The 861 area code covers the same area as 309, including Peoria, Bloomington and 157 more places in Illinois.
861 has been in service since 2023, on Central Time. 309 covers the same area, so two neighbours can have different area codes.
- Where
- 8 counties in Illinois, mostly Peoria County, McLean County and Rock Island County
- Time zone
- Central Time
- In service since
- 2023
- Shares its area with
- 309 (since 1957)
- Prefixes in use
- 7
- How to dial
- Local calls need all 10 digits: 861-555-0142.
Find out who called you from an 861 number.
Enter the full 10-digit number to see who it is listed to, where it is registered, and whether it is a mobile, landline or VoIP line.
Peoria holds 57% of the phone prefixes in area code 861.
A prefix is the three digits after the area code, and NANPA assigns each one to a town. Counting the 7 prefixes in use shows where 861 numbers are actually given out.
- Peoria4 prefixes, 57%
- Pekin1 prefix, 14%
- Rock Island1 prefix, 14%
- Moline1 prefix, 14%
Also served: Canton, Kewanee, Morton and Monmouth and 147 smaller places.
861 started in 2023 as an overlay on 309, and its ground has not changed since.
2023
861 starts as an overlay on 309: new numbers on the same ground.
An 861 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.
These are the questions people ask most about area code 861.
Where is area code 861?
861 covers Peoria, Bloomington, Rock Island and Macomb and 155 more places in Illinois, in Peoria County, McLean County and Rock Island County.
What time zone is area code 861 in?
861 is on Central Time.
Is 861 the same area as 309?
Yes. 309 (since 1957) covers the same ground as 861. 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 an 861 number?
Local calls need all 10 digits: 861-555-0142.
Who called me from an 861 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 861 a scam?
861 is a real Illinois 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.
Source: NANPA, the North American Numbering Plan Administrator: its area code database and prefix assignments, as of October 1, 2026.