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Area code 973

Area code 973 serves New Jersey, including Newark, Morristown and Passaic (Eastern time). It has been in service since June 1, 1997 and shares its area with 862.

Numbers starting with 973 drew 1,686 reports to the FTC from Aug 14, 2026 to Nov 11, 2026 and 478 complaints to the FCC since November 2023. The number on your screen can be faked, so a 973 number proves nothing about where a call came from.

Location
New JerseyNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area
Time zone
Eastern
In service since
June 1, 1997Created from 201
Overlay
Same area as 862
Local calls
Dial 10 digitsArea code needed, even next door
Exchanges in use
779 of 792held by 33 carriers
Projected to run out
1Q 2047NANPA forecast 2026.2

Complaints about 973 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 973. These are counts of what people reported; the agencies do not verify them.

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

1,686

FCC complaints since November 2023

478

Different 973 numbers reported

2,021

FCC complaints naming a 973 number, by month

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

Show as a table
MonthComplaints
November 202315
December 202313
January 202411
February 202414
March 20248
April 20246
May 202412
June 202411
July 202410
August 202417
September 202412
October 202413
November 202420
December 202415
January 202511
February 20256
March 202520
April 202516
May 202528
June 202515
July 202515
August 202527
September 202514
October 20250
November 20256
December 20259
January 202616
February 20268
March 202615
April 20269
May 20266
June 202614
July 202613
August 202612
September 202620
October 202611

What people said 973 calls were about

Subjects picked in FTC reports, August 14, 2026 to November 11, 2026. 1,008 of 1,686 reports were robocalls.

Show as a table
SubjectReports
Other817
Dropped call or no message176
Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends136
Medical and prescriptions136
Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans)115
Energy, solar, and utilities42

Most reported 973 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 973

NANPA lists 42 rate centers for 973. 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.
  • Newark147
  • Morristown90
  • Passaic46
  • Caldwell42
  • Paterson40
  • Orange33
  • Bloomfield28
  • Whippany28
  • Madison25
  • Livingston23
  • Mountain View21
  • Boonton19
  • Millburn17
  • Dover16
  • Newton16
  • Rockaway13
  • South Orange13
  • Chatham12
  • Little Falls12
  • Nutley12
  • Pompton Lakes12
  • Succasunna12
  • Hawthorne11
  • Belleville10
Show all 42 rate centers

Netcong, Newfoundland, Butler, Franklin Boro, Hopatcong, Erskine Lakes, Verona, West Milford, Mendham, Bernardsville, Lake Mohawk, Sussex, Andover, Branchville, Montague, Mount Freedom, Upper Greenwood Lake, Vernon.

Phone companies holding 973 exchanges

Each exchange (the three digits after the area code) is assigned to one carrier. 58% 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 33 carriers

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

Show as a table
Carrier (legal name)Exchanges
Verizon New Jersey, Inc.335
Level 3 Communications, LLC - NJ76
Cellco Partnership dba Verizon Wireless - NJ53
Omnipoint Communications, Inc. - NJ48
Mcimetro Access Transmission Services LLC44
Teleport Communications America, LLC - NJ31
Paetec Itel, LLC30
New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC - DC26

When today's 973 exchanges were assigned

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

Show as a table
YearExchanges
200133
200216
20033
20047
200513
20066
20075
20087
20092
20105
20115
20161
20171
20181
20201
20222
20241
20255
20263

Check a 973 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 New Jersey

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