Area Code 838

About Area Code 838

Area code 838 is a geographic telephone area code assigned to Albany, New York. It operates in the Eastern time zone and was first introduced in 2017. Overlay for 518. Eastern upstate New York.

Within New York, area code 838 shares numbering capacity with 18 other area codes. The state's 19,571,216-person population (2023 Census Bureau estimate) is served by a combined 19 active codes, with 838 primarily responsible for the Albany region. New York's state capital is Albany, and its largest city is New York City.

When you receive a call from a 838 number on your Caller ID, the call originated from a phone number assigned to the 838 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 838 only confirms where the number was originally assigned.

Where is the 838 area code located?

Area code 838 is assigned to Albany, New York, in the Eastern time zone. The state of New York uses 19 active area codes, and 838 is one of them. Calls placed from the 838 area code originate from numbers assigned by NANPA — the North American Numbering Plan Administrator — and the 838 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 838 area code?

The 838 area code serves 9 notable cities, listed below in order of population. The largest city in the 838 territory is Albany (101,228 residents in Unknown County).

• Albany, NY — 101,228 residents (1.1% of 838 numbers)
• New York City, NY — 8,335,897 residents (87.8% of 838 numbers)
• Buffalo, NY — 278,349 residents (2.9% of 838 numbers)
• Rochester, NY — 211,328 residents (2.2% of 838 numbers)
• Yonkers, NY — 201,344 residents (2.1% of 838 numbers)
• Syracuse, NY — 142,749 residents (1.5% of 838 numbers)
• New Rochelle, NY — 81,386 residents (0.9% of 838 numbers)
• Mount Vernon, NY — 71,901 residents (0.8% of 838 numbers)
• Schenectady, NY — 68,024 residents (0.7% of 838 numbers)

Phone number format in area code 838

All phone numbers within area code 838 follow the standard North American 10-digit format:(838) 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 + 838 + 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 838 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 838

Overlay for 518. Eastern upstate New York.

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 838 area code safe to answer?

Area code 838 itself is a normal geographic code with no elevated spam risk. That said, scammers can spoof any area code — including 838 — so if you don't recognize the full number, let it go to voicemail and verify the caller's identity before calling back.