US Area Codes

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Area Codes by Region

The Census Bureau divides the United States into four regions. Each groups the states — and their area codes — by geography, which is a useful lens for understanding where overlays cluster.

Northeast
9 states · 55 codes
The most densely numbered part of the country. New York, New Jersey and the Boston corridor run heavy overlays to keep up with demand.
Midwest
12 states · 77 codes
Big metros like Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis use overlays, while the Great Plains states still hold a single statewide code.
South
17 states · 123 codes
The fastest-growing region for new area codes — Texas, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas add overlays almost every year.
West
13 states · 68 codes
California carries more area codes than any other state, while wide-open Mountain states such as Montana and Wyoming each keep one.
U.S. Territories
2 states · 3 codes
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are full members of the North American Numbering Plan and dial exactly like the 50 states.

How the regions are defined

These groupings follow the four regions used by the U.S. Census Bureau — Northeast, Midwest, South, and West — with a separate group for the U.S. territories in the numbering plan. They're a helpful way to see where new area codes cluster: the South and West, home to the fastest-growing Sun Belt metros, add overlays far more often than the slower-growing Northeast and Midwest.

Region is purely geographic and doesn't change how you dial. A call from one region to another is dialed exactly the same way — the full 10-digit number — and costs depend on your calling plan, not the region. To understand why some regions need more codes, read overlay area codes and how area codes work.

Other ways to browse

You can also explore the directory by state, by time zone, or by city, or jump straight to the complete numeric list of every US area code.