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617 Area Code

Area code 617 serves Boston, Cambridge, Quincy, Newton, Somerville and nearby communities in Massachusetts. It has been in service since January 1, 1947.

StateMassachusetts
Time zoneEastern
Local time now…
Prefixes in use771
Overlay with857
Projected to run out2066
BostonCambridgeQuincyNewtonSomervilleWalthamBrooklineEverettChelseaWatertownSaugusMiltonBelmontWinthrop TownBoston
Cities and towns served by area code 617

Who issues 617 numbers

Mobile 18%VoIP and cable 20%Landline 62%

Share of the 771 prefixes (the three digits after 617) assigned to each type of carrier. Classification by carrier name, approximate.

CarrierPrefixes
Verizon329
Verizon Business (MCImetro)71
AT&T Mobility68
Paetec Itel44
Tc Systems41
Lumen (Level 3)39
Verizon Wireless38
T-Mobile32

Cities and towns in area code 617

CityPopulationOther area codes
Boston672,973857
Cambridge122,588857
Quincy103,173857
Newton90,741857
Somerville84,211857
Waltham65,037781, 339
Brookline62,822857
Everett53,572857
Chelsea40,130857
Watertown35,710857
Saugus28,599781, 339
Milton28,481857
Belmont27,009857
Winthrop Town18,647857

Got a call from 617?

A 617 number was originally issued in Massachusetts, but that does not prove the caller is there. 20% of 617 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 771 prefixes in area code 617

Format: (617) 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 617

Where is area code 617?
Area code 617 is in Massachusetts. It covers Boston, Cambridge, Quincy, Newton, Somerville, Waltham and 8 more cities and towns.
What time zone is area code 617?
Area code 617 is in the Eastern time zone.
Is 617 a toll-free number?
No. 617 is a geographic area code in Massachusetts. Toll-free numbers in the US start with 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877 or 888.
Why does 617 share its area with 857?
617 and 857 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 617 run out of numbers?
NANPA's latest forecast projects the 617/857 overlay to exhaust in the third quarter of 2066. Before that happens, a new area code is usually added as an overlay; existing numbers keep their code.

Other area codes in Massachusetts