Area code 251: where it is and who calls from it
Area code 251 is in Alabama.
Alabama (Mobile County, Baldwin County, Bay Minette, Jackson, Brewton, Citronelle, and a part of southwestern Alabama)
| Where | Alabama |
|---|---|
| Time zone | Central Time ยท local time |
| In service since | 2001 |
| Overlay | No |
| Prefixes assigned | 528 of 792 possible (67%) |
Where 251 numbers started
Every prefix is assigned to a rate center, the local calling area it was set up in. These are the biggest in 251, with how many prefixes each has.
Who holds 251 numbers
- Mobile carrier 29%
- Local phone company 27%
- Internet / business phone carrier 36%
- Paging service 1%
- Phone company 7%
| Carrier | Type | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T (local phone) | Local phone company | 91 | 17% |
| Onvoy | Internet / business phone carrier | 83 | 16% |
| AT&T Mobility | Mobile carrier | 71 | 13% |
| Verizon Wireless | Mobile carrier | 38 | 7% |
| Eliska Wireless Ventures Subsidiary I | Mobile carrier | 29 | 5% |
| Brightspeed Of Southern Alabama | Local phone company | 29 | 5% |
| Level 3 (Lumen) | Internet / business phone carrier | 19 | 4% |
| Windstream (PAETEC) | Internet / business phone carrier | 19 | 4% |
| Mcc Telephony Of The South | Internet / business phone carrier | 17 | 3% |
| Frontier | Local phone company | 15 | 3% |
Most prefixes are pooled: the 10,000 numbers in each are handed out in blocks of 1,000 to different carriers, and people can also take their numbers to another carrier. So the carrier shown is where the prefix started, not a guarantee about any one number.
States served: Alabama.
Other area codes in Alabama
Got a call from 251?
An area code tells you where a number was first assigned, not where the caller is. People keep their numbers when they move, and scammers can fake any number. If you weren't expecting the call, let it go to voicemail.
If the call shows a 251 number that matches the first six digits of your own, that's often neighbor spoofing. Use the box above to check the full number.
Area code facts from the NANPA area code database (updated 10/06/2026); prefixes and carriers from NANPA's central office code records (updated 2026-10-10). Place description adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.