781 area code: location, overlays and numbers
In Boston, Massachusetts, area code 781 serves as a US telephone area code and has operated since 1997, with an overlay shared by 339.
- Location
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Operating since
- 1997
- Zone for local time
- Eastern time
- Overlay
- 339
- Calls within the area
- 10-digit dialing
- Rate-centre locations
- 40
- Projected exhaustion
- More than 100 years off
- Country calling prefix
- +1 (United States)
The exhaust year is taken from the NANPA projections file 2026-1, dated April 2026. Other source material: NANPA public reports, including the area code report and the rate-centre report, file dated 11/01/2026. We are not an official NANPA site.
Get your own 781 number
There are two ways to get a 781 number. A provider hands out a new number with its plan. It is picked at sign-up from the numbers the provider holds in the code. For a one-time price, a seller lists numbers it already owns, often with a pattern. You then transfer the number to a provider.
Providers ranked by first-year cost
| Provider | Cheapest plan | First year | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
 Free app | Basic (Just for me), free | $0 | Open Google Voice |
 Free app | Free plan, free | $0 | Open TextNow |
 Developer API | Pay-as-you-go local number, $1.15 a month | $13.80 | Open Twilio |
 Second-number app | Standard, $3.99 a month billed yearly | $47.99 | Open Burner |
 Toll-free specialist | Solo, $6.99 a month billed yearly | $84 | Open UniTel Voice |
 Second-number app | Deluxe (local number), $6.99 a month billed yearly | $102.88 | Open GoDaddy Conversations (formerly Smartline) |
Sellers offering listed local numbers
| Seller | What it sells | Listed price | Monthly fee | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Marketplace | Local numbers | From $9 one-time | None stated | Search at Exclusive Digits |
 Marketplace | Local and toll-free | From $9.95 one-time | $2.99 a month | Search at NumberBarn |
 Number broker | Local and toll-free | From $99 one-time | None stated | Search at RingBoost |
 Number broker | Local and toll-free | From $100 one-time | None stated | Search at PhoneNumberExpert |
| 212areacode.comNumber broker | Local numbers | From $150 one-time | None stated | Search at 212areacode.com |
Some sellers and providers may pay us a referral fee. The order stays based on first-year cost and does not change. How we earn
Places in the 781 area code
For 781, NANPA lists 40 rate centres. Numbers are assigned to each local calling area:
Woburn, Winchester, Whitman, Weymouth, Wellesley, Waltham, Wakefield, Stoughton, Stoneham, Sharon, Scituate, Saugus, Rockland, Revere, Reading, Randolph, Norwood, Norwell, Needham, Melrose, Medford, Marshfield, Marblehead, Malden, Lynnfield, Lynn, Lincoln, Lexington, Kingston, Hull, Hingham, Hanover, Duxbury, Dedham, Cohasset, Canton, Burlington, Bryantville, Braintree, Arlington.
Other related area codes
This area shares its number pool with 339. You can receive a new number in this area from any of these codes. Ask for your preferred code.
Other area codes in Massachusetts include 413, 617, 508, 978, 351, 774 and 857.
781 area code questions
What area does 781 cover?
Calls using 781 ring in Boston, Massachusetts, in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area.
Which country code does a 781 number use?
+1. As 781 belongs to the North American Numbering Plan, callers abroad dial +1 781 followed by the 7-digit number.
What time is it in the 781 area code?
The 781 area uses Eastern time.
Who calls using a 781 number?
Homes, mobiles and local businesses can have numbers in this code, as can callers who fake a local number. When you see a 781 number on your screen, it shows where it was assigned rather than the caller’s identity.