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Area code 218

Area code 218 serves Minnesota, including Duluth, Brainerd and Bemidji (Central time). It has been in service since January 1, 1947.

Numbers starting with 218 drew 642 reports to the FTC from Aug 14, 2026 to Nov 11, 2026 and 371 complaints to the FCC since November 2023. The number on your screen can be faked, so a 218 number proves nothing about where a call came from.

Location
Minnesota
Time zone
Central
In service since
January 1, 1947
Overlay
None: the only code for its area
Local calls
Dial 10 digitsArea code needed, even next door
Exchanges in use
708 of 792held by 81 carriers
Projected to run out
1Q 2038NANPA forecast 2026.2

Complaints about 218 numbers

Reports where the number on the consumer's caller ID (or, for the FCC, the number the caller asked them to call back) starts with 218. These are counts of what people reported; the agencies do not verify them.

FTC reports, Aug 14, 2026 to Nov 11, 2026

642

FCC complaints since November 2023

371

Different 218 numbers reported

907

FCC complaints naming a 218 number, by month

November 2023 to October 2026. Source: FCC Consumer Complaints Data.

Show as a table
MonthComplaints
November 202314
December 202313
January 202411
February 20244
March 20245
April 20247
May 202413
June 20248
July 20248
August 202416
September 202413
October 202441
November 202412
December 202411
January 202520
February 202513
March 20254
April 20253
May 20255
June 202513
July 20258
August 202511
September 202515
October 20250
November 20250
December 20256
January 20269
February 20267
March 202612
April 20267
May 20263
June 202612
July 20263
August 202613
September 202615
October 202610

What people said 218 calls were about

Subjects picked in FTC reports, August 14, 2026 to November 11, 2026. 317 of 642 reports were robocalls.

Show as a table
SubjectReports
Other332
Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans)81
Dropped call or no message43
Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends41
Computer and technical support29
Medical and prescriptions12

Most reported 218 numbers

Numbers with at least five reports from three or more places in the last twelve months. Many of them are likely spoofed.

Places served by 218

NANPA lists 238 rate centers for 218. A rate center is the town or district a block of numbers is tied to for billing; sorted here by how many exchanges each holds.
  • Duluth79
  • Brainerd28
  • Bemidji21
  • Moorhead21
  • Virginia17
  • Fergus Falls14
  • Hibbing14
  • Detroit Lakes13
  • Grand Rapids13
  • Wadena13
  • Park Rapids10
  • Thief River Falls10
  • Coleraine9
  • Crookston9
  • East Grand Forks9
  • Cloquet7
  • International Falls7
  • Staples7
  • Breckenridge6
  • Grand Marais6
  • Mahnomen6
  • Moose Lake6
  • Roseau6
  • Aitkin5
Show all 238 rate centers

Barnum, Battle Lake, Baudette, Bennettville, Carlton, Cass Lake, Chisholm, Ely, Silver Bay, Buhl, Cook, Crosby, Hallock, Hawley, Henning, Nisswa, Perham, Ranier, Sabin, Two Harbors, Warren, Waubun, Ada, Alborn, Aurora, Babbitt, Barnesville, Bear River, Biwabik, Blackduck, Brimson, Deerwood, Embarrass, Fosston, Hill City, Hoyt Lakes, Kettle River, Lengby, Little Fork, Mcgregor, Nashwauk, Palo, Sebeka, Stephen, Sturgeon Lake, Tofte, Tower, Walker, Alvarado, Argyle, Big Falls, Breezy Point, Comstock, Ericsburg, Floodwood, Gateway, Humboldt, Isabella, Kabetogama, Karlstad, Keewatin, Kennedy, Kimberly, Marble, Meadowlands, Mentor, Nevis, Orr, Osage, Oslo, Palisade, Pelican Rapids, Pequot Lakes, Pine River, Twin Valley, Warba, Warroad, White Earth, Wright, Angle Inlet, Ash River, Ashby, Audubon, Backus, Badger, Bagley, Becida, Beltrami, Bena, Bertha, Bigfork, Borup, Boy River, Brooks, Brookston, Bygland, Callaway, Campbell, Clarissa, Clearbrook, Climax, Cormorant, Cotton, Crane Lake, Cromwell, Crosslake, Dalton, Deer Creek, Deer River, Denham, Dent, Donaldson, Eagle Bend, East Abercrombie, East Drayton, East Fairmount, Elbow Lake, Emily, Erhard, Erskine, Evansville, Federal Dam, Felton, Fertile, Fisher, Flom, Frazee, Gary, Gatzke, Glyndon, Gonvick, Goodridge, Greaney, Greenbush, Grygla, Gully, Hackensack, Halma, Halstad, Hitterdal, Holt, Hovland, Ideal Corners, Inger Wirt, Jacobson, Kelliher, Lake Bronson, Lake Park, Lancaster, Laporte, Leader, Leonard, Lincoln, Longville, Maine, Malung, Maple Bay, Marcell, Mcintosh, Menahga, Middle River, Miltona, Minerva, Mission, Motley, New York Mills, Newfolden, Nickerson, Nielsville, Nimrod, Nokay Lake, Northome, Oklee, Ottertail, Outing, Parkers Prairie, Perley, Pillager, Plummer, Ponemah, Puposky, Red Lake, Red Lake Falls, Remer, Rollag, Roosevelt, Rothsay, Saint Hilaire, Saint Vincent, Shelly, Shevlin, Solway, Squaw Lake, Strandquist, Strathcona, Tintah, Turtle River, Ulen, Underwood, Urbank, Vergas, Verndale, Viking, Vining, Wannaska, Washington Forest, Wawina, Wendell, Whipholt, Williams, Winger, Wolf Lake, Wolverton, Woman Lake.

Phone companies holding 218 exchanges

Each exchange (the three digits after the area code) is assigned to one carrier. 63% of these exchanges are pooled: their numbers are handed out in blocks of 1,000 to other carriers, so the holder below is not always the company serving a given number.

Exchanges held, top 8 of 81 carriers

NANPA central office code assignments, file of November 11, 2026.

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Carrier (legal name)Exchanges
Qwest Corporation85
Cellco Partnership dba Verizon Wireless - MN84
Onvoy, LLC - MN61
New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC - IL49
Citizens Telecom CO MN-Frontier Citizens Com-MN46
Aerial Communications, Inc.29
Garden Valley Tel. CO.24
Level 3 Communications, LLC - MN23

When today's 218 exchanges were assigned

Exchanges still assigned, by year of assignment. Exchanges returned since are not counted.

Show as a table
YearExchanges
200115
200224
200330
20049
200511
200610
200716
200839
20094
201014
201110
20124
20133
20147
20156
20163
20175
20185
20194
202018
202122
202223
202314
20246
20256
20264

Check a 218 number

A check shows the carrier and rate center of the number's exchange and every FTC and FCC report about that exact number. Why the number on screen can be fake.

Other area codes in Minnesota

NANPA area code database and central office code file of November 11, 2026; FCC complaints November 1, 2023 to November 11, 2026; FTC reports August 14, 2026 to November 11, 2026. How the data is used.

Official sources (7)Show