North American Numbers Source-cited · ownership disclosed
Area code
254
In service
United States · since 1997

Waco

A single (non-overlaid) area code for the Waco-Temple-Killeen region of Central Texas, south and west of the Fort Worth metro.

The essentials Numbering data · NumberResearch · as of 2026-09-18
Place
Waco
Type
geographic
Status
in service
In service since
1997
Projected exhaust
2032 Q1

Status, dates and counts are read from NumberResearch (NANPA / CNAC / FCC records). Assignment records show initial assignees, not the carrier serving a number today.

A · Where it is

Where 254 is

Central Texas: the Waco, Temple and Killeen region.

Communities served wholly or partly by 254:

WacoTempleKilleenStephenvilleBeltonCopperas Cove

Representative; spans roughly 20 counties including Bell, McLennan and Coryell.

B · Relationships

How it relates to other codes

The codes 254 was split from, spawned, or shares its area with. A split divides the map and changes some numbers; an overlay shares the same ground and changes none — what's the difference?

Split from · 1997 817 Fort Worth 254 was split from Fort Worth's 817 on May 25, 1997 (not from 512).
Related · 1997 940 Wichita Falls 940 was created in the same 1997 three-way split of 817.
What's changing. Single, non-overlaid area code. Mandatory 10-digit dialing since Oct 24, 2021 (988-driven).
C · History

How 254 got here

1997-05-25
Created in an area code split of 817, serving the Waco/Temple/Killeen region.
Source: Wikipedia (Area code 254)
2021-10-24
Transitioned to mandatory 10-digit dialing owing to the 988 conflict.
Source: Wikipedia (Area code 254)
D · Capacity

How full it is

Prefixes assigned
692
Prefixes available
108
Thousands-blocks assigned
3,378

Prefix-assignment counts describe allocation to carriers, not how many individual numbers are in use. Full technical records: NumberResearch ↗.

Compare 254 with another code →
Sources
Wikipedia ↗
Area code 254
NumberResearch.org ↗
Live status, dates, assignment counts and exhaust forecast — data as of 2026-09-18 (CC BY 4.0).

Place, relationships and history above are compiled by North American Numbers from the sources listed and last checked 2026-09-18. A check date is not an expert review — see how this is made. Flag an error.