The state, or part of one
Most area codes cover one metro area or a group of counties. A few cover a whole state, like 907 for Alaska or 207 for Maine.
Free tool
Area code lookup: where is that number from?
Type an area code or a whole phone number. You get the state, the main cities and the time there right now.
Free, no signup. Any US area code or phone number.
What comes back
- state
- The state or territory the code belongs to.
- cities
- The main cities it covers.
- local_time
- What the clock reads there right now.
Or try one
An area code is the first three digits, and it points to a place.
Each US area code was given to a region, so the code alone tells you the state and often the metro area.
How a US number is built
The first three digits say where a number is from.
212
Area code
The region the number belongs to.
555
Exchange
A block of numbers inside it.
0142
Line
One phone.
Here is what the code tells you, and what it cannot.
The time zone, which can be two
Every area code sits in a time zone, and a few straddle two, so the tool shows both clocks. Check the time before you call back: your evening can be their night.
Where the number started, not where the person is
A cell number goes wherever its owner goes, so a 212 number can belong to someone in Texas. The code tells you where the number began.
How to find out which state a number is from.
Three steps, and the first one is reading three digits.
Take the first three digits
Skip a leading 1 or +1. In (415) 555-0198 the area code is 415.
Type them in, or paste the whole number
The tool reads the first three digits for you and ignores the dashes, brackets and spaces.
Read the state, the cities and the time
If the code is a newer overlay, you also see the older code that shares its area.
Area code questions
What people ask right after they look a number up.
Look at its first three digits, the area code. Type them, or the whole number, into the box above and you get the state, the main cities and the local time. For a mobile number this shows where the number started, which can differ from where its owner is today.
The first three digits of a US phone number. The numbering plan gives each one to a region, so a code points to a state and usually to one metro area or a group of counties. 415, for example, is San Francisco.
Not always. A cell number can be kept when its owner moves, so a number that starts with 212 can belong to someone in another state. The area code tells you where the number began.
A newer code laid over the same area as an older one, so that two codes serve one place. Everyone in an overlay area dials all ten digits for a local call. 415 and 628 are one example: both are San Francisco.
Because the code covers land on both sides of a time zone line. Idaho is one case: 208 and 986 cover both the Mountain and Pacific zones. The tool shows both clocks.
Yes. When you create a number on ExpressNumber you type the area code you want. Calls to it ring the phone you already carry and texts land in your inbox. If a code has no numbers left, you are offered nearby ones.
Look up its area code here for the state and the time, then check the number itself with the spam number lookup, which shows the line type, the carrier and a risk level. Both are free.
More free tools for your numbers.
Two more places to go from here.
Check who just called you
Paste the number into the spam number lookup to see its line type, its carrier and a risk level.
Read about one area code
Each area-code page covers where the code is, how it got there and how to get a number in it.
Pick the area code people see.
Ask for the area code you want when you create a number. Calls ring the phone you already carry, and texts land in your inbox.
Try it free for 7 days