Area Code 336
North Carolina
Area code 336 serves North Carolina, primarily Greensboro, in the Eastern Time (ET) time zone. It has served the region since 15-Dec-1997.
Overlay Area Code
This area code is part of an overlay region, meaning the same geographic area is served by multiple area codes. Overlay codes were introduced to meet growing demand for phone numbers without requiring existing customers to change their numbers.
This area code shares its geographic region with: area code 743 (Greensboro).
In service since: 15-Dec-1997
Demographics & Economics
- Total Population
- 3,075,466
- Population Density
- 217 people/sq miabove U.S. average (U.S.: 93 people/sq mi)
- Median Household Income
- $64,445below U.S. median (U.S.: $75,144)
- Poverty Rate
- 14.7%above U.S. average (U.S.: 11.5%)
- Unemployment Rate
- 4.7%above U.S. average (U.S.: 3.6%)
- Education Attainment
- Bachelor's Degree+27.9%below U.S. average (U.S.: 33.7%)High School or Lower33.1%
Statistics are population-weighted aggregations from Census ACS 5-year estimates. Population figures are approximate — see Sources & Methodology for details on how area code populations are derived.
See how this area code compares to all US area codes in the Statistics dashboard.
Time Zone
- Eastern Time (ET)
NANPA Relief Status
According to the latest NANPA analysis (July 2026), this area code is not currently listed as exhausting within the next 36 months. No relief planning is in progress for this NPA.
Source: NANPA NPA Relief Planning Reports · See all relief planning statuses
Current Time
Prefix Utilization
Geographic Coverage
State
NC
Major Cities
- Greensboro
- Winston-Salem
- High Point
- Burlington
- Kernersville
- Asheboro
- Thomasville
- Clemmons
- Lexington
- Mebane
- Graham
- Eden
- Reidsville
- Lewisville
- Archdale
- Elon
- Summerfield
- Mount Airy
- Gibsonville
- Roxboro
- Oak Ridge
- King
- Trinity
- Mocksville
and 75 more cities
Historical Timeline of Area Code 336
Area code 336 was created on December 15, 1997, from a split of area code 910, serving the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina including Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. The 743 overlay was activated on October 24, 2015, ending seven-digit dialing in the I-85 Corridor. Conservation measures extended 336's life 14 years beyond its original 2002 exhaustion forecast. Source: NANPA PL-112.
Key milestones:
- 1947: Original area code 704 assigned to North Carolina as one of the original 86 NANP codes (Wikipedia)
- 1954: Area code 919 created from split of 704, serving eastern North Carolina (NANPA PL-112)
- 1993: Area code 910 created from split of 919, serving the Piedmont Triad, Sandhills, and southeastern coast (NANPA PL-112)
- 1997: Area code 336 created December 15 from split of 910, serving the Piedmont Triad and western portion of old 910 territory. The more populated Triad received the new code while the less populated southeastern portion retained 910 (NANPA PL-112, Wikipedia)
- 1998: Permissive dialing period ended June 15, 1998; mandatory 10-digit dialing within 336 began. Simultaneously, area codes 252 (split from 910) and 828 (split from 910) were introduced (NANPA)
- 2000: September 7, 2000: Neustar (NANPA) filed petition with NC Utilities Commission requesting all-services distributed overlay for 336. Original forecast projected exhaustion by Q4 2002 (NCUC Docket P-100, Sub 137c)
- 2001: April 23, 2001: NC Utilities Commission approved overlay option in Docket P-100, Sub 137c. Implementation deferred pending conservation measures including thousands-block number pooling (NCUC Docket P-100, Sub 137c)
- 2014: August 20, 2014: NC Utilities Commission announced 743 would overlay 336. Neustar forecasted exhaustion by Q3 2016 without relief. Conservation measures had extended 336's life approximately 14 years beyond original forecast (Salisbury Post, NCUC 2013 Biennial Report)
- 2015: October 24, 2015: Permissive 10-digit dialing began for 743 overlay, breaking seven-digit dialing throughout the I-85 Corridor (NCUC Public Staff Release)
- 2016: April 23, 2016: Mandatory 10-digit dialing became required. May 2016: First phone numbers with 743 area code were issued (NCUC Public Staff Release)
Area code 336 was one of the last major area codes created from a traditional geographic split in North Carolina. The 14-year gap between overlay approval (2001) and activation (2015) demonstrates how effective thousands-block number pooling and other conservation measures can be in extending an area code's lifespan.
