Area Code 302

About Area Code 302

Area code 302 is a geographic telephone area code assigned to Dover, Delaware. It operates in the Eastern time zone and was first introduced in 1947. Original NANP code. State-wide Delaware.

Within Delaware, area code 302 is the only active area code, covering the entire state. The state's 1,031,890-person population (2023 Census Bureau estimate) is served by a combined 1 active code, with 302 primarily responsible for the Dover region. Delaware's state capital is Dover, and its largest city is Wilmington.

When you receive a call from a 302 number on your Caller ID, the call originated from a phone number assigned to the 302 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 302 only confirms where the number was originally assigned.

Where is the 302 area code located?

Area code 302 is assigned to Dover, Delaware, in the Eastern time zone. The state of Delaware uses 1 active area code, and 302 is the only one. Calls placed from the 302 area code originate from numbers assigned by NANPA — the North American Numbering Plan Administrator — and the 302 prefix appears on Caller ID for both landline and wireless calls placed from this region.

The Eastern time zone observes Daylight Saving Time, shifting from UTC-5 to UTC-4 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 302 area code?

The 302 area code serves 10 notable cities, listed below in order of population. The largest city in the 302 territory is Dover (40,083 residents in Kent County).

• Dover, DE — 40,083 residents (18.1% of 302 numbers)
• Wilmington, DE — 70,166 residents (31.7% of 302 numbers)
• Newark, DE — 34,892 residents (15.8% of 302 numbers)
• Middletown, DE — 23,310 residents (10.5% of 302 numbers)
• Smyrna, DE — 12,763 residents (5.8% of 302 numbers)
• Milford, DE — 11,924 residents (5.4% of 302 numbers)
• Seaford, DE — 8,257 residents (3.7% of 302 numbers)
• Georgetown, DE — 7,857 residents (3.6% of 302 numbers)
• Elsmere, DE — 6,200 residents (2.8% of 302 numbers)
• New Castle, DE — 5,561 residents (2.5% of 302 numbers)

Phone number format in area code 302

All phone numbers within area code 302 follow the standard North American 10-digit format:(302) 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 + 302 + 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 302 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 302

Original NANP code. State-wide Delaware.

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 302 area code safe to answer?

Area code 302 itself is a normal geographic code with no elevated spam risk. That said, scammers can spoof any area code — including 302 — so if you don't recognize the full number, let it go to voicemail and verify the caller's identity before calling back.