Reference
Area code directory
Where each North American area code is, which cities it covers, what time it is there, and which of the codes people search for are not area codes at all.
Reviewed by Sujan ThapaliyaLast updated
How do North American area codes work?
An area code is the three digits at the start of a ten-digit North American number. The first digit is always 2–9, so no area code begins with 0 or 1. Codes were originally geographic, but overlays now put two or more codes in the same territory, and mobile numbers keep their code when their owner moves, so a code tells you where a number was issued, not where its owner lives.
Toll-free
Toll-free codes: 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877, 888
These are not area codes. They are national toll-free prefixes where the business receiving the call pays, and they are not tied to any location.
| Code | In service since | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 800 | 1966 | The original toll-free code, and the only one most people recognise on sight. |
| 833 | 2017 | The newest widely available toll-free code, which is why so many 833 calls are unfamiliar. |
| 844 | 2013 | 844 is fully toll-free and functionally identical to 800. |
| 855 | 2010 | 855 is toll-free. |
| 866 | 2000 | 866 is toll-free across the US, Canada, and the Caribbean NANP territories. |
| 877 | 1998 | 877 is toll-free and long established, old enough that most consumers recognise it as legitimate.. |
| 888 | 1996 | 888 was the first expansion beyond 800 and remains the second most recognised toll-free prefix.. |
Not area codes
Codes people search that do not exist
If one of these appeared on your caller ID, the number was spoofed or malformed; there is no subscriber behind it.
| Code | Status | What it actually is |
|---|---|---|
| 822 | Unassigned | 822 is reserved for future toll-free use but is not yet in general service. A call displaying 822 today is almost certainly spoofed.. |
| 444 | Unassigned | 444 is a validly formatted area code that has never been assigned to any region. If your caller ID shows 444, the number was spoofed or your carrier is displaying a malformed call record.. |
| 846 | Unassigned | 846 is not assigned to any US, Canadian, or Caribbean region. Calls appearing to come from 846 are not coming from a real 846 subscriber, because there are none.. |
| 677 | Unassigned | 677 is not an assigned area code. It is most often seen on caller ID as the result of spoofing or a truncated international number.. |
| 492 | Unassigned | 492 is not in service as an area code anywhere in the North American Numbering Plan.. |
| 010 | Impossible format | 010 cannot be a North American area code: the format forbids 0 or 1 as the first digit. Outside the NANP, 010 is a city code: Beijing dials 010 domestically, and Seoul mobiles start 010.. |
| 013 | Impossible format | 013 is not a valid North American area code; area codes never start with 0. As an international prefix, 013 is a carrier-selection code in Israel.. |
| 077 | Impossible format | 077 is not a North American area code. In the UK, 077 is the start of a mobile number (+44 77…); in Japan and Italy it is a landline area code.. |
| 095 | Impossible format | 095 is not a valid North American area code. It was historically Moscow's Russian city code before the 2005 renumbering to 495.. |
| 154 | Impossible format | 154 is not a North American area code. Area codes cannot begin with 1. |
The rule that settles most of these
A North American area code never starts with 0 or 1. Any three-digit “area code” beginning with those digits is something else, usually an international city code, or a fragment your carrier displayed badly.
Directory
Which area codes does each state and province use?
Pick a state or province to see every code it uses, the overlays sharing the same territory, and the time zones they sit in. The number beside each is how many codes are in service there.
United States
- Alabama7
- Alaska1
- American Samoa1
- Arizona5
- Arkansas4
- California41
- Colorado6
- Connecticut4
- Delaware1
- District of Columbia2
- Florida23
- Georgia10
- Guam1
- Hawaii1
- Idaho2
- Illinois17
- Indiana8
- Iowa5
- Kansas4
- Kentucky5
- Louisiana6
- Maine1
- Maryland6
- Massachusetts9
- Michigan13
- Minnesota8
- Mississippi5
- Missouri9
- Montana1
- Nebraska3
- Nevada3
- New Hampshire1
- New Jersey10
- New Mexico2
- New York23
- North Carolina10
- North Dakota1
- Northern Mariana Islands1
- Ohio15
- Oklahoma5
- Oregon4
- Pennsylvania15
- Rhode Island1
- South Carolina6
- South Dakota1
- Tennessee8
- Texas29
- US Virgin Islands1
- Utah3
- Vermont1
- Virginia10
- Washington6
- West Virginia2
- Wisconsin8
- Wyoming1
Canada
Caribbean and territories
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out where an area code is?
Look up the three-digit code in the directory below. Each page names the state or province, the main cities served, the time zone, and any overlay codes covering the same territory. Bear in mind that a mobile number keeps its area code when its owner moves, so the code tells you where the number was issued, not where the person is now.
Is a call from an unknown area code a scam?
Not automatically, but treat unknown numbers with caution. Spam callers commonly use neighbour spoofing: faking a caller ID in your own area code because local-looking numbers get answered more. If you do not recognise the number, let it go to voicemail; a genuine caller leaves a message.
What is an overlay area code?
An overlay is a second area code covering exactly the same geography as an existing one, introduced when the original runs out of numbers. It is why ten-digit dialling is required in most metro areas: with two codes in one place, seven digits no longer identifies a line uniquely.
Can area codes start with 0 or 1?
No. In the North American Numbering Plan the first digit of an area code is always 2 through 9. That single rule is why searches like '010 area code' or '154 area code' have no answer; those cannot be North American area codes, and they are almost always fragments of international numbers.
Is an area code the same as a ZIP code?
No, and they do not map onto each other. Area codes are telephone routing; ZIP codes are postal routing. A single area code can span dozens of ZIP codes, and a ZIP code can sit across two area codes.
Sources
- North American Numbering Plan Administrator — NANPAArea code assignments, relief planning, and which codes are in service across the North American Numbering Plan.
- ITU-T Recommendation E.164 — The international public telecommunication numbering plan — International Telecommunication UnionThe international number format, the 15-digit maximum, and how country codes and national numbers compose.
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