Area Code 551

About Area Code 551

Area code 551 is a geographic telephone area code assigned to Jersey City, New Jersey. It operates in the Eastern time zone and was first introduced in 2001. Overlay for 201. Northeastern New Jersey.

Within New Jersey, area code 551 shares numbering capacity with 9 other area codes. The state's 9,290,841-person population (2023 Census Bureau estimate) is served by a combined 10 active codes, with 551 primarily responsible for the Jersey City region. New Jersey's state capital is Trenton, and its largest city is Newark.

When you receive a call from a 551 number on your Caller ID, the call originated from a phone number assigned to the 551 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 551 only confirms where the number was originally assigned.

Where is the 551 area code located?

Area code 551 is assigned to Jersey City, New Jersey, in the Eastern time zone. The state of New Jersey uses 10 active area codes, and 551 is one of them. Calls placed from the 551 area code originate from numbers assigned by NANPA — the North American Numbering Plan Administrator — and the 551 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 551 area code?

The 551 area code serves 10 notable cities, listed below in order of population. The largest city in the 551 territory is Jersey City (292,449 residents in Hudson County).

• Jersey City, NJ — 292,449 residents (21.1% of 551 numbers)
• Newark, NJ — 311,549 residents (22.5% of 551 numbers)
• Paterson, NJ — 156,763 residents (11.3% of 551 numbers)
• Elizabeth, NJ — 135,772 residents (9.8% of 551 numbers)
• Toms River, NJ — 94,706 residents (6.8% of 551 numbers)
• Trenton, NJ — 90,871 residents (6.6% of 551 numbers)
• Clifton, NJ — 89,170 residents (6.4% of 551 numbers)
• Camden, NJ — 73,562 residents (5.3% of 551 numbers)
• Bayonne, NJ — 70,389 residents (5.1% of 551 numbers)
• Passaic, NJ — 70,537 residents (5.1% of 551 numbers)

Phone number format in area code 551

All phone numbers within area code 551 follow the standard North American 10-digit format:(551) 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 + 551 + 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 551 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 551

Overlay for 201. Northeastern New Jersey.

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 551 area code safe to answer?

Area code 551 itself is a normal geographic code with no elevated spam risk. That said, scammers can spoof any area code — including 551 — so if you don't recognize the full number, let it go to voicemail and verify the caller's identity before calling back.