Area Code 612

About Area Code 612

Area code 612 is a geographic telephone area code assigned to Minneapolis, Minnesota. It operates in the Central time zone and was first introduced in 1947. Original NANP code. Minneapolis city only. Overlay 320 covers suburbs.

Within Minnesota, area code 612 shares numbering capacity with 6 other area codes. The state's 5,717,918-person population (2023 Census Bureau estimate) is served by a combined 7 active codes, with 612 primarily responsible for the Minneapolis region. Minnesota's state capital is Saint Paul, and its largest city is Minneapolis.

When you receive a call from a 612 number on your Caller ID, the call originated from a phone number assigned to the 612 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 612 only confirms where the number was originally assigned.

Where is the 612 area code located?

Area code 612 is assigned to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the Central time zone. The state of Minnesota uses 7 active area codes, and 612 is one of them. Calls placed from the 612 area code originate from numbers assigned by NANPA — the North American Numbering Plan Administrator — and the 612 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 612 area code?

The 612 area code serves 11 notable cities, listed below in order of population. The largest city in the 612 territory is Minneapolis (429,954 residents in Hennepin County).

• Minneapolis, MN — 429,954 residents (28.9% of 612 numbers)
• Saint Paul, MN — 309,180 residents (20.8% of 612 numbers)
• Rochester, MN — 121,395 residents (8.2% of 612 numbers)
• Duluth, MN — 86,692 residents (5.8% of 612 numbers)
• Bloomington, MN — 89,983 residents (6.1% of 612 numbers)
• Brooklyn Park, MN — 81,932 residents (5.5% of 612 numbers)
• Plymouth, MN — 80,053 residents (5.4% of 612 numbers)
• Maple Grove, MN — 72,092 residents (4.9% of 612 numbers)
• Woodbury, MN — 74,044 residents (5% of 612 numbers)
• St. Cloud, MN — 69,753 residents (4.7% of 612 numbers)

Phone number format in area code 612

All phone numbers within area code 612 follow the standard North American 10-digit format:(612) 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 + 612 + 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 612 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 612

Original NANP code. Minneapolis city only. Overlay 320 covers suburbs.

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 612 area code safe to answer?

Area code 612 itself is a normal geographic code with no elevated spam risk. That said, scammers can spoof any area code — including 612 — so if you don't recognize the full number, let it go to voicemail and verify the caller's identity before calling back.