2025), +1.4%, per Census Vintage 2025 estimates. The largest one-year change was +61 people, from July 2022 to July 2023. July 1 estimates in between: 8,688 (2021), 8,736 (2022), 8,797 (2023), 8,764 (2024). (Census)
- Wharton covers 8.3 square miles of land (Census 2025 Gazetteer). That works out to about 1,056 residents and 410 occupied households per square mile of land, with roughly 2.6 residents for every Wharton household. (Census, Census, Census)
- The Wharton mailing area is bigger than the city: ERCOT lists 6,513 competitive homes under the Wharton postal city, 1.91 for each of the city's 3,403 Census households. (ERCOT, Census)
- Wharton-addressed homes make up 0.3% of the 2,585,110 residential meters on CenterPoint's competitive system. (ERCOT)
- ERCOT's daily extracts logged 14 newly created home meters in the ZIP codes most Wharton homes use between Oct. 7 and Oct. 18, 2026; the busiest was 77488 with 14. Another 28 went from vacant to active over the same days. (ERCOT)
- Vacancy signal: 11.7 percent of residential meters in Wharton's core ZIP codes were de-energized on October 5, 2026 (860 off, 6,520 on), per ERCOT. (ERCOT)
- One ZIP code, 77488, holds almost every Wharton-addressed competitive home (6,502). Taken whole, 77488 has 1.15 competitive meters per Census household: 6,520 meters, 5,665 households. (ERCOT, Census)
- Wharton is 1 of 3 on a Wharton County list of cities and towns ranked by postal-city competitive homes; second place is El Campo, at 4,432. (ERCOT)
- By the Census Bureau's 2025 estimates, Wharton is the number 2 city or town by population among the 3 that reach into Wharton County, one place ahead of East Bernard (2,256 residents). (Census)
- Renting is most common in 77488, where the ACS 2020-2024 counts 32.4 percent of households as renters; in that part of Wharton, electricity accounts change hands with each lease. (Census)
- Electric bills over $250 a month: 38.5 percent of households in 77488, Wharton's main ZIP code, per the ACS 2020-2024; the same survey puts median household income there at $60,327. (Census)
- Choice is broad around Wharton: even El Campo, the bottom of its six nearest towns on this measure, has 1.02 competitive homes per household; Rosenberg (23 mi) is the biggest at 19,320. (ERCOT, Census)
Wharton electricity by the numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Population (July 1, 2025 estimate) | 8,776 |
| Population (2020 estimates base) | 8,651 |
| Occupied households (ACS 2020-2024) | 3,403 |
| Active residential meters with a Wharton address | 6,513 |
| Active business meters with a Wharton address | 1,697 |
| Residential meters per Census household | 1.91 |
| Delivery utilities (homes) | CenterPoint 6,513 |
| Counties | Wharton |
| ZIP codes touching Wharton | 1 |
| Split ZIP codes (flagged below) | 0 |
How we built these numbers. Download: Wharton ZIP table (CSV).
What do electricity plans cost in Wharton right now?
Same-day medians for CenterPoint’s area (CenterPoint: 173 listings), delivery included; not a quote.
| Delivery utility | 500 kWh | 1,000 kWh | 2,000 kWh | Delivery charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CenterPoint | 14¢ | 13.2¢ | 13¢ | 6.5333¢/kWh + $4.90/mo (effective October 1, 2026; tariff) |
Wharton ZIP codes: how much of each is on the competitive market?
Not every address in these ZIP codes has retail choice; check your exact address.
| ZIP | Meters per household | ERCOT competitive homes | Census households | With Wharton address | Share of ZIP land in Wharton | Mailing cities | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77488 | 1.15 | 6,520 | 5,665 | 6,502 | 4% | Wharton 100% | Near-full coverage. 14 new residential meters Oct 7-18, 2026. Mostly outside Wharton city limits. |
Split ZIP codes for Wharton: none flagged.
