209 Area Code: Stockton, California
Area code 209 serves Stockton, Modesto and Merced, California in the Pacific time zone, in service since 1958. Consumers have filed 6,156 unwanted-call complaints against 4,853 different 209 numbers, 717 of them with the FTC in the last 30 days. Look up the exact number that called you below.
Area code 209 at a glance
- State
- California
- Main cities
- Stockton, Modesto, Merced, Manteca, Lodi, Tracy + 53 more
- Counties
- San Joaquin County, Stanislaus County, Merced County, Calaveras County + 5 more
- Local time
- —Pacific
- In service since
- 1958
- Split from
- 415
- Overlay code
- 350 (2022)
- Codes split off
- 559 (1998)
- Local dialing
- 10 digits (area code + number)
- Exchanges
- 63 rate centers, 784 prefixes
Sources: NANPA area code and central office code records (refreshed weekly); cities and counties matched from US Census Bureau and USGS place names.
Most-reported 209 numbers
Ranked by FTC Do Not Call complaints this month, then all-time FTC and FCC complaints. Only numbers with enough complaints for a full report page are listed. Click one for what it was reported for and where.
What calls from 209 numbers are about
1,852 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 209 numbers since Jul 24. The most common named subject is debt-relief pitches, at 22% of complaints (87% of those were recorded messages). Overall, 65% of callers who answered said the call was a robocall.
FTC complaint subjects
- Other / unspecified78042%
- Debt reduction41022%
- Dropped call / no message19911%
- Impostor (government, business, family)1589%
- No subject given1237%
- Medical & prescriptions593%
- Energy, solar & utilities362%
FCC complaints by call type, last 2 years
- Prerecorded Voice14042%
- Live Voice13340%
- Text Message5918%
18% of recent FCC complaints about 209 numbers are about text messages, not calls.
When 209 spam calls come in
29% of complaints that give a call time describe calls between 1pm and 4pm. 94% came Monday to Friday, most on Tuesdays, the pattern of call-center robocall campaigns that run on business hours. Times are as consumers reported them to the FTC.
By hour of the day
By day of the week
Is it getting worse?
704 FTC complaints about 209 numbers in the last four weeks, up 12% on the four weeks before. FCC complaints about 209 numbers peaked in 2015 (627); the FTC's daily Do Not Call data has carried most of the volume since mid-2026.
FTC complaints per week
FCC complaints per year
Years shown as '15 to '26; the current year is partial.
Who gets these calls
56% of the FTC complaints about 209 numbers came from California residents, but only 26% from people with 209 numbers themselves. The calls are mostly regional rather than aimed at 209 phones specifically.
Where complainants live
- California1,03456%
- Texas744%
- Florida674%
- New York442%
- Michigan412%
What people with 209 numbers report
People whose own number starts with 209 filed 2,038 FTC complaints since Jul 24. 23% were about calls showing another 209 number. The most common named subject was debt-relief pitches.
Area codes on the calls they reported
- 209 (same code)47723%
- 833 (toll-free)1176%
- 888 (toll-free)834%
- 866 (toll-free)764%
- 877 (toll-free)734%
Likely campaigns using 209 numbers
Groups of numbers that drew the same FTC complaint in the same pattern over the last 60 days. The grouping is statistical and doesn't identify who is calling.
Busiest 209 prefixes this month
FTC complaints in the last 30 days, grouped by the first six digits. When one prefix collects complaints about many different numbers, a campaign is usually cycling through that block. The carrier is who NANPA assigned the prefix to, not who made the calls.
Carriers operating in 209
NANPA has assigned 784 209 prefixes (NPA-NXX central-office codes) across 63 rate centers: 39% to wireless carriers, 61% to landline and VoIP operators; 77% are pooled blocks shared by several carriers. The newest assignment was 2025-01-28. The carrier holding a prefix is who the number was issued through. It says nothing about who is calling, since caller ID is routinely spoofed.
