Area Code 651

About Area Code 651

Area code 651 is a geographic telephone area code assigned to Saint Paul, Minnesota. It operates in the Central time zone and was first introduced in 1998. Split from 612. Saint Paul area.

Within Minnesota, area code 651 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 651 primarily responsible for the Saint Paul region. Minnesota's state capital is Saint Paul, and its largest city is Minneapolis.

When you receive a call from a 651 number on your Caller ID, the call originated from a phone number assigned to the 651 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 651 only confirms where the number was originally assigned.

Where is the 651 area code located?

Area code 651 is assigned to Saint Paul, Minnesota, in the Central time zone. The state of Minnesota uses 7 active area codes, and 651 is one of them. Calls placed from the 651 area code originate from numbers assigned by NANPA — the North American Numbering Plan Administrator — and the 651 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 651 area code?

The 651 area code serves 12 notable cities, listed below in order of population. The largest city in the 651 territory is Saint Paul (309,180 residents in Ramsey County).

• Saint Paul, MN — 309,180 residents (20% of 651 numbers)
• Minneapolis, MN — 429,954 residents (27.7% of 651 numbers)
• Rochester, MN — 121,395 residents (7.8% of 651 numbers)
• Duluth, MN — 86,692 residents (5.6% of 651 numbers)
• Bloomington, MN — 89,983 residents (5.8% of 651 numbers)
• Brooklyn Park, MN — 81,932 residents (5.3% of 651 numbers)
• Plymouth, MN — 80,053 residents (5.2% of 651 numbers)
• Maple Grove, MN — 72,092 residents (4.7% of 651 numbers)
• Woodbury, MN — 74,044 residents (4.8% of 651 numbers)
• St. Cloud, MN — 69,753 residents (4.5% of 651 numbers)

Phone number format in area code 651

All phone numbers within area code 651 follow the standard North American 10-digit format:(651) 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 + 651 + 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 651 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 651

Split from 612. Saint Paul 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 651 area code safe to answer?

Area code 651 itself is a normal geographic code with no elevated spam risk. That said, scammers can spoof any area code — including 651 — so if you don't recognize the full number, let it go to voicemail and verify the caller's identity before calling back.