Regulatory History
Area code 336 has no FCC-specific regulatory orders. All numbering plan relief decisions were handled by the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC), which operates under delegated authority from the FCC for numbering administration within the state. The NCUC managed the overlay petition (Docket P-100, Sub 137c) from initial filing in 2000 through activation in 2015.
| Year | Event | Docket | Regulatory Action & Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Overlay Petition Filed | P-100, Sub 137c | Neustar (NANPA) petitioned NCUC for distributed overlay. Original forecast projected exhaustion by Q4 2002. Conservation measures were recommended to extend the code's life (NCUC) |
| 2001 | Overlay Approved | P-100, Sub 137c | NCUC approved overlay option but deferred implementation pending thousands-block number pooling and other conservation measures (NCUC) |
| 2014 | 743 Overlay Announced | P-100, Sub 137c | NCUC announced 743 would overlay 336. Neustar forecasted exhaustion by Q3 2016 without relief. Conservation measures had extended 336's life approximately 14 years beyond original forecast (Salisbury Post) |
| 2015 | Permissive Dialing Begins | N/A | October 24, 2015: Permissive 10-digit dialing began for 743 overlay (NCUC Public Staff Release) |
| 2016 | Mandatory Dialing | N/A | April 23, 2016: Mandatory 10-digit dialing required. May 2016: First 743 numbers issued (NCUC Public Staff Release) |
County Coverage
Population-weighted county share based on aggregated ZCTA population (100% = total mapped population for area code 336).
| County | Population | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Guilford, NC | 761,724 | 24.8% |
| Forsyth, NC | 501,040 | 16.3% |
| Davidson, NC | 397,183 | 12.9% |
| Randolph, NC | 312,880 | 10.2% |
| Alamance, NC | 173,157 | 5.6% |
| Rockingham, NC | 146,191 | 4.8% |
| Caswell, NC | 133,403 | 4.3% |
| Stokes, NC | 129,408 | 4.2% |
| Wilkes, NC | 99,047 | 3.2% |
| Surry, NC | 85,799 | 2.8% |
| Davie, NC | 57,637 | 1.9% |
| Person, NC | 47,771 | 1.6% |
| Iredell, NC | 46,316 | 1.5% |
| Yadkin, NC | 38,828 | 1.3% |
| Ashe, NC | 28,079 | 0.9% |
| Granville, NC | 20,687 | 0.7% |
| Chatham, NC | 20,390 | 0.7% |
| Orange, NC | 17,019 | 0.6% |
| Durham, NC | 13,157 | 0.4% |
| Alleghany, NC | 12,389 | 0.4% |
| Henry, VA | 8,409 | 0.3% |
| Grayson, VA | 6,702 | 0.2% |
| Moore, NC | 5,816 | 0.2% |
| Montgomery, NC | 4,201 | 0.1% |
| Alexander, NC | 3,287 | 0.1% |
| Caldwell, NC | 3,111 | 0.1% |
| Watauga, NC | 1,835 | 0.1% |
Area Code 336 Family Tree
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Area code 336 was originally assigned in 15-Dec-1997 to serve NC. Over the years, it has generated 1 descendant area code through a combination of geographic splits and overlays as demand for telephone numbers grew.
Call Context
This area code covers a metropolitan region in NC with moderate to high population density, centered on Greensboro and surrounding communities.
Nearby Area Codes
Area codes geographically closest to 336.
Other Area Codes in North Carolina
Area codes that also serve North Carolina, linked for easy comparison.