| Carrier | Type | Prefixes | Rate centers | Newest assignment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Bell (AT&T) | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 180(23%) | 42 | 2014-03-03 |
| AT&T Mobility (New Cingular Wireless PCS) | Wireless | 128(16%) | 21 | 2024-11-25 |
| Onvoy (Sinch) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 76(10%) | 37 | 2023-10-16 |
| Verizon Wireless (Cellco Partnership) | Wireless | 71(9%) | 20 | 2022-03-10 |
| T-Mobile USA | Wireless | 69(9%) | 15 | 2023-07-18 |
| Bandwidth.com | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 42(5%) | 29 | 2022-02-10 |
| Metro by T-Mobile (MetroPCS) | Wireless | 26(3%) | 8 | 2019-03-18 |
| Level 3 (Lumen) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 21(3%) | 18 | 2018-03-26 |
| Comcast (Xfinity Voice) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 18(2%) | 13 | 2020-09-22 |
| U.S. Telepacific CORP. dba Tpx Communications | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 15(2%) | 9 | 2022-07-11 |
| Frontier Communications | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 13(2%) | 7 | — |
| Utility Telecom Group, LLC | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 12(2%) | 6 | 2022-04-11 |
Largest rate centers (exchanges) by prefixes: Stockton (138), Modesto (137), Merced (57), Manteca (44), Lodi (36), Tracy (32), Turlock (31), Angels Camp (22), Fresno (19), Atwater (18). Source: NANPA Central Office Code Utilized Assignments (public, refreshed weekly).
What to do about calls from 209 numbers
Before you call back
- Debt reduction is the top named complaint here. Don't pay upfront fees for debt relief; the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule bans them. Talk to your lender or a nonprofit credit counselor instead. Read about debt-relief robocalls.
- Look up the full number above. A missed call from 209 with no voicemail is usually a robocall; anyone who needs you will leave a message.
- Block repeat callers: iPhone, Android, or your carrier's free filter (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile).
Report it in California
- Unwanted sales calls and robocalls: donotcall.gov (FTC). Scams and fraud: ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- Spoofing, texts and call-blocking problems: FCC consumer complaints.
- State complaints: California Attorney General.
- California formally adopted the FTC's National Do Not Call Registry as its own state list rather than running a separate one, so a single free registration at donotcall.gov covers you. State authorities can still enforce against telemarketers who ignore it, in addition to any federal penalty.
Your FTC and FCC reports are published (without your name or number) in the datasets this page is built from. How to report unwanted calls.
Area code 209: questions answered from the data
Where is area code 209?
Area code 209 serves Stockton, Modesto and Merced, California, covering San Joaquin County, Stanislaus County and Merced County and 6 more counties. It has been in service since 1958. It was split from area code 415.
What time zone is area code 209 in?
Area code 209 is in the Pacific time zone (UTC−8, or UTC−7 during daylight saving time). The current local time is shown at the top of this page.
Which area codes overlay 209?
350 (in service 2022) serves the same area as 209. New numbers there can be issued with any of these codes, and local calls need all 10 digits. A spoofed call can display any of them.
What are calls from 209 numbers usually about?
Since Jul 24, consumers filed 1,852 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 209 numbers. The most common named subject was debt-relief pitches: 22% of complaints, 87% of them recorded messages. Across all subjects, 65% of callers who answered the question said the call was a robocall.
When do 209 spam calls happen?
29% of the complaints that give a call time describe calls between 1pm and 4pm, and 94% came on weekdays, most often on Tuesday. Times are as consumers reported them.
Are calls from 209 numbers really local?
Not necessarily. 56% of the FTC complaints about 209 numbers came from California residents, but only 26% from people with 209 numbers themselves. The calls are mostly regional rather than aimed at 209 phones specifically.
Are 209 robocalls increasing?
In the four weeks to Oct 20, consumers filed 704 FTC complaints about 209 numbers, 12% more than the four weeks before.
How do I report a 209 scam call in California?
Report unwanted sales calls and robocalls to the FTC at donotcall.gov, and scams to ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FCC takes complaints at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov. In California, the California Attorney General also handles consumer complaints about scam calls. Reports feed the public data this page is built from.
Overlay and nearby area codes
Sources: FTC Do Not Call complaints (unverified consumer reports), published every weekday and available here from Jul 24; FCC Consumer Complaint Data, public record, imported nightly; NANPA numbering records. A number appearing here means consumers reported calls that displayed it. Caller ID can be spoofed.