The 218 area code covers Duluth, Brainerd and 200 more places in Minnesota.
Area code 218 is in Minnesota, on Central Time. In the 218 area, phone numbers are given out most in St. Louis County, then Crow Wing and Otter Tail counties. It has been in service since 1947.
- Where
- 8 counties in Minnesota, mostly St. Louis County, Crow Wing County and Otter Tail County
- Time zone
- Central Time
- In service since
- 1947, one of the original area codes
- Shares its area with
- No other area code
- Prefixes in use
- 708
- How to dial
- Local calls need all 10 digits: 218-555-0142.
Find out who called you from a 218 number.
Enter the full 10-digit number to see who it is listed to and the city and state on the listing. It is the same free check as our who called me lookup. To see only the caller ID name on the number, use our free CNAM lookup. To see whether it is a mobile, a landline or a VoIP line, use our free VoIP checker. To see which carrier a (218) number is on today, use our free carrier lookup.
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Duluth holds 11% of the phone prefixes in area code 218.
A prefix is the three digits after the area code, and NANPA assigns each one to a town. Counting the 708 prefixes in use shows where 218 numbers are actually given out.
- Duluth79 prefixes, 11%
- Brainerd28 prefixes, 4%
- Bemidji21 prefixes, 3%
- Moorhead21 prefixes, 3%
- Virginia17 prefixes, 2%
- Fergus Falls14 prefixes, 2%
- Hibbing14 prefixes, 2%
- Grand Rapids13 prefixes, 2%
Also served: Detroit Lakes, Wadena, Park Rapids and Thief River Falls and 190 smaller places.
Qwest (Lumen) holds the most phone number prefixes in area code 218: 85 of 708.
NANPA, which runs the North American numbering plan, assigns each prefix (the three digits after the area code) to one carrier. Here is how the 708 prefixes in use in 218 divide between carriers; holders this page does not name are grouped as other carriers.
| Carrier | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Qwest (Lumen)Lumen's landline company | 85 | 12% |
| AT&T MobilityMobile network | 49 | 7% |
| FrontierLandline company | 46 | 6% |
| Paul Bunyan Rural Telephone Cooperative | 30 | 4% |
| T-MobileMobile network | 29 | 4% |
| Wikstrom Telephone | 28 | 4% |
| 66 other carriers | 441 | 62% |
63% of these prefixes are pooled, which means the blocks of 1,000 numbers inside them can belong to other carriers. Any number can also have been moved to another carrier since, so this shows who holds the prefixes, not who serves a given number.
Want the carrier of one exact number? Our free carrier lookup checks it, because numbers move between carriers.
Source: NANPA central office code assignments, October 1, 2026.
218 has covered the same ground since 1947.
1947
218 is one of the original North American area codes.
A 218 number on your screen can still be a scam, because caller ID is easy to fake.
- Let an unknown call go to voicemail. A real caller leaves a message; a robocaller usually does not.
- Look the number up with the box above before you call back, because calling back tells a robocaller your line is live.
- Hang up on anyone who wants gift cards, crypto or a wire transfer, or asks you to read out a code that was just texted to you.
- Report unwanted robocalls at reportfraud.ftc.gov, or paste a suspicious message into our free scam checker.
The area codes closest to 218 are 320, 763 and 612.
This list measures the distance between the centres of each area, across state lines, and shows codes that share one area together.
These are the questions people ask most about area code 218.
Where is area code 218?
218 covers Duluth, Brainerd, Bemidji and Moorhead and 198 more places in Minnesota. In the 218 area, phone numbers are given out most in St. Louis County, then Crow Wing and Otter Tail counties.
What state is area code 218 in?
Minnesota. 218 is a Minnesota area code on Central Time.
What cities use area code 218?
The places holding the most 218 prefixes are Duluth, Brainerd, Bemidji, Moorhead, Virginia, Fergus Falls, Hibbing and Grand Rapids, out of 202 places in all. The count comes from NANPA's prefix assignments as of October 1, 2026.
Which phone company owns area code 218?
No single phone company owns 218. NANPA's records show Qwest (Lumen) holds the most 218 prefixes, 85 of 708, followed by AT&T Mobility and Frontier. Numbers move between carriers, so check one exact number with a carrier lookup.
What time zone is area code 218 in?
218 is on Central Time.
When did area code 218 start?
218 is one of the original North American area codes, in service since 1947.
How do I dial a 218 number?
Local calls need all 10 digits: 218-555-0142.
Is 218 a toll-free number?
No. 218 is a regular area code for Duluth and Brainerd in Minnesota, not a toll-free one. The toll-free codes in North America are 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877 and 888.
What area codes are near 218?
The closest are 320 (Saint Cloud, Minnesota), 763 (Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota), 612 (Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota) and 651 (Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota), measured between the centres of each area.
Who called me from a 218 number?
Enter the full 10-digit number in the lookup above. It returns the listed owner where there is a public record, where the number is registered, and whether it is a mobile, a landline or a VoIP line.
Is area code 218 a scam?
218 is a real Minnesota area code, so the code itself is not a warning sign. Scam callers fake local-looking numbers on purpose, so judge the call by what the caller asks for, and look the number up before calling back.
Put this lookup on your site: our free area code widget takes two lines of code and shows any US area code's state, time zone and local time.
Source: NANPA, the North American Numbering Plan Administrator: its area code database and prefix assignments, as of October 1, 2026.