Choosing between 212, 718, 917 and 646

Start with who will see the number

Every one of the seven codes is a New York City number. The choice is about the impression it makes: where the number says you are, and how long it suggests you have been there.

The codes side by side

• 212: the code the whole city started with, and Manhattan's own since the other boroughs moved to 718. It reads as long-established Manhattan, and it is scarce: new 212 numbers ran out years ago, so buying an existing number is the dependable way to get one.
• 646: a Manhattan code added on top of 212. It reads as Manhattan too.
• 917: the citywide code. When it arrived, the city's cell phones were moved to it, so many New Yorkers still read it as a personal cell.
• 718: the code Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and later the Bronx moved to when 212 was split. It reads as local and long-standing in those boroughs.
• 332, 347 and 929: newer overlays. 332 sits on Manhattan's codes, and 347 and 929 on 718, so each says the same boroughs as the codes it overlays.

Which code fits

• A Manhattan office, a professional practice or a firm that wants to look established: 212, or 646 when the right 212 number isn't in reach.
• A shop, restaurant or service in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx or Staten Island: 718 says local, and so do 347 and 929.
• A business that covers the whole city, or a number that follows one person around: 917.
• A fax line or a second line nobody sees: any code will do.

What they cost

Prices depend on the code and the pattern. The area codes page shows how many numbers each code has right now and where its prices start.