Area Code 274

About Area Code 274

Area code 274 is a geographic telephone area code assigned to Green Bay, Wisconsin. It operates in the Central time zone and was first introduced in 2014. Overlay for 920. Northeastern Wisconsin.

Within Wisconsin, area code 274 shares numbering capacity with 5 other area codes. The state's 5,908,907-person population (2023 Census Bureau estimate) is served by a combined 6 active codes, with 274 primarily responsible for the Green Bay region. Wisconsin's state capital is Madison, and its largest city is Milwaukee.

When you receive a call from a 274 number on your Caller ID, the call originated from a phone number assigned to the 274 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 274 only confirms where the number was originally assigned.

Where is the 274 area code located?

Area code 274 is assigned to Green Bay, Wisconsin, in the Central time zone. The state of Wisconsin uses 6 active area codes, and 274 is one of them. Calls placed from the 274 area code originate from numbers assigned by NANPA — the North American Numbering Plan Administrator — and the 274 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 274 area code?

The 274 area code serves 10 notable cities, listed below in order of population. The largest city in the 274 territory is Green Bay (107,395 residents in Brown County).

• Green Bay, WI — 107,395 residents (7.2% of 274 numbers)
• Milwaukee, WI — 577,222 residents (38.9% of 274 numbers)
• Madison, WI — 272,605 residents (18.4% of 274 numbers)
• Kenosha, WI — 99,986 residents (6.7% of 274 numbers)
• Racine, WI — 77,114 residents (5.2% of 274 numbers)
• Appleton, WI — 75,644 residents (5.1% of 274 numbers)
• Waukesha, WI — 71,916 residents (4.8% of 274 numbers)
• Eau Claire, WI — 69,421 residents (4.7% of 274 numbers)
• Oshkosh, WI — 66,775 residents (4.5% of 274 numbers)
• Janesville, WI — 65,615 residents (4.4% of 274 numbers)

Phone number format in area code 274

All phone numbers within area code 274 follow the standard North American 10-digit format:(274) 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 + 274 + 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 274 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 274

Overlay for 920. Northeastern Wisconsin.

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 274 area code safe to answer?

Area code 274 itself is a normal geographic code with no elevated spam risk. That said, scammers can spoof any area code — including 274 — so if you don't recognize the full number, let it go to voicemail and verify the caller's identity before calling back.