Area code
Area code 978 — Lawrence, MA
Massachusetts · in service since September 1, 1997
Area code 978 covers parts of Massachusetts; the place with the most of its prefixes is Lawrence. It is an overlay: 351 serves the same area, so neighbors can have different area codes.
Overlay, same area: 351
Local time in Lawrence
Spam reports from Sep 23 – Oct 22, 2026
Average #227 of 461 codes
403 FTC complaints
Consumer reports, not verified by the FTC.
See the reports- Time zoneEastern Time
- Local calls10 digits
- Prefixes796 assigned
- Runs out100+ years
- Unwanted call?Block & report
Spam call reports about 978 numbers
Complaints by week
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026Show as table
| Week starting | Complaints |
|---|---|
| Sep 7 (3 days) | 34 |
| Sep 14 | 98 |
| Sep 21 | 113 |
| Sep 28 | 91 |
| Oct 5 | 84 |
| Oct 12 | 86 |
| Oct 19 (4 days) | 70 |
Compared with all codes
- Robocalls
- 79%all codes 75%
- Callers with the same code
- 32%all codes 35%
- Rank by complaints
- #227of 461 · middle half
- FCC complaints, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026
- 2226 about text messages
What the calls were about
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026
| Subject | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans) | 145 25% | |
| Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends | 76 13% | |
| Dropped call or no message | 38 7% | |
| Medical & prescriptions | 25 4% | |
| Home improvement & cleaning | 11 2% | |
| Energy, solar, & utilities | 9 2% |
Where the people who complained live
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026
| State | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 194 34% | |
| Florida | 40 7% | |
| California | 30 5% | |
| Texas | 24 4% | |
| New Hampshire | 23 4% |
October 2026 (partial) report · most reported
Consumer reports, not verified by the FTC · source
Source: FTC Do Not Call complaints created Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026. They are reported by consumers and are not verified by the FTC; caller ID can be spoofed (how we count).
Source: FCC Consumer Complaints data, unwanted calls filed Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026, by caller ID; not verified by the FCC.
Area code 978 location and prefixes
| Exchange (NANPA) | Place | County | Prefixes |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAWRENCE | Lawrence | Essex County | 82 |
| LOWELL | Lowell | Middlesex County | 82 |
| BILLERICA | — | — | 38 |
| CONCORD | — | — | 30 |
| PEABODY | Peabody | Essex County | 30 |
| ANDOVER | Andover | Essex County | 26 |
| DANVERS | Danvers | Essex County | 26 |
| HAVERHILL | Haverhill | Essex County | 26 |
| SALEM | Salem | Essex County | 25 |
| WILMINGTON | Wilmington | Middlesex County | 25 |
Plus 48 smaller exchange areas.
Source: NANPA CO codes of Oct 23, 2026; places: U.S. Census Bureau, matched by DialWhere (how).
NANPA record
- Location
- Massachusetts
- Assigned by NANPA
- June 16, 1997
- Created from
- 508
- Local dialing
- 10 digits (NANPA: 10D)
- NANPA planning letters
- PL-234, PL-122, PL-104, PL-095, PL-068
Source: NANPA, NPA database of Oct 24, 2026.
Is 978 running out of numbers?
Last dated forecast (October 2025, not current): 2157.
Source: NANPA NRUF forecast, April 2026 edition.
Who holds 978 prefixes
The five largest of 32 original holders
As listed by NANPA, not today’s carrier.
| Holder (as listed) | Prefixes | |
|---|---|---|
| Verizon New England Inc. | 221 28% | |
| Paetec Itel, LLC | 90 11% | |
| Level 3 Communications, LLC | 86 11% | |
| Mcimetro Access Transmission Services LLC | 71 9% | |
| Verizon Wireless | 59 7% |
Source: NANPA CO codes of Oct 23, 2026.
Questions about area code 978
What area code is 978?
A Massachusetts area code, in service since September 1, 1997.
Where is 978 area code, and what time zone is it in?
Lawrence, MA; Eastern Time.
Why am I getting spam calls from 978?
403 FTC complaints from Sep 23 – Oct 22, 2026, most often about debt reduction (not verified by the FTC; caller ID can be spoofed).