Area Codes for Boston, Massachusetts

Two area codes are in use in the City of Boston: 617 and 857. A total of 8 area codes are in use in cities and town within a 30-mile radius of Boston. Across the state of Massachusetts, a total of 9 area codes are currently in use.

In the USA, area codes are almost always included in written telephone numbers. All US phone numbers are 10-digits total, including a 3-digit area code and a 7-digit local subscriber number.

If you aren't given the area code for the location you are calling, it is not easy to track it down based only on the local subscriber number.

Boston area codes:   617 , 857 

Two area codes are in use in Boston and nearby towns. Phone numbers in Boston can use either these area codes. Older phone numbers will tend to have the 617 area code since the 857 area code is relatively new.

All area codes in the United States are exactly 3-digits long.

Area codes are used to route phone calls to a specific geographic area within a country.

In the past, a given region often had just one area code. Nowadays in the United States, many cities and towns in denser urban area have 2 or more area codes.

To make an inbound international call (or domestic long distance call) to a Boston landline or mobile phone, you need to dial the appropriate 3-digit area code, followed by a 7-digit local subscriber number. Normally written US phone numbers include all 10-digits.

Boston area code information:

Lookup Boston phone numbers

Area Codes Used In & Near Boston, Massachusetts

There are currently 9 area codes used in the state of Massachusetts. Two area codes are used in the City of Boston and immediately surrounding towns. Another 6 area codes are in use in nearby towns within about a 30-mile surrounding area.

Here are the area codes in use throughout Massachusetts:

Massachusetts Area Codes

Area Codes Region
 617 
 857 
Boston metro
 781 
 339 
Nearby suburbs
 978 
 351 
Northern Massachusetts
 508 
 774 
Southern Massachusetts
 413  Western Massachusetts

To accommodate demand for new phone numbers, Massachusetts uses 'overlay' area codes - meaning that as new phone numbers are needed, a new area code is added within the footprint of an existing area code. For instance, the area code 857 was added several years ago within the footprint of the 617 area code.

See maps and other listings below for further information.

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Area Codes for Boston and Other Large Towns in Massachusetts

Here are the area codes for the 25 largest cities and towns in Massachusetts (in alpha order).

Area Codes for Largest Massachusetts Towns

Town Area Codes
Boston area code  617 / 857 
Brockton area code  508 / 774 
Brookline area code  617 / 857 
Cambridge area code  617 / 857 
Chicopee area code  413 
Fall River area code  508 / 774 
Framingham area code  508 / 774 
Haverhill area code  978 / 351 
Lawrence area code  978 / 351 
Lowell area code  978 / 351 
Lynn area code  781 / 339 
Malden area code  781 / 339 
New Bedford area code  508 / 774 
Newton area code  617 / 857 
Peabody area code  978 / 351 
Plymouth area code  508 / 774 
Quincy area code  617 / 857 
Revere area code  781 / 339 
Somerville area code  617 / 857 
Springfield area code  413 
Taunton area code  508 / 774 
Waltham area code  781 / 339 
Weymouth area code  781 / 339 
Worcester area code  508 / 774 

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Boston, Massachusetts Area Code Maps

The following maps show area codes for Boston and the state of Massachusetts.

Boston Area Code Map

Boston area code map

Source: WhitePages.com

Massachusetts Area Code Map

Massachusetts area code map

Source: Wikipedia.org

Click here for a highly detailed Massachusetts area code map (pdf) showing area codes for all towns statewide.

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City Codes vs. Area Codes

In some cases, area codes may be referred to as city codes. However, a 'city code' more correctly refers to the codes used to designate airports and other geographic locations. These codes are issued under the United Nation's UN/LOCODE system and/or the IATA airport coding system. The city code for Boston is BOS.

Boston online telephone directories
Boston dialing steps

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