Area Code 808

About Area Code 808

Area code 808 is a geographic telephone area code assigned to Honolulu, Hawaii. It operates in the Hawaii-Aleutian time zone and was first introduced in 1947. Original NANP code. State-wide Hawaii.

Within Hawaii, area code 808 is the only active area code, covering the entire state. The state's 1,433,573-person population (2023 Census Bureau estimate) is served by a combined 1 active code, with 808 primarily responsible for the Honolulu region. Hawaii's state capital is Honolulu, and its largest city is Honolulu.

When you receive a call from a 808 number on your Caller ID, the call originated from a phone number assigned to the 808 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 808 only confirms where the number was originally assigned.

Where is the 808 area code located?

Area code 808 is assigned to Honolulu, Hawaii, in the Hawaii-Aleutian time zone. The state of Hawaii uses 1 active area code, and 808 is the only one. Calls placed from the 808 area code originate from numbers assigned by NANPA — the North American Numbering Plan Administrator — and the 808 prefix appears on Caller ID for both landline and wireless calls placed from this region.

The Hawaii-Aleutian time zone does not observe Daylight Saving Time — it stays at UTC-10 year-round. 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 808 area code?

The 808 area code serves 10 notable cities, listed below in order of population. The largest city in the 808 territory is Honolulu (350,964 residents in Honolulu County).

• Honolulu, HI — 350,964 residents (52.7% of 808 numbers)
• Pearl City, HI — 45,605 residents (6.9% of 808 numbers)
• Hilo, HI — 45,571 residents (6.8% of 808 numbers)
• Kailua, HI — 50,335 residents (7.6% of 808 numbers)
• Waipahu, HI — 38,395 residents (5.8% of 808 numbers)
• Kaneohe, HI — 34,335 residents (5.2% of 808 numbers)
• Mililani Town, HI — 28,121 residents (4.2% of 808 numbers)
• Kahului, HI — 28,219 residents (4.2% of 808 numbers)
• Ewa Gentry, HI — 22,690 residents (3.4% of 808 numbers)
• Kihei, HI — 21,423 residents (3.2% of 808 numbers)

Phone number format in area code 808

All phone numbers within area code 808 follow the standard North American 10-digit format:(808) 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 + 808 + 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 808 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 808

Original NANP code. State-wide Hawaii.

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 808 area code safe to answer?

Area code 808 itself is a normal geographic code with no elevated spam risk. That said, scammers can spoof any area code — including 808 — so if you don't recognize the full number, let it go to voicemail and verify the caller's identity before calling back.