Area Code 346

About Area Code 346

Area code 346 is a geographic telephone area code assigned to Houston, Texas. It operates in the Central time zone and was first introduced in 2014. Overlay for 713/281/832. Houston area.

Within Texas, area code 346 shares numbering capacity with 27 other area codes. The state's 30,503,301-person population (2023 Census Bureau estimate) is served by a combined 28 active codes, with 346 primarily responsible for the Houston region. Texas's state capital is Austin, and its largest city is Houston.

When you receive a call from a 346 number on your Caller ID, the call originated from a phone number assigned to the 346 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 346 only confirms where the number was originally assigned.

Where is the 346 area code located?

Area code 346 is assigned to Houston, Texas, in the Central time zone. The state of Texas uses 28 active area codes, and 346 is one of them. Calls placed from the 346 area code originate from numbers assigned by NANPA — the North American Numbering Plan Administrator — and the 346 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 346 area code?

The 346 area code serves 12 notable cities, listed below in order of population. The largest city in the 346 territory is Houston (2,302,878 residents in Harris County).

• Houston, TX — 2,302,878 residents (24.5% of 346 numbers)
• Dallas, TX — 1,304,379 residents (13.9% of 346 numbers)
• San Antonio, TX — 1,434,625 residents (15.2% of 346 numbers)
• Austin, TX — 974,447 residents (10.4% of 346 numbers)
• Fort Worth, TX — 956,709 residents (10.2% of 346 numbers)
• El Paso, TX — 678,058 residents (7.2% of 346 numbers)
• Arlington, TX — 394,266 residents (4.2% of 346 numbers)
• Corpus Christi, TX — 317,863 residents (3.4% of 346 numbers)
• Plano, TX — 285,494 residents (3% of 346 numbers)
• Lubbock, TX — 263,930 residents (2.8% of 346 numbers)

Phone number format in area code 346

All phone numbers within area code 346 follow the standard North American 10-digit format:(346) 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 + 346 + 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 346 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 346

Overlay for 713/281/832. Houston area.

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 346 area code safe to answer?

Area code 346 itself is a normal geographic code with no elevated spam risk. That said, scammers can spoof any area code — including 346 — so if you don't recognize the full number, let it go to voicemail and verify the caller's identity before calling back.