Area Code 843

About Area Code 843

Area code 843 is a geographic telephone area code assigned to Charleston, South Carolina. It operates in the Eastern time zone and was first introduced in 1998. Split from 803. Coastal South Carolina. Overlay 854 (2015).

Within South Carolina, area code 843 shares numbering capacity with 3 other area codes. The state's 5,374,524-person population (2023 Census Bureau estimate) is served by a combined 4 active codes, with 843 primarily responsible for the Charleston region. South Carolina's state capital is Columbia, and its largest city is Charleston.

When you receive a call from a 843 number on your Caller ID, the call originated from a phone number assigned to the 843 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 843 only confirms where the number was originally assigned.

Where is the 843 area code located?

Area code 843 is assigned to Charleston, South Carolina, in the Eastern time zone. The state of South Carolina uses 4 active area codes, and 843 is one of them. Calls placed from the 843 area code originate from numbers assigned by NANPA — the North American Numbering Plan Administrator — and the 843 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 843 area code?

The 843 area code serves 10 notable cities, listed below in order of population. The largest city in the 843 territory is Charleston (150,227 residents in Kanawha County).

• Charleston, SC — 150,227 residents (18.1% of 843 numbers)
• Columbia, SC — 137,300 residents (16.5% of 843 numbers)
• North Charleston, SC — 119,304 residents (14.4% of 843 numbers)
• Mount Pleasant, SC — 92,797 residents (11.2% of 843 numbers)
• Rock Hill, SC — 75,048 residents (9% of 843 numbers)
• Greenville, SC — 72,310 residents (8.7% of 843 numbers)
• Summerville, SC — 54,437 residents (6.6% of 843 numbers)
• Sumter, SC — 42,945 residents (5.2% of 843 numbers)
• Goose Creek, SC — 45,946 residents (5.5% of 843 numbers)
• Hilton Head Island, SC — 39,861 residents (4.8% of 843 numbers)

Phone number format in area code 843

All phone numbers within area code 843 follow the standard North American 10-digit format:(843) 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 + 843 + 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 843 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 843

Split from 803. Coastal South Carolina. Overlay 854 (2015).

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 843 area code safe to answer?

Area code 843 itself is a normal geographic code with no elevated spam risk. That said, scammers can spoof any area code — including 843 — so if you don't recognize the full number, let it go to voicemail and verify the caller's identity before calling back.