---
title: "Area code 872: Illinois, United States"
url: "https://lookvalid.com/area-code/872.md"
canonical_url: "https://lookvalid.com/area-code/872"
last_updated: "2026-10-23"
type: "reference"
summary: "Area code 872 serves Illinois, United States. Number formats, numbering rules, a live phone validator and the other codes in Illinois."
---

# Area code 872: Illinois, United States

Area code 872 serves Illinois, United States. Number formats, numbering rules, a live phone validator and the other codes in Illinois.

NANPA lists 273 central office codes (prefixes) in use in area code 872, held by 37 holders across 11 rate centers.
T-Mobile USA holds the most prefixes, 66 (24%). 100% of the prefixes are pooled, which means their thousands-blocks can belong to different companies.
The FCC unwanted-call data has 1,196 complaints on file for 883 numbers in 872, most often filed as "Unwanted Calls". These are consumer reports, not findings.

## Facts

- In service since: 2009-11-07
- Time zone: Central (C)
- Assigned overlays: 312 (1947-01-01), 872, 773
- Prefixes in use: 273
- Pooled prefixes: 272 (100%)
- Rate centers: 11
- Companies holding prefixes: 37
- Assignment dates on file: 2009-08-07 to 2026-04-08 (266 prefixes)

## Rate centers

| Rate center | Prefixes | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CHICGOZN01 | 38 | 14% |
| CHICGOZN03 | 34 | 12% |
| CHICGOZN04 | 32 | 12% |
| CHICGOZN08 | 30 | 11% |
| CHICGOZN07 | 29 | 11% |
| CHICGOZN02 | 27 | 10% |
| CHICGOZN06 | 23 | 8% |
| CHICGOZN10 | 21 | 8% |
| 3 other rate centers | 39 | 14% |

## Carriers

| Holder | Prefixes | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| T-Mobile USA | 66 | 24% |
| Onvoy | 54 | 20% |
| New Cingular Wireless PCS | 27 | 10% |
| Bandwidth.com CLEC | 19 | 7% |
| Ton80 Communications | 13 | 5% |
| Fractel | 11 | 4% |
| 31 other carriers | 83 | 30% |

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 312, named as the parent of 872 in the NANPA report, was in service.
- 2009-11-07: Area code 872 went into service.

## Complaints on file

1,196 complaints for 883 numbers. Numbers whose latest complaint falls in each year:

- 2023: 94
- 2024: 136
- 2025: 59

## Questions

### Where is area code 872?

NANPA assigns area code 872 to Illinois, United States.

### In which state does area code 872 sit?

Illinois. 872 is one of 17 area codes the NANPA table assigns to the state.

### Who owns area code 872?

NANPA assigns area codes. Within 872, T-Mobile USA holds the most prefixes, 66 prefixes or 24%.

### Which time zone does 872 use?

The NANPA NPA report lists the time zone for 872 as Central (C).

### What year did 872 enter service?

The NANPA NPA report gives an in-service date of 2009-11-07, so 872 has been in use since 2009.

### Does area code 872 have an overlay?

Yes. 312 (in service 1947-01-01) and 872, 773 share the same area with 872, so numbers from all of them are local to each other.

### How many prefixes does area code 872 have?

NANPA's report dated 2026-10-17 lists 273 prefixes in service in 872, spread over 11 rate centers and 37 holders.

### Are there complaints about 872 numbers?

The FCC data on file has 1,196 complaints for 883 numbers in 872. 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).