The 518 area code covers Albany, Schenectady and 124 more places in New York.
Area code 518 is in New York, on Eastern Time. In the 518 area, phone numbers are given out most in Albany County, then Warren and Schenectady counties. It has been in service since 1947. 838 covers the same area, so two neighbours can have different area codes.
- Where
- 8 counties in New York, mostly Albany County, Warren County and Schenectady County
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- In service since
- 1947, one of the original area codes
- Shares its area with
- 838 (since 2017)
- Prefixes in use
- 775
- How to dial
- Local calls need all 10 digits: 518-555-0142.
Find out who called you from a 518 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 (518) number is on today, use our free carrier lookup.
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Albany holds 26% of the phone prefixes in area code 518.
A prefix is the three digits after the area code, and NANPA assigns each one to a town. Counting the 775 prefixes in use shows where 518 numbers are actually given out.
- Albany200 prefixes, 26%
- Schenectady50 prefixes, 6%
- Glens Falls45 prefixes, 6%
- Troy34 prefixes, 4%
- Plattsburgh31 prefixes, 4%
- Saratoga Springs21 prefixes, 3%
- Amsterdam14 prefixes, 2%
- Hudson13 prefixes, 2%
Also served: Gloversville, Ballston Spa, Malone and Lake Placid and 114 smaller places.
Of the carriers named here, PAETEC (Windstream) holds the most phone number prefixes in area code 518: 59 of 775.
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 775 prefixes in use in 518 divide between carriers; holders this page does not name are grouped as other carriers.
| Carrier | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| PAETEC (Windstream)Windstream's business phone network | 59 | 8% |
| Level 3 (Lumen)Lumen's business and wholesale network | 47 | 6% |
| AT&T MobilityMobile network | 45 | 6% |
| TC Systems | 35 | 5% |
| Firstlight Fiber | 33 | 4% |
| FrontierLandline company | 30 | 4% |
| 52 other carriers | 526 | 68% |
77% 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.
518 has been overlaid once since 1947.
1947
518 is one of the original North American area codes.
2017
On September 19, 2017, 838 is added on top of 518, so new numbers here can get either code.
A 518 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 518 are 802, 315 and 413.
This list measures the distance between the centres of each area, across state lines, and shows codes that share one area together.
New York has 22 other area codes.
These are the questions people ask most about area code 518.
Where is area code 518?
518 covers Albany, Schenectady, Glens Falls and Troy and 122 more places in New York. In the 518 area, phone numbers are given out most in Albany County, then Warren and Schenectady counties.
What state is area code 518 in?
New York. 518 is a New York area code on Eastern Time.
What cities use area code 518?
The places holding the most 518 prefixes are Albany, Schenectady, Glens Falls, Troy, Plattsburgh, Saratoga Springs, Amsterdam and Hudson, out of 126 places in all. The count comes from NANPA's prefix assignments as of October 1, 2026.
Which phone company owns area code 518?
No single phone company owns 518. NANPA's records list its 775 prefixes across many carriers, and the ones named on this page include PAETEC (Windstream), Level 3 (Lumen) and AT&T Mobility. Numbers move between carriers, so check one exact number with a carrier lookup.
What time zone is area code 518 in?
518 is on Eastern Time.
When did area code 518 start?
518 is one of the original North American area codes, in service since 1947.
Is 518 the same area as 838?
Yes. 838 (since 2017) covers the same ground as 518. Nobody's number changed when it was added; new lines simply get whichever code has numbers left, so two neighbours can have different codes.
How do I dial a 518 number?
Local calls need all 10 digits: 518-555-0142.
Is 518 a toll-free number?
No. 518 is a regular area code for Albany and Schenectady in New York, 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 518?
The closest are 802 (Burlington, Vermont), 315/680 (Syracuse, New York), 413 (Springfield, Massachusetts) and 603 (Manchester, New Hampshire), measured between the centres of each area.
Who called me from a 518 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 518 a scam?
518 is a real New York 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.