Homes, renters and electric bills in Wharton’s ZIP codes
ZIP 77488 leads Wharton on electric bills over $250 a month, reported by 38.5 percent of its households (Census ACS 2020-2024).
| ZIP | Bills $250+ | Household income (median) | Built since 2020 | Wharton-addressed homes | Renting | Meters added Oct 7-18 | In 5+ unit buildings | Vacant-to-active switches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77488 | 38.5% | $60,327 | 0.5% | 6,502 | 32.4% | 14 | 8.4% | 28 |
ACS 2020-2024 by ZCTA; meters: ERCOT daily files, Oct 7-18, 2026.
Wharton and its neighbors
| Nearby town (2,000+ residents) | Wires utility | Can homes choose? | Postal-city meters per household | Distance | Competitive homes, postal city |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Campo | AEP Texas Central | Yes, mostly | 1.02 | 13 mi away | 4,432 homes |
| East Bernard | CenterPoint | Yes, mostly | 2.62 | 14 mi away | 2,661 homes |
| Needville | CenterPoint | Yes, mostly | 4.31 | 17 mi away | 5,365 homes |
| Eagle Lake | AEP Texas Central | Yes, mostly | 1.92 | 23 mi away | 2,120 homes |
| Rosenberg | CenterPoint | Yes, mostly | 1.28 | 23 mi away | 19,320 homes |
| Bay City | AEP Texas Central | Yes, mostly | 1.16 | 25 mi away | 8,549 homes |
Business electricity in Wharton
Wharton business meters: 1,697 (3.8 homes per business meter); large non-residential meters in Wharton’s main ZIP codes: 9 (ERCOT, October 5, 2026).
Larger accounts can go out to bid with retail providers and direct suppliers; we can’t promise savings or bids.
How do I compare electricity plans in Wharton?
ZIP first, then your address; read each plan’s Electricity Facts Label before choosing.
Common questions about electricity in Wharton
Can Wharton residents pick their own electric company?
Yes, where CenterPoint's wires reach the house, which in Wharton is most of the city: 6,513 homes with a Wharton mailing address were on the competitive market on October 5, 2026, 1.91 for each Census household. No Wharton ZIP code carries a split flag, but only an address lookup is certain.
What is the biggest Wharton ZIP code for electricity customers?
That is 77488, home to 6,502 of the competitive meters with a Wharton address. ZIP-wide: 6,520 ERCOT meters, about 5,665 Census households, 1.15 per household.
What do Wharton electricity plans cost per kWh?
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 Wharton address?
12.7% of 77488 residents moved within a year (ACS), and 28 meters in 77488 turned from vacant to active Oct. 7-18, 2026. Check that your Wharton address is on CenterPoint's wires, then choose a plan and start date.
Why are there more electric meters than households in Wharton?
6,513 Wharton-addressed meters against 3,403 city households is 1.91 per household: the Wharton 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 Wharton after an outage?
Call CenterPoint (centerpointenergy.com/outage), the wires utility for Wharton's 6,513 competitive homes; a retail provider can't fix lines.
Where to next?
Up: CenterPoint area · Wharton County
Nearest town pages: El Campo · Rosenberg · Bay City · Richmond · Fulshear · Sealy · Brookshire · Sugar Land
Compare plans · Moving · High bill · Texas rates · Areas without retail choice · Methodology
Sources
- ERCOT TDSP ESIID Extract (report 203): full extract as of Oct 5, 2026; daily files Oct 7-18, 2026
- Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (B25003 households, B01003 population)
- Census Vintage 2025 city and town population estimates
- Census 2020 ZCTA-to-place and ZCTA-to-county relationship files
- EIA-861 (2024) utility service territories by county
- PUCT Power to Choose residential offer export, Oct 19, 2026, 7:59 AM CT
- PUCT: Choosing an Electric Plan
- PUCT broker directory (BR260201)
- CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric
- CenterPoint delivery tariff (effective October 1, 2026)
- Census Bureau 2025 Gazetteer Files, Texas places (land and water area)
BJW Ventures LLC d/b/a Power Hopper | PUCT BR260201. PUCT registration is not an endorsement.