Area Code 985

About Area Code 985

Area code 985 is a geographic telephone area code assigned to Houma, Louisiana. It operates in the Central time zone and was first introduced in 2001. Split from 504. Southeastern Louisiana.

Within Louisiana, area code 985 shares numbering capacity with 4 other area codes. The state's 4,572,484-person population (2023 Census Bureau estimate) is served by a combined 5 active codes, with 985 primarily responsible for the Houma region. Louisiana's state capital is Baton Rouge, and its largest city is New Orleans.

When you receive a call from a 985 number on your Caller ID, the call originated from a phone number assigned to the 985 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 985 only confirms where the number was originally assigned.

Where is the 985 area code located?

Area code 985 is assigned to Houma, Louisiana, in the Central time zone. The state of Louisiana uses 5 active area codes, and 985 is one of them. Calls placed from the 985 area code originate from numbers assigned by NANPA — the North American Numbering Plan Administrator — and the 985 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 985 area code?

The 985 area code serves 9 notable cities, listed below in order of population. The largest city in the 985 territory is Houma (32,393 residents in Unknown County).

• Houma, LA — 32,393 residents (2.7% of 985 numbers)
• New Orleans, LA — 376,971 residents (31.6% of 985 numbers)
• Baton Rouge, LA — 216,064 residents (18.1% of 985 numbers)
• Shreveport, LA — 184,921 residents (15.5% of 985 numbers)
• Lafayette, LA — 121,374 residents (10.2% of 985 numbers)
• Lake Charles, LA — 78,336 residents (6.6% of 985 numbers)
• Kenner, LA — 66,598 residents (5.6% of 985 numbers)
• Bossier City, LA — 68,159 residents (5.7% of 985 numbers)
• Monroe, LA — 47,102 residents (4% of 985 numbers)

Phone number format in area code 985

All phone numbers within area code 985 follow the standard North American 10-digit format:(985) 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 + 985 + 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 985 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 985

Split from 504. Southeastern Louisiana.

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 985 area code safe to answer?

Area code 985 itself is a normal geographic code with no elevated spam risk. That said, scammers can spoof any area code — including 985 — so if you don't recognize the full number, let it go to voicemail and verify the caller's identity before calling back.