503 Area Code: Portland, Oregon
Area code 503 serves Portland, Beaverton and Salem, Oregon in the Pacific time zone, in service since 1947. Consumers have filed 5,428 unwanted-call complaints against 4,610 different 503 numbers, 340 of them with the FTC in the last 30 days. Look up the exact number that called you below.
Area code 503 at a glance
- State
- Oregon
- Main cities
- Portland, Beaverton, Salem, Clackamas, Stafford–Sandy, Gresham + 55 more
- Counties
- Multnomah County, Washington County, Marion County, Clackamas County + 6 more
- Local time
- —Pacific
- In service since
- 1947
- Overlay code
- 971 (2000)
- Codes split off
- 541 (1995)
- 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 503 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.
- (503) 436-7197Impostor (government, business, family)6 this month2026-10-19
- (503) 345-4508Home improvement & cleaning5 this month2026-09-29
- (503) 436-7151Dropped call / no message3 this month2026-10-08
- (503) 401-9991Warranties & protection plans1 this month2026-10-14
- (503) 465-8600Home improvement & cleaning1 this month2026-10-10
- (503) 437-93720 reports
What calls from 503 numbers are about
1,249 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 503 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 (54% of those were recorded messages). Overall, 62% of callers who answered said the call was a robocall.
FTC complaint subjects
- Other / unspecified56845%
- No subject given17514%
- Impostor (government, business, family)13211%
- Home improvement & cleaning1079%
- Dropped call / no message736%
- Medical & prescriptions706%
- Debt reduction615%
FCC complaints by call type, last 2 years
- Live Voice13351%
- Prerecorded Voice11042%
- Text Message166%
Live-voice calls are from a person; prerecorded calls are robocalls.
When 503 spam calls come in
29% of complaints that give a call time describe calls between 8am and 11am. 95% came Monday to Friday, most on Wednesdays, 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?
339 FTC complaints about 503 numbers in the last four weeks, down 14% on the four weeks before. FCC complaints about 503 numbers peaked in 2017 (658); 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
77% of the FTC complaints about 503 numbers came from people whose own phone number also starts with 503, and 79% from Oregon. 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
- Oregon98879%
- California514%
- Washington312%
- Connecticut151%
- Florida141%
What people with 503 numbers report
People whose own number starts with 503 filed 3,154 FTC complaints since Jul 24. 30% were about calls showing another 503 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
- 503 (same code)95730%
- 97151816%
- 5411595%
- 458943%
- 877 (toll-free)692%
Busiest 503 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (503) 483-xxxx | 14 | 13 | Level 3 (Lumen) | Pacific City |
| (503) 436-xxxx | 13 | 4 | Qwest (CenturyLink / Lumen) | Cannon Beach |
| (503) 345-xxxx | 12 | 4 | Level 3 (Lumen) | Portland |
| (503) 214-xxxx | 7 | 7 | Electric Lightwave LLC dba Allstream | Beaverton |
| (503) 386-xxxx | 6 | 6 | Onvoy (Sinch) | Knappa |
Carriers operating in 503
NANPA has assigned 784 503 prefixes (NPA-NXX central-office codes) across 63 rate centers: 27% to wireless carriers, 72% to landline and VoIP operators; 47% are pooled blocks shared by several carriers. 1 prefix was assigned in the last 12 months (newest 2026-09-03). 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) | 222(28%) | 14 | 2005-09-12 |
| Ziply Fiber Northwest, LLC dba Ziply Fiber | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 109(14%) | 18 | — |
| AT&T Mobility (New Cingular Wireless PCS) | Wireless | 71(9%) | 9 | 2009-07-01 |
| T-Mobile USA | Wireless | 56(7%) | 9 | 2006-01-12 |
| Verizon Wireless (Cellco Partnership) | Wireless | 54(7%) | 8 | 2011-07-12 |
| Electric Lightwave LLC dba Allstream | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 51(7%) | 9 | 2009-03-02 |
| Teleport Communications America, LLC | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 34(4%) | 11 | — |
| Level 3 (Lumen) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 30(4%) | 13 | 2007-05-10 |
| MCImetro (Verizon Business) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 29(4%) | 7 | 2008-11-18 |
| Level 3 (Lumen) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 22(3%) | 13 | 2002-04-25 |
| Spok, INC. | Wireless | 22(3%) | 1 | — |
| Onvoy (Sinch) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 13(2%) | 12 | 2026-09-03 |
Largest rate centers (exchanges) by prefixes: Portland (347), Beaverton (107), Salem (73), Clackamas (49), Stafford–Sandy (28), Gresham (22), McMinnville (13), Dallas (8), Sherwood (8), Woodburn (8). Source: NANPA Central Office Code Utilized Assignments (public, refreshed weekly).
What to do about calls from 503 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 503 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 Oregon
- 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: Oregon Department of Justice.
- Oregon 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 503: questions answered from the data
Where is area code 503?
Area code 503 serves Portland, Beaverton and Salem, Oregon, covering Multnomah County, Washington County and Marion County and 7 more counties. It has been in service since 1947.
What time zone is area code 503 in?
Area code 503 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 503?
971 (in service 2000) serves the same area as 503. 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 503 numbers usually about?
Since Jul 24, consumers filed 1,249 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 503 numbers. The most common named subject was impostor calls (people pretending to be a government agency, a business or family): 11% of complaints, 54% of them recorded messages. Across all subjects, 62% of callers who answered the question said the call was a robocall.
When do 503 spam calls happen?
29% of the complaints that give a call time describe calls between 8am and 11am, and 95% came on weekdays, most often on Wednesday. Times are as consumers reported them.
Are calls from 503 numbers really local?
Not necessarily. 77% of the FTC complaints about 503 numbers came from people whose own phone number also starts with 503, and 79% from Oregon. 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 503 robocalls increasing?
In the four weeks to Oct 20, consumers filed 339 FTC complaints about 503 numbers, 14% fewer than the four weeks before.
How do I report a 503 scam call in Oregon?
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 Oregon, the Oregon Department of Justice 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.