254 Area Code: Waco, Texas
Area code 254 serves Waco, Killeen and Temple, Texas in the Central time zone, in service since 1997. Consumers have filed 4,696 unwanted-call complaints against 3,826 different 254 numbers, 401 of them with the FTC in the last 30 days. Look up the exact number that called you below.
Area code 254 at a glance
- State
- Texas
- Main cities
- Waco, Killeen, Temple, Hillsboro, Stephenville, Copperas Cove + 105 more
- Counties
- Bell County, McLennan County, Hill County, Coryell County + 18 more
- Local time
- —Central
- In service since
- May 25, 1997
- Split from
- 817
- Local dialing
- 10 digits (area code + number)
- Exchanges
- 111 rate centers, 671 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 254 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 254 numbers are about
1,767 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 254 numbers since Jul 24. The most common named subject is impostor calls (people pretending to be a government agency, a business or family), at 11% of complaints (62% of those were recorded messages). Overall, 72% of callers who answered said the call was a robocall.
FTC complaint subjects
- Other / unspecified96855%
- Impostor (government, business, family)19711%
- Medical & prescriptions18510%
- Debt reduction1569%
- Dropped call / no message955%
- No subject given744%
- Warranties & protection plans251%
FCC complaints by call type, last 2 years
- Prerecorded Voice9445%
- Live Voice7938%
- Text Message3617%
17% of recent FCC complaints about 254 numbers are about text messages, not calls.
When 254 spam calls come in
33% of complaints that give a call time describe calls between 10am and 1pm. 96% came Monday to Friday, most on Thursdays, 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?
393 FTC complaints about 254 numbers in the last four weeks, down 48% on the four weeks before. FCC complaints about 254 numbers peaked in 2016 (366); 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
60% of the FTC complaints about 254 numbers came from people whose own phone number also starts with 254, and 65% from Texas. Calls that look local to the person receiving them are the signature of neighbor spoofing: robocallers display a number from your own area code because you're more likely to answer.
Where complainants live
- Texas1,15165%
- California694%
- North Carolina664%
- Florida473%
- Georgia272%
What people with 254 numbers report
People whose own number starts with 254 filed 1,709 FTC complaints since Jul 24. 62% were about calls showing another 254 number. The most common named subject was impostor calls (people pretending to be a government agency, a business or family).
Area codes on the calls they reported
- 254 (same code)1,05562%
- 833 (toll-free)312%
- 817262%
- 877 (toll-free)231%
- 888 (toll-free)191%
Likely campaigns using 254 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 254 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (254) 777-xxxxcampaign | 17 | 16 | Foremost Telecommunications Corporation | Waco |
| (254) 720-xxxx | 10 | 9 | CenturyLink (Lumen) | Gordon |
| (254) 356-xxxx | 10 | 8 | Onvoy (Sinch) | Blum |
| (254) 588-xxxx | 10 | 3 | Fractel, LLC | Meridian |
| (254) 489-xxxx | 9 | 8 | Onvoy (Sinch) | Waco |
Carriers operating in 254
NANPA has assigned 671 254 prefixes (NPA-NXX central-office codes) across 111 rate centers: 25% to wireless carriers, 71% to landline and VoIP operators; 77% are pooled blocks shared by several carriers. 12 prefixes were assigned in the last 12 months (newest 2026-09-15). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwestern Bell (AT&T) | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 93(14%) | 34 | 2012-08-29 |
| Onvoy (Sinch) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 82(12%) | 58 | 2026-09-15 |
| AT&T Mobility (New Cingular Wireless PCS) | Wireless | 77(11%) | 22 | 2026-02-17 |
| Verizon Wireless (Cellco Partnership) | Wireless | 43(6%) | 14 | 2026-04-01 |
| Brightspeed of Texas, INC. | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 41(6%) | 17 | 2002-08-15 |
| Level 3 (Lumen) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 36(5%) | 23 | 2020-03-31 |
| T-Mobile USA | Wireless | 30(4%) | 8 | 2025-09-23 |
| Windstream | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 25(4%) | 15 | 2019-09-05 |
| Brightspeed of Eastern Texas, INC. | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 19(3%) | 12 | 2001-05-22 |
| Ip Horizon LLC | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 14(2%) | 14 | 2025-02-05 |
| Ama Comm., LLC dba Ama*Techtel Communications-Tx | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 13(2%) | 13 | 2015-06-08 |
| Fractel, LLC | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 13(2%) | 13 | 2021-07-26 |
Largest rate centers (exchanges) by prefixes: Waco (117), Killeen (90), Temple (47), Hillsboro (17), Stephenville (16), Copperas Cove (15), Marlin (11), Gatesville (10), Mexia (10), Belton (9). Source: NANPA Central Office Code Utilized Assignments (public, refreshed weekly).
What to do about calls from 254 numbers
Before you call back
- Impostor (government, business, family) is the top named complaint here. Hang up and call the agency, bank or relative back on a number you already know. Government agencies don't demand payment by gift card, wire transfer or crypto. Read about Social Security impostor calls and fake bank fraud calls.
- Look up the full number above. A missed call from 254 with no voicemail is usually a robocall; anyone who needs you will leave a message.
- If it looks like a neighbor's number, it may be spoofed. See calls from your own area code.
- Block repeat callers: iPhone, Android, or your carrier's free filter (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile).
Report it in Texas
- 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: Texas Attorney General.
- Texas is one of the states that maintains its own Do Not Call registry alongside the federal National Do Not Call Registry, so telemarketers calling Texas numbers are expected to check both lists. Registering on the federal list at donotcall.gov is free and never expires; the state list is administered separately and may have its own registration process and renewal period.
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 254: questions answered from the data
Where is area code 254?
Area code 254 serves Waco, Killeen and Temple, Texas, covering Bell County, McLennan County and Hill County and 19 more counties. It has been in service since May 25, 1997. It was split from area code 817.
What time zone is area code 254 in?
Area code 254 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 254 numbers usually about?
Since Jul 24, consumers filed 1,767 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 254 numbers. The most common named subject was impostor calls (people pretending to be a government agency, a business or family): 11% of complaints, 62% of them recorded messages. Across all subjects, 72% of callers who answered the question said the call was a robocall.
When do 254 spam calls happen?
33% of the complaints that give a call time describe calls between 10am and 1pm, and 96% came on weekdays, most often on Thursday. Times are as consumers reported them.
Are calls from 254 numbers really local?
Not necessarily. 60% of the FTC complaints about 254 numbers came from people whose own phone number also starts with 254, and 65% from Texas. Calls that look local to the person receiving them are the signature of neighbor spoofing: robocallers display a number from your own area code because you're more likely to answer.
Are 254 robocalls increasing?
In the four weeks to Oct 20, consumers filed 393 FTC complaints about 254 numbers, 48% fewer than the four weeks before.
How do I report a 254 scam call in Texas?
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 Texas, the Texas Attorney General also handles consumer complaints about scam calls. Reports feed the public data this page is built from.
Other Texas 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.