Move over 305–people are clamoring for 786.
Once regarded as the ugly stepsister to the area code favored by Pitbull, in 2023, 786 took the number one spot for most purchased area code in the nation, according to data from NumberBarn, a phone number management company and service provider.
It even beat out other popular area codes (think New York City's 212) to land at the top.
So if you’re scratching your head asking why, you’re not alone.
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Here we answer the questions on your mind.
First, what happened to 305?
It didn’t even make the top 20!
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And it's not because there are no more available and you can't purchase them anymore. You absolutely can, for anywhere from $5 to $149,999 for vanity numbers through NumberBarn and other services.
OK, so why is 786 number one?
It might not be disregard for the original Miami area code that led to 786's triumph. Instead, it's the introduction of a new code last year–645–that may have motivated the purchases, NumberBarn says.
"It appears that when a new overlay or area code is created, people seem to flock to purchase the area code most recently preceding it," the company says.
An overlay is the addition of an area code to the same geographic region as existing area codes. The 305 area code was originally used statewide in Florida until the 786 exchange was added to Miami-Dade County in 1998.
"Plus, Miami-Dade County had the second most business applications [in the country] at over 127,000, which is just under 5% of the county’s entire population," NumberBarn says, citing the U.S. Census Bureau.
All those businesses mean there's more interest in snagging a recognizable, local area code.
What other numbers came close?
Technically, more people want to say they're from New York City.
Two historic, beloved area codes, 212 and 929, took second and third place, respectively. Another NYC area code, 347, ranked 9th.
The only other Florida code on the list, 904, belongs to Jacksonville, which ranked 11th.
So can anyone buy these numbers, even they don’t live there?
Yes, or even rent. If you're too cool for the Sunshine State, or longing for a number of times passed, you can always buy or lease a new number from somewhere else.
As for us: Alexa, play "305 Till I Die…".
