---
title: "Area code 601: Mississippi, United States"
url: "https://lookvalid.com/area-code/601.md"
canonical_url: "https://lookvalid.com/area-code/601"
last_updated: "2026-10-23"
type: "reference"
summary: "Area code 601 serves Mississippi, United States. Number formats, numbering rules, a live phone validator and the other codes in Mississippi."
---

# Area code 601: Mississippi, United States

Area code 601 serves Mississippi, United States. Number formats, numbering rules, a live phone validator and the other codes in Mississippi.

NANPA lists 781 central office codes (prefixes) in use in area code 601, held by 33 holders across 107 rate centers.
South Central Bell Tel holds the most prefixes, 241 (31%). 58% of the prefixes are pooled, which means their thousands-blocks can belong to different companies.
The FCC unwanted-call data has 1,959 complaints on file for 1,519 numbers in 601, most often filed as "Unwanted Calls". These are consumer reports, not findings.

## Facts

- In service since: 1947-01-01
- Time zone: Central (C)
- Assigned overlays: 769 (2005-03-14)
- Prefixes in use: 781
- Pooled prefixes: 456 (58%)
- Rate centers: 107
- Companies holding prefixes: 33
- Assignment dates on file: 2001-01-03 to 2026-06-18 (241 prefixes)
- ZIP codes in its places: 125

## Rate centers

| Rate center | Prefixes | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| JACKSON | 155 | 20% |
| HATTIESBG | 55 | 7% |
| MERIDIAN | 49 | 6% |
| VICKSBURG | 31 | 4% |
| LAUREL | 29 | 4% |
| NATCHEZ | 23 | 3% |
| BROOKHAVEN | 20 | 3% |
| MCCOMB | 18 | 2% |
| 99 other rate centers | 401 | 51% |

## Carriers

| Holder | Prefixes | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| South Central Bell Tel | 241 | 31% |
| New Cingular Wireless PCS | 78 | 10% |
| Telepak Networks | 75 | 10% |
| Verizon Wireless | 74 | 9% |
| Level 3 Communications | 67 | 9% |
| Cellular South | 39 | 5% |
| 27 other carriers | 207 | 27% |

A prefix holder is the company a code was assigned to, not necessarily a number's current carrier, because numbers can be ported to another company.

## History

- 1947-01-01: Area code 601 went into service.
- 1997-09-15: Area code 228 went into service and names 601 as its parent.
- 1999-04-19: Area code 662 went into service and names 601 as its parent.
- 2005-03-14: Area code 769 went into service as an overlay in the same area as 601.

## Nearest area codes

The area codes closest to 601, measured between the centers of the ZIP code places they serve, are 228 (about 122 miles), 225 (about 126 miles), 662 (about 131 miles), 985 (about 132 miles) and 251 (about 133 miles).

## ZIP codes

125 ZIP codes fall in places that have a rate center in this area code. The places with the most are Jackson, MS (27 ZIP codes), Meridian, MS (7 ZIP codes) and Laurel, MS (4 ZIP codes). A ZIP code and an area code are unrelated systems, so a ZIP code can sit in more than one area code and an area code spans many ZIP codes.

## Complaints on file

1,959 complaints for 1,519 numbers. Numbers whose latest complaint falls in each year:

- 2023: 81
- 2024: 73
- 2025: 91

## Questions

### Where is area code 601?

NANPA assigns area code 601 to Mississippi, United States.

### In which state does area code 601 sit?

Mississippi. 601 is one of 5 area codes the NANPA table assigns to the state.

### Which places does area code 601 cover?

The places with the most ZIP codes among the rate centers in 601 are Jackson, MS, Meridian, MS and Laurel, MS. The rate center list on this page shows all of them.

### Who owns area code 601?

NANPA assigns area codes. Within 601, South Central Bell Tel holds the most prefixes, 241 prefixes or 31%.

### Which time zone does 601 use?

The NANPA NPA report lists the time zone for 601 as Central (C).

### What year did 601 enter service?

The NANPA NPA report gives an in-service date of 1947-01-01, so 601 has been in use since 1947.

### Does area code 601 have an overlay?

Yes. 769 (in service 2005-03-14) shares the same area with 601, so numbers from all of them are local to each other.

### Which area codes are nearest to 601?

The area codes closest to 601, measured between the centers of the ZIP code places they serve, are 228 (about 122 miles), 225 (about 126 miles), 662 (about 131 miles), 985 (about 132 miles) and 251 (about 133 miles).

### How many prefixes does area code 601 have?

NANPA's report dated 2026-10-17 lists 781 prefixes in service in 601, spread over 107 rate centers and 33 holders.

### Are there complaints about 601 numbers?

The FCC data on file has 1,959 complaints for 1,519 numbers in 601. They are unverified consumer reports. A number with no complaints on file is not proven safe.

Sources: NANPA central office code report dated 2026-10-17; NANPA NPA report dated 2026-10-18; FCC unwanted-call complaints, data fetched 2026-10-17; ZIP code places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).