--- title: "Area code 781: Massachusetts, United States" url: "https://lookvalid.com/area-code/781.md" canonical_url: "https://lookvalid.com/area-code/781" last_updated: "2026-10-23" type: "reference" summary: "Area code 781 serves Massachusetts, United States. Number formats, numbering rules, a live phone validator and the other codes in Massachusetts." --- # Area code 781: Massachusetts, United States Area code 781 serves Massachusetts, United States. Number formats, numbering rules, a live phone validator and the other codes in Massachusetts. NANPA lists 769 central office codes (prefixes) in use in area code 781, held by 27 holders across 40 rate centers. Verizon New England holds the most prefixes, 225 (29%). 78% of the prefixes are pooled, which means their thousands-blocks can belong to different companies. The FCC unwanted-call data has 2,234 complaints on file for 1,818 numbers in 781, most often filed as "Unwanted Calls". These are consumer reports, not findings. ## Facts - In service since: 1997-09-01 - Time zone: Eastern (E) - Assigned overlays: 339 (2001-05-02) - Prefixes in use: 769 - Pooled prefixes: 598 (78%) - Rate centers: 40 - Companies holding prefixes: 27 - Assignment dates on file: 2001-01-03 to 2026-03-13 (149 prefixes) - ZIP codes in its places: 59 ## Rate centers | Rate center | Prefixes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | | WALTHAM | 72 | 9% | | LEXINGTON | 56 | 7% | | BURLINGTON | 41 | 5% | | LYNN | 38 | 5% | | WOBURN | 38 | 5% | | DEDHAM | 35 | 5% | | NEEDHAM | 33 | 4% | | BRAINTREE | 31 | 4% | | 32 other rate centers | 425 | 55% | ## Carriers | Holder | Prefixes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | | Verizon New England | 225 | 29% | | Mcimetro Access Transmission Services | 92 | 12% | | Paetec Itel | 69 | 9% | | Level 3 Communications | 59 | 8% | | TC Systems | 57 | 7% | | Metropcs | 43 | 6% | | 21 other carriers | 224 | 29% | 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 617, named as the parent of 781 in the NANPA report, was in service. - 1997-09-01: Area code 781 went into service. - 2001-05-02: Area code 339 went into service as an overlay in the same area as 781. ## Nearest area codes The area codes closest to 781, measured between the centers of the ZIP code places they serve, are 617 (about 2 miles), 857 (about 2 miles), 508 (about 18 miles), 351 (about 25 miles) and 774 (about 25 miles). ## ZIP codes 59 ZIP codes fall in places that have a rate center in this area code. The places with the most are Lynn, MA (6 ZIP codes), Waltham, MA (4 ZIP codes) and Woburn, MA (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 2,234 complaints for 1,818 numbers. Numbers whose latest complaint falls in each year: - 2023: 105 - 2024: 107 - 2025: 126 ## Questions ### Where is area code 781? NANPA assigns area code 781 to Massachusetts, United States. ### In which state does area code 781 sit? Massachusetts. 781 is one of 9 area codes the NANPA table assigns to the state. ### Which places does area code 781 cover? The places with the most ZIP codes among the rate centers in 781 are Lynn, MA, Waltham, MA and Woburn, MA. The rate center list on this page shows all of them. ### Who owns area code 781? NANPA assigns area codes. Within 781, Verizon New England holds the most prefixes, 225 prefixes or 29%. ### Which time zone does 781 use? The NANPA NPA report lists the time zone for 781 as Eastern (E). ### What year did 781 enter service? The NANPA NPA report gives an in-service date of 1997-09-01, so 781 has been in use since 1997. ### Does area code 781 have an overlay? Yes. 339 (in service 2001-05-02) shares the same area with 781, so numbers from all of them are local to each other. ### Which area codes are nearest to 781? The area codes closest to 781, measured between the centers of the ZIP code places they serve, are 617 (about 2 miles), 857 (about 2 miles), 508 (about 18 miles), 351 (about 25 miles) and 774 (about 25 miles). ### How many prefixes does area code 781 have? NANPA's report dated 2026-10-17 lists 769 prefixes in service in 781, spread over 40 rate centers and 27 holders. ### Are there complaints about 781 numbers? The FCC data on file has 2,234 complaints for 1,818 numbers in 781. 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).