Area codes · +1
Area code 281
Area code 281 is centred on Houston. We hold 5,294 allocated blocks for it across 45 rate centres, split 30% mobile, 62% landline and 8% VoIP.
The other area codes laid over 281
Area code 281 does not have Houston to itself. 3 other codes — 346, 713, 832 — serve the same rate centres, laid over the same ground rather than dividing it. That is an overlay: a new code added when the old one ran out of numbers, covering the same streets. Two neighbours can hold different area codes, so the code says roughly when a number was issued rather than where it sits.
3467,997 blocks, 45 rate centres, mostly mobile
7134,168 blocks, 19 rate centres, mostly landline
8327,823 blocks, 43 rate centres, mostly mobile
Each holds its own blocks and its own carrier mix, so a 281 number and a 346 number from the same street can report different line types. Filtering Houston by area code needs all 4 of them.
281 is not confined to Houston itself: its blocks sit across 45 rate centres, named in the table below.
Texas is split across 28 area codes — 346, 832, 469, 210, 956, 281 and others. By allocated blocks 281 is the 10th largest of them, holding 4% of the Texas total.
Where 281 numbers are concentrated
Rate-centre names are reproduced as NANPA records them. The agency truncates them to ten characters, so longer names appear shortened elsewhere on this site.
| Rate centre | Blocks | Share of 281 |
|---|---|---|
| Hstnsuburb | 931 | 18% |
| Houston | 748 | 14% |
| Bammel | 380 | 7% |
| Spring | 255 | 5% |
| Apollo | 197 | 4% |
| Humble | 154 | 3% |
| Baytown | 151 | 3% |
| Barker | 149 | 3% |
| Kemah | 148 | 3% |
| Katy | 146 | 3% |
| Tomball | 139 | 3% |
| Langhamcrk | 124 | 2% |
| Deer Park | 117 | 2% |
| Satsuma | 108 | 2% |
| Sugar Land | 104 | 2% |
| Friendswd | 101 | 2% |
| Westfield | 97 | 2% |
| Richmnrnbg | 81 | 2% |
| Dickinson | 80 | 2% |
| Cleveland | 78 | 1% |
| Channelvw | 65 | 1% |
| La Porte | 64 | 1% |
| Alvin | 58 | 1% |
| Cypress | 57 | 1% |
21 further rate centres in 281 hold fewer blocks than these.
Carriers holding the most 281 blocks
Southwestern Bell1,183 blocks
T-Mobile USA, Inc.453 blocks
Onvoy429 blocks
Verizon Wireless378 blocks
Bandwidth271 blocks
Level 3 Communications, Llc - Tx (Centurylink, Inc)263 blocks
The largest holder, Southwestern Bell, has 22% of the code.
These are original allocations. A number keeps its digits and its block when its subscriber moves network, so a ported 281 number still reports the carrier it started with. Closing that gap needs a live query against the routing database. How line type is derived.
Check a single 281 number, or run a whole list through the free cleaner — neither uploads anything.
Common questions
Where is area code 281?
Area code 281 covers Houston. It is not the only code there: 346, 713, 832 are overlays on the same rate centres, so a Houston number can start with any of them.
Is a 281 number a mobile or a landline?
It can be either, and the digits do not say which. North American mobile and landline numbers share the same ranges, so the answer comes from the carrier holding the block. In 281 the split runs 30% mobile, 62% landline and 8% VoIP, so landline is the most likely single answer.
Which carriers hold 281 numbers?
The largest holders are Southwestern Bell, T-Mobile USA, Inc., Onvoy. That is the carrier the block was allocated to, which is not necessarily the network a given number sits on today.
How many 281 numbers are there?
The code holds 5,294 allocated blocks in our copy of the numbering plan. A block is 1,000 or 10,000 consecutive numbers depending on how deeply it has been pooled, so 281 covers on the order of 5,294,000 possible numbers — most of which have never been issued to anyone.