Area Code Directory
Find area code locations, time zones, cities, and phone number prefixes across the United States and Canada.
Area Codes by Number
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What is an Area Code?
An area code is a three-digit number that identifies a specific geographic telephone calling area in the United States, Canada, and other countries participating in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). Area codes were introduced in 1947 by AT&T and Bell Labs to simplify direct dialing of long-distance calls.
Today, there are over 300 area codes in use across the United States and Canada. Some regions use overlay codes, where multiple area codes serve the same geographic area, while others still use a single code. Use AreaCodesGuide to look up any area code and find detailed information about its location, time zone, covered cities, and phone number prefixes.
Location Info
Find which state, city, and region each area code covers.
Time Zones
See the time zone and current time for any area code.
Phone Prefixes
Look up carriers and rate centers for any NXX prefix.
Phone Number Format
In the US, Canada, and Caribbean, phone numbers follow the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) format: NPA-NXX-XXXX or (NPA) NXX-XXXX.
3-digit Numbering Plan Area identifies a geographic region.
3-digit central office code identifies the carrier.
4-digit line number for the individual subscriber.
With over 1.6 billion possible phone numbers across the NANP, each area code can support approximately 7.9 million numbers.
History of Area Codes
The First Area Codes (1947)
AT&T and Bell Labs created 86 original area codes in 1947 to enable nationwide direct long-distance dialing. Lower-numbered codes were assigned to high-population areas (e.g., 212 for New York City, 213 for Los Angeles, 312 for Chicago) because they were faster to dial on rotary phones. Single-state codes had 0 as the second digit while multi-region codes used 1.
Splits vs. Overlays
For decades, new codes were created by splits — dividing an existing area code into regions. The last US split was in 2007 (505 to 575). In 1992, area code 917 introduced the first overlay, where multiple codes serve the same geographic area. Since the 2000s, all new North American area codes have been overlaid on existing regions, requiring 10-digit dialing for local calls in most major cities.
Non-Geographic Area Codes
Not all area codes are tied to a specific location. Some serve special purposes across the NANP.
Toll-Free Codes
Calls from these codes are free for the caller — the recipient pays.
N11 Service Codes
Three-digit codes reserved for community and emergency services.
Other Special Codes
Area code 900 is reserved for premium-rate services (billed to the caller). Codes 500, 521-529, 533, 544, 566, 577, 588 are assigned to personal communications services. Codes 600 and 700 are reserved for special telecommunications purposes. Caribbean nations and US territories also have their own area codes under the NANP.