North American Numbers Source-cited · ownership disclosed
Area code
508
In service
United States · since 1988

South-central & southeastern Massachusetts (Worcester)

Area code 508 serves south-central and southeastern Massachusetts, including Worcester, MetroWest, Cape Cod, and the Islands. It was split from 617 in 1988 and is now overlaid by 774.

The essentials Numbering data · NumberResearch · as of 2026-09-18
Place
South-central & southeastern Massachusetts (Worcester)
Type
geographic
Status
in service
In service since
1988
Projected exhaust
2045 Q4

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 508 is

Southern Worcester County and MetroWest, plus Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket..

Communities served wholly or partly by 508:

WorcesterFraminghamBrocktonAttleboroTauntonFall RiverNew BedfordPlymouthBarnstableFoxborough

The northern portion of the original 508 territory was carved off to 978 in 1997.

B · Relationships

How it relates to other codes

The codes 508 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 · 1988 617 Boston 508 split from 617 on July 16, 1988.
Spawned · 1997 978 North central & northeastern Massachusetts (Lowell) 978 split off from 508 on September 1, 1997.
Overlay · 2001 774 South-central & southeastern Massachusetts (overlay) 774 overlays 508 across the same territory.
What's changing. Overlay complex with 774; ten-digit dialing mandatory. Per Wikipedia (as of 2018), 508/774 projected to exhaust by 2045.
C · History

How 508 got here

1988-07-16
Area code 508 activated as a split from 617; permissive dialing continued until January 1, 1989.
Source: Wikipedia
1997-09-01
Northern portion split off as area code 978.
Source: Wikipedia
2001-05-02
Area code 774 added as an overlay; ten-digit dialing mandatory.
Source: Wikipedia
D · Capacity

How full it is

Prefixes assigned
800
Prefixes available
0
Thousands-blocks assigned
2,470

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

Compare 508 with another code →
Sources
Wikipedia ↗
Area code 508
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.