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281 Area Code

Area code 281 serves Houston, Pasadena, Pearland, League City, The Woodlands and nearby communities in Texas. It has been in service since November 2, 1996, when it was split from 713.

StateTexas
Time zoneCentral
Local time now…
Prefixes in use786
Overlay with346, 621, 713, 832
Projected to run out2039
HoustonPasadenaPearlandLeague CityThe WoodlandsSugar LandAtascocitaBaytownMissouri CitySpringFulshearTexas CityChannelviewRosenbergFriendswoodLa PorteMission BendDeer ParkAlvinKatySiennaPecan GroveCloverleafFresnoDickinsonManvelIowa ColonyLa MarqueCinco RanchStaffordBellaireHumbleSouth HoustonTomballAldineWest University PlaceSeabrookSanta FeRichmondWebsterFour CornersMont BelvieuGalena ParkClevelandBacliffJacinto CityMagnoliaJersey VillageHighlandsBrookshireSan LeonWallerNassau BayHoustonPasadenaPearlandThe WoodlandsAtascocitaSpring
Cities and towns served by area code 281

Who issues 281 numbers

Mobile 15%VoIP and cable 19%Landline 66%

Share of the 786 prefixes (the three digits after 281) assigned to each type of carrier. Classification by carrier name, approximate.

CarrierPrefixes
AT&T (Southwestern Bell)283
Verizon Wireless66
Frontier57
Lumen (Level 3)55
AT&T Mobility50
Windstream38
Verizon Business (MCImetro)33
Onvoy (Sinch)32

Cities and towns in area code 281

CityPopulationOther area codes
Houston2,397,315713, 832, 346
Pasadena148,539346, 832
Pearland129,930346, 832
League City119,905346, 832
The Woodlands116,916346, 832
Sugar Land107,726346, 832
Atascocita93,926346, 832
Baytown86,561346, 832
Missouri City77,327346, 832
Spring67,103346, 832
Fulshear64,630346, 832
Texas City59,733346, 832
Channelview43,536346, 832
Rosenberg42,701346, 832
Friendswood41,319346, 832
La Porte37,983346, 832
Mission Bend37,280346, 832
Deer Park34,282346, 832
Alvin30,115346, 832
Katy28,373346, 832
Sienna25,025346, 832
Pecan Grove24,798346, 832
Cloverleaf24,630346, 832
Fresno24,087346, 832
Dickinson21,908346, 832
Manvel20,699346, 832
Iowa Colony20,503346, 832
La Marque20,324346, 832
Cinco Ranch19,139346, 832
Stafford18,043346, 832
Bellaire17,434346, 832
Humble16,484346, 832
South Houston16,407346, 832
Tomball15,768346, 832
Aldine15,434346, 832
West University Place15,158346, 832
Seabrook13,974346, 832
Santa Fe13,913346, 832
Richmond13,389346, 832
Webster12,507346, 832

Showing the 40 largest of 53 places with 5,000+ residents.

Got a call from 281?

A 281 number was originally issued in Texas, but that does not prove the caller is there. 19% of 281 prefixes belong to VoIP and cable providers, whose numbers can be bought online and used from anywhere. Caller ID can also be spoofed, so treat urgent requests for money, codes or passwords from any area code with suspicion, and call back on a number you already know.

All 786 prefixes in area code 281

Format: (281) XXX-YYYY. Carrier is the company the block was originally assigned to; numbers may since have been ported to another carrier.

Questions about area code 281

Where is area code 281?
Area code 281 is in Texas. It covers Houston, Pasadena, Pearland, League City, The Woodlands, Sugar Land and 47 more cities and towns.
What time zone is area code 281?
Area code 281 is in the Central time zone.
Is 281 a toll-free number?
No. 281 is a geographic area code in Texas. Toll-free numbers in the US start with 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877 or 888.
Why does 281 share its area with 346, 621, 713 and 832?
281, 346, 621, 713 form an overlay: they cover the same territory, so new numbers there can get any of these codes, and local calls need all 10 digits.
Will area code 281 run out of numbers?
NANPA's latest forecast projects the 281/346/621/713/832 overlay to exhaust in the second quarter of 2039. Before that happens, a new area code is usually added as an overlay; existing numbers keep their code.

Other area codes in Texas