The 253 area code covers Tacoma, Auburn and 6 more places in Washington.
Area code 253 is in Washington, on Pacific Time. In the 253 area, phone numbers are given out most in Pierce County, then King County. It has been in service since April 27, 1997.
- Where
- Pierce County and King County, Washington
- Time zone
- Pacific Time
- In service since
- April 27, 1997
- Shares its area with
- No other area code
- Prefixes in use
- 508
- How to dial
- Local calls need all 10 digits: 253-555-0142.
Find out who called you from a 253 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 (253) number is on today, use our free carrier lookup.
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Tacoma holds 45% of the phone prefixes in area code 253.
A prefix is the three digits after the area code, and NANPA assigns each one to a town. Counting the 508 prefixes in use shows where 253 numbers are actually given out.
- Tacoma228 prefixes, 45%
- Auburn82 prefixes, 16%
- Kent44 prefixes, 9%
- Puyallup27 prefixes, 5%
- Gig Harbor20 prefixes, 4%
- Sumner15 prefixes, 3%
- Graham13 prefixes, 3%
- Roy5 prefixes, <1%
Qwest (Lumen) holds the most phone number prefixes in area code 253: 141 of 508.
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 508 prefixes in use in 253 divide between carriers; holders this page does not name are grouped as other carriers.
| Carrier | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Qwest (Lumen)Lumen's landline company | 141 | 28% |
| T-MobileMobile network | 77 | 15% |
| AT&T MobilityMobile network | 35 | 7% |
| Level 3 (Lumen)Lumen's business and wholesale network | 33 | 6% |
| Allstream | 30 | 6% |
| Teleport (AT&T)AT&T's business phone network | 15 | 3% |
| 19 other carriers | 177 | 35% |
60% 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.
253 has covered the same ground since 1997.
1997
253 starts on April 27, 1997, split off from 206.
A 253 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 253 are 206, 425 and 503.
This list measures the distance between the centres of each area, across state lines, and shows codes that share one area together.
Washington has 5 other area codes.
These are the questions people ask most about area code 253.
Where is area code 253?
253 covers Tacoma, Auburn, Kent and Puyallup and 4 more places in Washington. In the 253 area, phone numbers are given out most in Pierce County, then King County.
What state is area code 253 in?
Washington. 253 is a Washington area code on Pacific Time.
What cities use area code 253?
The places holding the most 253 prefixes are Tacoma, Auburn, Kent, Puyallup, Gig Harbor, Sumner, Graham and Roy. The count comes from NANPA's prefix assignments as of October 1, 2026.
Which phone company owns area code 253?
No single phone company owns 253. NANPA's records show Qwest (Lumen) holds the most 253 prefixes, 141 of 508, followed by T-Mobile and AT&T Mobility. Numbers move between carriers, so check one exact number with a carrier lookup.
What time zone is area code 253 in?
253 is on Pacific Time.
When did area code 253 start?
253 went into service on April 27, 1997, when it was split off from 206.
How do I dial a 253 number?
Local calls need all 10 digits: 253-555-0142.
Is 253 a toll-free number?
No. 253 is a regular area code for Tacoma and Auburn in Washington, 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 253?
The closest are 206/360/564 (Vancouver, Washington), 425 (Bellevue, Washington), 503/971 (Portland, Oregon) and 509 (Spokane, Washington), measured between the centres of each area.
Who called me from a 253 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 253 a scam?
253 is a real Washington 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.