The 501 area code covers Little Rock, Hot Springs Village and 46 more places in Arkansas.
Area code 501 is in Arkansas, on Central Time. In the 501 area, phone numbers are given out most in Pulaski County, then White and Garland counties. It has been in service since 1947.
- Where
- 8 counties in Arkansas, mostly Pulaski County, White County and Garland 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
- 630
- How to dial
- Local calls need all 10 digits: 501-555-0142.
Find out who called you from a 501 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 (501) number is on today, use our free carrier lookup.
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Little Rock holds 40% of the phone prefixes in area code 501.
A prefix is the three digits after the area code, and NANPA assigns each one to a town. Counting the 630 prefixes in use shows where 501 numbers are actually given out.
- Little Rock252 prefixes, 40%
- Hot Springs Village40 prefixes, 6%
- Conway35 prefixes, 6%
- Benton28 prefixes, 4%
- Searcy21 prefixes, 3%
- Cabot15 prefixes, 2%
- Malvern12 prefixes, 2%
- Morrilton11 prefixes, 2%
Also served: Jacksonville, Jessieville, Heber Springs and Beebe and 36 smaller places.
Southwestern Bell (AT&T) holds the most phone number prefixes in area code 501: 160 of 630.
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 630 prefixes in use in 501 divide between carriers; holders this page does not name are grouped as other carriers.
| Carrier | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Southwestern Bell (AT&T)AT&T's landline company | 160 | 25% |
| AT&T MobilityMobile network | 86 | 14% |
| Level 3 (Lumen)Lumen's business and wholesale network | 60 | 10% |
| WindstreamLandline company | 54 | 9% |
| T-MobileMobile network | 42 | 7% |
| BrightspeedLandline company | 21 | 3% |
| 34 other carriers | 207 | 33% |
76% 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.
501 has been split 2 times since 1947.
1947
501 is one of the original North American area codes.
1997
On April 14, 1997, 870 splits off and takes part of the 501 area.
2002
On January 19, 2002, 479 splits off and takes part of the 501 area.
A 501 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 501 are 479, 870 and 417.
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 501.
Where is area code 501?
501 covers Little Rock, Hot Springs Village, Conway and Benton and 44 more places in Arkansas. In the 501 area, phone numbers are given out most in Pulaski County, then White and Garland counties.
What state is area code 501 in?
Arkansas. 501 is an Arkansas area code on Central Time.
What cities use area code 501?
The places holding the most 501 prefixes are Little Rock, Hot Springs Village, Conway, Benton, Searcy, Cabot, Malvern and Morrilton, out of 48 places in all. The count comes from NANPA's prefix assignments as of October 1, 2026.
Which phone company owns area code 501?
No single phone company owns 501. NANPA's records show Southwestern Bell (AT&T) holds the most 501 prefixes, 160 of 630, followed by AT&T Mobility and Level 3 (Lumen). Numbers move between carriers, so check one exact number with a carrier lookup.
What time zone is area code 501 in?
501 is on Central Time.
When did area code 501 start?
501 is one of the original North American area codes, in service since 1947.
How do I dial a 501 number?
Local calls need all 10 digits: 501-555-0142.
Is 501 a toll-free number?
No. 501 is a regular area code for Little Rock and Hot Springs Village in Arkansas, 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 501?
The closest are 479 (Fort Smith, Arkansas), 870/327 (Jonesboro, Arkansas), 417 (Springfield, Missouri) and 918/539 (Tulsa, Oklahoma), measured between the centres of each area.
Who called me from a 501 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 501 a scam?
501 is a real Arkansas 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.