Area Code 219

About Area Code 219

Area code 219 is a geographic telephone area code assigned to Gary, Indiana. It operates in the Central time zone and was first introduced in 1948. Split from 317. Northwest Indiana.

Within Indiana, area code 219 shares numbering capacity with 7 other area codes. The state's 6,862,199-person population (2023 Census Bureau estimate) is served by a combined 8 active codes, with 219 primarily responsible for the Gary region. Indiana's state capital is Indianapolis, and its largest city is Indianapolis.

When you receive a call from a 219 number on your Caller ID, the call originated from a phone number assigned to the 219 area code — but be aware that Local Number Portability (in effect since 2003) means the caller could be physically located anywhere in the US or Canada. Area code 219 only confirms where the number was originally assigned.

Where is the 219 area code located?

Area code 219 is assigned to Gary, Indiana, in the Central time zone. The state of Indiana uses 8 active area codes, and 219 is one of them. Calls placed from the 219 area code originate from numbers assigned by NANPA — the North American Numbering Plan Administrator — and the 219 prefix appears on Caller ID for both landline and wireless calls placed from this region.

The Central time zone observes Daylight Saving Time, shifting from UTC-6 to UTC-5 in summer. The local time shown above is always current, so you can quickly check whether it's a reasonable hour to call back.

What cities and counties use the 219 area code?

The 219 area code serves 9 notable cities, listed below in order of population. The largest city in the 219 territory is Gary (68,279 residents in Unknown County).

• Gary, IN — 68,279 residents (3.8% of 219 numbers)
• Indianapolis, IN — 887,642 residents (49.3% of 219 numbers)
• Fort Wayne, IN — 267,927 residents (14.9% of 219 numbers)
• Evansville, IN — 116,373 residents (6.5% of 219 numbers)
• South Bend, IN — 103,453 residents (5.7% of 219 numbers)
• Carmel, IN — 101,064 residents (5.6% of 219 numbers)
• Fishers, IN — 98,977 residents (5.5% of 219 numbers)
• Bloomington, IN — 79,168 residents (4.4% of 219 numbers)
• Hammond, IN — 76,973 residents (4.3% of 219 numbers)

Phone number format in area code 219

All phone numbers within area code 219 follow the standard North American 10-digit format:(219) NXX-XXXX. The NXX is the central office prefix (also called an "exchange") and XXXX is the subscriber line number. For long-distance calls within the NANP, dial 1 + 219 + NXX + XXXX. From outside North America, dial your country's international access code, then 1 (the NANP country code), then the 10-digit number.

If you need to verify whether a specific 219 number is wireless, landline, or VoIP, you can use our reverse phone lookup tool. Be aware that number portability means the area code no longer guarantees the caller's physical location — only where the number was first assigned.

History of area code 219

Split from 317. Northwest Indiana.

The original 86 area codes were assigned by AT&T and Bell Labs in 1947 as part of the North American Numbering Plan. At the time, rotary-dial phones meant codes with lower digits (like 212 for NYC, 213 for LA, 312 for Chicago) were given to the largest cities because they took less time to dial. Today's area code assignments still reflect those early choices, even though touch-tone and cell phones made the original reason obsolete.

Is the 219 area code safe to answer?

Area code 219 itself is a normal geographic code with no elevated spam risk. That said, scammers can spoof any area code — including 219 — so if you don't recognize the full number, let it go to voicemail and verify the caller's identity before calling back.