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Before You Call Back

Area code 262

Area code 262 serves Wisconsin, including Waukesha, Milwaukee Zone 2 and Racine (Central time). It has been in service since September 25, 1999.

Numbers starting with 262 drew 1,659 reports to the FTC from Aug 14, 2026 to Nov 11, 2026 and 762 complaints to the FCC since November 2023. The number on your screen can be faked, so a 262 number proves nothing about where a call came from.

Location
Wisconsin(chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area) and (milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area)
Time zone
Central
In service since
September 25, 1999Created from 414
Overlay
None: the only code for its area
Local calls
Dial 10 digitsArea code needed, even next door
Exchanges in use
634 of 792held by 47 carriers
Projected to run out
2Q 2037NANPA forecast 2026.2

Complaints about 262 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 262. These are counts of what people reported; the agencies do not verify them.

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

1,659

FCC complaints since November 2023

762

Different 262 numbers reported

2,262

FCC complaints naming a 262 number, by month

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

Show as a table
MonthComplaints
November 202314
December 20237
January 202413
February 202415
March 202412
April 202411
May 202416
June 202423
July 202427
August 202437
September 202420
October 202444
November 202432
December 202416
January 202535
February 202537
March 202530
April 202517
May 202513
June 202527
July 202517
August 202519
September 202515
October 20250
November 20259
December 202528
January 202628
February 202613
March 202617
April 202614
May 20268
June 202612
July 202622
August 202619
September 202628
October 202641

What people said 262 calls were about

Subjects picked in FTC reports, August 14, 2026 to November 11, 2026. 1,079 of 1,659 reports were robocalls.

Show as a table
SubjectReports
Other787
Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans)249
Medical and prescriptions197
Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends147
Dropped call or no message108
Home improvement and cleaning19

Most reported 262 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 262

NANPA lists 60 rate centers for 262. 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.
  • Waukesha74
  • Milwaukee Zone 267
  • Racine53
  • Kenosha49
  • Lake Geneva23
  • West Bend22
  • Menomonee Falls19
  • Oconomowoc19
  • Burlington17
  • Thiensville16
  • Cedarburg14
  • Parkside14
  • Hartford11
  • Jackson11
  • Newburg11
  • Hartland10
  • Whitewater10
  • Caledonia9
  • Delavan9
  • Hubertus9
  • Allenton8
  • Pewaukee8
  • Port Washington8
  • Elkhorn7
Show all 60 rate centers

Sussex, Waterford, Big Bend, Bristol, Genoa City, Muskego, North Antioch, Slinger, Union Grove, Williams Bay, Belgium, Bergen, Delafield, East Troy, Merton, North Lake, North Prairie, Palmyra, Somers, Wind Lake, Bohners Lake, Darien, Genesee, Kewaskum, Mukwonago, Salem, Sullivan, Trevor, Twin Lakes, Walworth, Waubeka, Dousman, Eagle, Sharon, Silver Lake (kenosha), Wheatland.

Phone companies holding 262 exchanges

Each exchange (the three digits after the area code) is assigned to one carrier. 76% 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 47 carriers

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

Show as a table
Carrier (legal name)Exchanges
Wisconsin Bell Inc142
Teleport Communications America, LLC WI52
T-Mobile USA, Inc.49
New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC - IL48
Onvoy, LLC - WI39
Level 3 Communications, LLC - WI38
Cellco Partnership dba Verizon Wireless - WI37
Paetec Itel, LLC24

When today's 262 exchanges were assigned

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

Show as a table
YearExchanges
200132
200226
20042
20054
20062
20073
20085
20091
20106
20112
20128
20135
20147
20158
20168
20177
201812
20191
202020
202127
202211
202312
202419
202512
20264

Check a 262 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 Wisconsin

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