Area Code 304

About Area Code 304

Area code 304 is a geographic telephone area code assigned to Charleston, West Virginia. It operates in the Eastern time zone and was first introduced in 1947. Original NANP code. State-wide West Virginia. Overlay 681 (2009).

Within West Virginia, area code 304 shares numbering capacity with 1 other area code. The state's 1,770,144-person population (2023 Census Bureau estimate) is served by a combined 2 active codes, with 304 primarily responsible for the Charleston region. West Virginia's state capital is Charleston, and its largest city is Charleston.

When you receive a call from a 304 number on your Caller ID, the call originated from a phone number assigned to the 304 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 304 only confirms where the number was originally assigned.

Where is the 304 area code located?

Area code 304 is assigned to Charleston, West Virginia, in the Eastern time zone. The state of West Virginia uses 2 active area codes, and 304 is one of them. Calls placed from the 304 area code originate from numbers assigned by NANPA — the North American Numbering Plan Administrator — and the 304 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 304 area code?

The 304 area code serves 9 notable cities, listed below in order of population. The largest city in the 304 territory is Charleston (46,536 residents in Kanawha County).

• Charleston, WV — 46,536 residents (18.6% of 304 numbers)
• Huntington, WV — 45,573 residents (18.2% of 304 numbers)
• Morgantown, WV — 30,347 residents (12.1% of 304 numbers)
• Parkersburg, WV — 29,622 residents (11.8% of 304 numbers)
• Wheeling, WV — 26,381 residents (10.5% of 304 numbers)
• Weirton, WV — 18,834 residents (7.5% of 304 numbers)
• Fairmont, WV — 18,416 residents (7.4% of 304 numbers)
• Martinsburg, WV — 18,260 residents (7.3% of 304 numbers)
• Beckley, WV — 16,428 residents (6.6% of 304 numbers)

Phone number format in area code 304

All phone numbers within area code 304 follow the standard North American 10-digit format:(304) 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 + 304 + 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 304 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 304

Original NANP code. State-wide West Virginia. Overlay 681 (2009).

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 304 area code safe to answer?

Area code 304 itself is a normal geographic code with no elevated spam risk. That said, scammers can spoof any area code — including 304 — so if you don't recognize the full number, let it go to voicemail and verify the caller's identity before calling back.