218 Area Code: Duluth, Minnesota
Area code 218 serves Duluth, Brainerd and Bemidji, Minnesota in the Central time zone, in service since 1947. Consumers have filed 2,426 unwanted-call complaints against 1,891 different 218 numbers, 228 of them with the FTC in the last 30 days. Look up the exact number that called you below.
Area code 218 at a glance
- State
- Minnesota
- Main cities
- Duluth, Brainerd, Bemidji, Moorhead, Virginia + 229 more
- Counties
- St. Louis County, Crow Wing County, Clay County, Otter Tail County + 28 more
- Local time
- —Central
- In service since
- 1947
- Local dialing
- 10 digits (area code + number)
- Exchanges
- 238 rate centers, 708 prefixes
Sources: NANPA area code and central office code records (refreshed weekly); cities and counties matched from US Census Bureau and USGS place names.
Reported 218 numbers
No single 218 number has enough complaints yet for a full report page, so none are listed. Look up the exact number that called you: the lookup works on every US number, whether or not it has complaint history.
What calls from 218 numbers are about
611 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 218 numbers since Jul 24. The most common named subject is debt-relief pitches, at 15% of complaints (85% of those were recorded messages). Overall, 67% of callers who answered said the call was a robocall.
FTC complaint subjects
- Other / unspecified29448%
- Debt reduction9415%
- No subject given579%
- Impostor (government, business, family)468%
- Dropped call / no message437%
- Computer & tech support305%
- Medical & prescriptions122%
FCC complaints by call type, last 2 years
- Prerecorded Voice5239%
- Live Voice4937%
- Text Message3224%
24% of recent FCC complaints about 218 numbers are about text messages, not calls.
When 218 spam calls come in
30% of complaints that give a call time describe calls between 9am and 12pm. 95% came Monday to Friday, most on Mondays, 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?
226 FTC complaints about 218 numbers in the last four weeks; leaving out the concentrated source below, complaints are up 6% on the four weeks before. FCC complaints about 218 numbers peaked in 2018 (354); the FTC's daily Do Not Call data has carried most of the volume since mid-2026.
Data note: 32 of the last four weeks' 218 complaints (14%) came from one place, Emily, MN (callers' own phones in area code 218), about 119× the state's per-resident rate. That pattern usually means one or a few very active filers, so trend figures here leave it out.
Data note: 30 of the last four weeks' 218 complaints (13%) came from one place, Sebeka, MN (callers' own phones in area code 218), about 128× the state's per-resident rate. That pattern usually means one or a few very active filers, so trend figures here leave it out.
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 218 numbers came from Minnesota residents, but only 43% from people with 218 numbers themselves. The calls are mostly regional rather than aimed at 218 phones specifically.
These shares include Emily, MN and Sebeka, MN, flagged under “Is it getting worse?” as an unusually concentrated source.
Where complainants live
- Minnesota34556%
- Florida315%
- Texas254%
- California234%
- Illinois163%
What people with 218 numbers report
People whose own number starts with 218 filed 697 FTC complaints since Jul 24. 38% were about calls showing another 218 number. The most common named subject was debt-relief pitches.
Area codes on the calls they reported
- 218 (same code)26238%
- 612649%
- 651507%
- 833 (toll-free)162%
- 763132%
Busiest 218 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.
| Prefix | Complaints | Numbers | Carrier | Exchange |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (218) 607-xxxx | 21 | 18 | Peerless Network | Duluth |
| (218) 402-xxxx | 6 | 5 | Verizon Wireless (Cellco Partnership) | Wadena |
| (218) 453-xxxx | 5 | 5 | Frontier Communications | Brookston |
| (218) 332-xxxx | 5 | 4 | Onvoy (Sinch) | Fergus Falls |
| (218) 297-xxxx | 5 | 2 | Level 3 (Lumen) | Brainerd |
Carriers operating in 218
NANPA has assigned 708 218 prefixes (NPA-NXX central-office codes) across 238 rate centers: 23% to wireless carriers, 73% to landline and VoIP operators; 63% are pooled blocks shared by several carriers. 6 prefixes were assigned in the last 12 months (newest 2026-09-14). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qwest (CenturyLink / Lumen) | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 85(12%) | 39 | 2013-11-27 |
| Verizon Wireless (Cellco Partnership) | Wireless | 84(12%) | 42 | 2025-05-06 |
| Onvoy (Sinch) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 61(9%) | 43 | 2024-08-20 |
| AT&T Mobility (New Cingular Wireless PCS) | Wireless | 49(7%) | 25 | 2015-08-28 |
| Frontier Communications | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 46(6%) | 42 | 2018-09-18 |
| Aerial Communications, INC. | Wireless | 29(4%) | 14 | 2021-05-06 |
| Garden Valley Tel. CO. | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 24(3%) | 24 | — |
| Level 3 (Lumen) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 23(3%) | 19 | 2025-08-26 |
| Ton80 Communications, LLC | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 19(3%) | 19 | 2022-03-22 |
| Wikstrom Tel. CO., INC. | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 18(3%) | 18 | — |
| Bandwidth.com | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 17(2%) | 12 | 2022-01-20 |
| Paul Bunyan Rural Telephone Coop. | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 16(2%) | 14 | 2026-04-14 |
Largest rate centers (exchanges) by prefixes: Duluth (79), Brainerd (28), Bemidji (21), Moorhead (21), Virginia (17), Fergus Falls (14), Hibbing (14), Detroit Lakes (13), Grand Rapids (13), Wadena (13). Source: NANPA Central Office Code Utilized Assignments (public, refreshed weekly).
What to do about calls from 218 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 218 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 Minnesota
- 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: Minnesota Attorney General.
- Minnesota 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 218: questions answered from the data
Where is area code 218?
Area code 218 serves Duluth, Brainerd and Bemidji, Minnesota, covering St. Louis County, Crow Wing County and Clay County and 29 more counties. It has been in service since 1947.
What time zone is area code 218 in?
Area code 218 is in the Central time zone (UTC−6, or UTC−5 during daylight saving time). The current local time is shown at the top of this page.
What are calls from 218 numbers usually about?
Since Jul 24, consumers filed 611 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 218 numbers. The most common named subject was debt-relief pitches: 15% of complaints, 85% of them recorded messages. Across all subjects, 67% of callers who answered the question said the call was a robocall.
When do 218 spam calls happen?
30% of the complaints that give a call time describe calls between 9am and 12pm, and 95% came on weekdays, most often on Monday. Times are as consumers reported them.
Are calls from 218 numbers really local?
Not necessarily. 56% of the FTC complaints about 218 numbers came from Minnesota residents, but only 43% from people with 218 numbers themselves. The calls are mostly regional rather than aimed at 218 phones specifically.
Are 218 robocalls increasing?
In the four weeks to Oct 20, consumers filed 226 FTC complaints about 218 numbers. Leaving out 2 towns that filed an unusual share of them, that is 6% more than the four weeks before.
How do I report a 218 scam call in Minnesota?
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 Minnesota, the Minnesota Attorney General also handles consumer complaints about scam calls. Reports feed the public data this page is built from.
Other Minnesota 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.