Area Code 704

About Area Code 704

Area code 704 is a geographic telephone area code assigned to Charlotte, North Carolina. It operates in the Eastern time zone and was first introduced in 1947. Original NANP code. Southwestern North Carolina. Overlay 980 (2000), 743 (2014).

Within North Carolina, area code 704 shares numbering capacity with 8 other area codes. The state's 10,835,491-person population (2023 Census Bureau estimate) is served by a combined 9 active codes, with 704 primarily responsible for the Charlotte region. North Carolina's state capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte.

When you receive a call from a 704 number on your Caller ID, the call originated from a phone number assigned to the 704 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 704 only confirms where the number was originally assigned.

Where is the 704 area code located?

Area code 704 is assigned to Charlotte, North Carolina, in the Eastern time zone. The state of North Carolina uses 9 active area codes, and 704 is one of them. Calls placed from the 704 area code originate from numbers assigned by NANPA — the North American Numbering Plan Administrator — and the 704 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 704 area code?

The 704 area code serves 8 notable cities, listed below in order of population. The largest city in the 704 territory is Charlotte (897,720 residents in Mecklenburg County).

• Charlotte, NC — 897,720 residents (33.1% of 704 numbers)
• Raleigh, NC — 469,124 residents (17.3% of 704 numbers)
• Greensboro, NC — 299,035 residents (11% of 704 numbers)
• Durham, NC — 288,124 residents (10.6% of 704 numbers)
• Winston-Salem, NC — 250,765 residents (9.2% of 704 numbers)
• Fayetteville, NC — 209,469 residents (7.7% of 704 numbers)
• Cary, NC — 174,721 residents (6.4% of 704 numbers)
• Wilmington, NC — 123,784 residents (4.6% of 704 numbers)

Phone number format in area code 704

All phone numbers within area code 704 follow the standard North American 10-digit format:(704) 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 + 704 + 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 704 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 704

Original NANP code. Southwestern North Carolina. Overlay 980 (2000), 743 (2014).

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 704 area code safe to answer?

Area code 704 itself is a normal geographic code with no elevated spam risk. That said, scammers can spoof any area code — including 704 — so if you don't recognize the full number, let it go to voicemail and verify the caller's identity before calling back.