--- title: "Area code 978: Massachusetts, United States" url: "https://lookvalid.com/area-code/978.md" canonical_url: "https://lookvalid.com/area-code/978" last_updated: "2026-10-23" type: "reference" summary: "Area code 978 serves Massachusetts, United States. Number formats, numbering rules, a live phone validator and the other codes in Massachusetts." --- # Area code 978: Massachusetts, United States Area code 978 serves Massachusetts, United States. Number formats, numbering rules, a live phone validator and the other codes in Massachusetts. NANPA lists 773 central office codes (prefixes) in use in area code 978, held by 30 holders across 58 rate centers. Verizon New England holds the most prefixes, 214 (28%). 80% of the prefixes are pooled, which means their thousands-blocks can belong to different companies. The FCC unwanted-call data has 6,283 complaints on file for 5,546 numbers in 978, 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: 351 (2001-05-02) - Prefixes in use: 773 - Pooled prefixes: 616 (80%) - Rate centers: 58 - Companies holding prefixes: 30 - Assignment dates on file: 2001-01-08 to 2026-01-05 (187 prefixes) - ZIP codes in its places: 73 ## Rate centers | Rate center | Prefixes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | | LAWRENCE | 81 | 10% | | LOWELL | 81 | 10% | | BILLERICA | 38 | 5% | | CONCORD | 30 | 4% | | PEABODY | 30 | 4% | | ANDOVER | 26 | 3% | | DANVERS | 26 | 3% | | HAVERHILL | 26 | 3% | | 50 other rate centers | 435 | 56% | ## Carriers | Holder | Prefixes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | | Verizon New England | 214 | 28% | | Paetec Itel | 90 | 12% | | Level 3 Communications | 86 | 11% | | Mcimetro Access Transmission Services | 71 | 9% | | Verizon Wireless | 59 | 8% | | TC Systems | 39 | 5% | | 24 other carriers | 214 | 28% | 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 - 1988-07-16: Area code 508, named as the parent of 978 in the NANPA report, was in service. - 1997-09-01: Area code 978 went into service. - 2001-05-02: Area code 351 went into service as an overlay in the same area as 978. ## Nearest area codes The area codes closest to 978, measured between the centers of the ZIP code places they serve, are 617 (about 23 miles), 857 (about 23 miles), 781 (about 25 miles), 339 (about 26 miles) and 508 (about 36 miles). ## ZIP codes 73 ZIP codes fall in places that have a rate center in this area code. The places with the most are Andover, MA (5 ZIP codes), Lowell, MA (5 ZIP codes) and Haverhill, 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 6,283 complaints for 5,546 numbers. Numbers whose latest complaint falls in each year: - 2023: 563 - 2024: 445 - 2025: 337 ## Questions ### Where is area code 978? NANPA assigns area code 978 to Massachusetts, United States. ### In which state does area code 978 sit? Massachusetts. 978 is one of 9 area codes the NANPA table assigns to the state. ### Which places does area code 978 cover? The places with the most ZIP codes among the rate centers in 978 are Andover, MA, Lowell, MA and Haverhill, MA. The rate center list on this page shows all of them. ### Who owns area code 978? NANPA assigns area codes. Within 978, Verizon New England holds the most prefixes, 214 prefixes or 28%. ### Which time zone does 978 use? The NANPA NPA report lists the time zone for 978 as Eastern (E). ### What year did 978 enter service? The NANPA NPA report gives an in-service date of 1997-09-01, so 978 has been in use since 1997. ### Does area code 978 have an overlay? Yes. 351 (in service 2001-05-02) shares the same area with 978, so numbers from all of them are local to each other. ### Which area codes are nearest to 978? The area codes closest to 978, measured between the centers of the ZIP code places they serve, are 617 (about 23 miles), 857 (about 23 miles), 781 (about 25 miles), 339 (about 26 miles) and 508 (about 36 miles). ### How many prefixes does area code 978 have? NANPA's report dated 2026-10-17 lists 773 prefixes in service in 978, spread over 58 rate centers and 30 holders. ### Are there complaints about 978 numbers? The FCC data on file has 6,283 complaints for 5,546 numbers in 978. 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).