480 Area Code
| State: | Arizona |
| Top City: | Mesa |
| Timezone: | MST (UTC-7) |
| Current Time: |
Where is Area Code 480 located?
The 480 area code is located in the state of Arizona US. It covers the northern and eastern regions of the Phoenix metropolitan area, the largest city in the state.
The area code was created in 1999 from a split of area code 602.
480 Area Code Time Zone
Area code 480 lies within the Mountain Standard Time (MST) zone, which is UTC/GMT -7 hours. Unlike most states, Arizona does not observe daylight saving time (DST), except for the Navajo Nation in the northeastern corner of the state. This means that area code 480 stays on MST all year round, without switching to Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) in the summer.
History of 480 Area Code
Area code 480 was introduced on March 1, 1999, as a result of the rapid population growth and demand for new telephone numbers in the Phoenix metropolitan area. It was one of the two new area codes that split from area code 602, which had served the entire state of Arizona since 1947. The other new area code was 623, which covered the western suburbs of Phoenix.
The split of area code 602 into three area codes (602, 480, and 623) created a single rate center for metropolitan Phoenix, meaning that calls between the three area codes were generally local calls. However, it also required ten-digit dialing for all calls within the metro area, even if they were local.
By early 2020, area codes 480 and 602 were facing exhaustion within the decade, but area code 623 still had hundreds of unassigned central office codes. To solve this problem, Arizona’s Corporation Commission approved a plan in 2021 to reverse the 1999 split and convert 480 and 623 into overlay codes for the entire Phoenix area in 2023.
This means that new phone numbers in Phoenix will be assigned either 480 or 623, regardless of their location. The existing numbers will not change, but ten-digit dialing will be mandatory for all calls in the Valley.
Top 10 Counties in Area Code 480
| County | Population |
| Maricopa County | 4,485,414 |
| Pinal County | 425,264 |
| Yavapai County | 232,067 |
| Mohave County | 206,693 |
| Yuma County | 213,787 |
| Coconino County | 141,482 |
| Navajo County | 111,001 |
| Apache County | 71,878 |
| Gila County | 51,335 |
| La Paz County | 20,570 |
Top 10 Cities in Area Code 480
| City | Population |
| Chandler | 252,410 |
| Gilbert | 238,058 |
| Tempe | 184,387 |
| Mesa | 172,427 |
| Glendale | 105,598 |
| Scottsdale | 235,840 |
| Peoria | 163,567 |
| Sun City | 38,610 |
| Surprise | 129,106 |
| Paradise Valley | 13,951 |
Top Telephone Carriers
| Landline | Wireless |
| CenturyLink | Verizon Wireless |
| Cox Communications | AT&T |
| T-Mobile | |
| Sprint | |
| US Cellular | |
| C Spire Wireless | |
| Viaero Wireless | |
| iWireless |