The 252 area code covers Greenville, Rocky Mount and 80 more places in North Carolina.
Area code 252 is in North Carolina, on Eastern Time. In the 252 area, phone numbers are given out most in Pitt County, then Nash and Wilson counties. It has been in service since March 22, 1998.
- Where
- 8 counties in North Carolina, mostly Pitt County, Nash County and Wilson County
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- In service since
- March 22, 1998
- Shares its area with
- No other area code
- Prefixes in use
- 695
- How to dial
- Local calls inside 252 can still be dialed with just 7 digits.
Find out who called you from a 252 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 (252) number is on today, use our free carrier lookup.
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Greenville holds 10% of the phone prefixes in area code 252.
A prefix is the three digits after the area code, and NANPA assigns each one to a town. Counting the 695 prefixes in use shows where 252 numbers are actually given out.
- Greenville71 prefixes, 10%
- Rocky Mount64 prefixes, 9%
- Wilson35 prefixes, 5%
- New Bern33 prefixes, 5%
- Kinston27 prefixes, 4%
- Henderson23 prefixes, 3%
- Elizabeth City22 prefixes, 3%
- Morehead City21 prefixes, 3%
Also served: Roanoke Rapids, Washington, Kill Devil Hills and Ahoskie and 70 smaller places.
Brightspeed holds the most phone number prefixes in area code 252: 207 of 695.
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 695 prefixes in use in 252 divide between carriers; holders this page does not name are grouped as other carriers.
| Carrier | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| BrightspeedLandline company | 207 | 30% |
| Level 3 (Lumen)Lumen's business and wholesale network | 48 | 7% |
| PAETEC (Windstream)Windstream's business phone network | 48 | 7% |
| T-MobileMobile network | 37 | 5% |
| UScellularMobile network | 32 | 5% |
| BandwidthSupplies numbers to VoIP and app-based phone services | 26 | 4% |
| 37 other carriers | 297 | 43% |
80% 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.
252 has covered the same ground since 1998.
1998
252 starts on March 22, 1998, split off from 919.
A 252 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 252 are 919, 757 and 910.
This list measures the distance between the centres of each area, across state lines, and shows codes that share one area together.
North Carolina has 9 other area codes.
These are the questions people ask most about area code 252.
Where is area code 252?
252 covers Greenville, Rocky Mount, Wilson and New Bern and 78 more places in North Carolina. In the 252 area, phone numbers are given out most in Pitt County, then Nash and Wilson counties.
What state is area code 252 in?
North Carolina. 252 is a North Carolina area code on Eastern Time.
What cities use area code 252?
The places holding the most 252 prefixes are Greenville, Rocky Mount, Wilson, New Bern, Kinston, Henderson, Elizabeth City and Morehead City, out of 82 places in all. The count comes from NANPA's prefix assignments as of October 1, 2026.
Which phone company owns area code 252?
No single phone company owns 252. NANPA's records show Brightspeed holds the most 252 prefixes, 207 of 695, followed by Level 3 (Lumen) and PAETEC (Windstream). Numbers move between carriers, so check one exact number with a carrier lookup.
What time zone is area code 252 in?
252 is on Eastern Time.
When did area code 252 start?
252 went into service on March 22, 1998, when it was split off from 919.
How do I dial a 252 number?
Local calls inside 252 can still be dialed with just 7 digits.
Is 252 a toll-free number?
No. 252 is a regular area code for Greenville and Rocky Mount in North Carolina, 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 252?
The closest are 919/984 (Raleigh, North Carolina), 757/948 (Norfolk, Virginia), 910/472 (Fayetteville, North Carolina) and 804/686 (Richmond, Virginia), measured between the centres of each area.
Who called me from a 252 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 252 a scam?
252 is a real North Carolina 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.