Kentucky Area Codes
5 active area codes · Louisville · Population around 4,584,046
Kentucky has 5 active area codes, serving cities like Louisville, Lexington-Fayette, and Bowling Green. Of those, 3 are overlays covering ground another code already covers, which is why local calls there use all ten digits. The newest, 364, has been in service since March 3, 2014. Each code below links to its cities, carriers, timezone, and coverage map.
Kentucky Area Code Map
What area codes does Kentucky have?
- 270OverlayBowling GreenEastern / Central · 176 cities · 1,233,541
- 364OverlayBowling GreenEastern / Central · 176 cities · 1,233,541
- 502OverlayLouisvilleEastern Time (ET) · 135 cities · 1,234,607
- 606AshlandEastern / Central · 136 cities · 902,370
- 859Lexington-FayetteEastern Time (ET) · 82 cities · 1,136,794
More than one of these codes covers 45 of the 120 counties in Kentucky, and one county is covered by 3 of them. Each card counts the people inside that code's own boundary at the 2020 census. Adding all 5 gives 5,740,853, against the 4,505,836 the same census counts in those counties, because 1,235,017 residents fall inside more than one code.
How many phone prefixes does Kentucky use?
The area codes in Kentucky hold 2,657 assigned prefixes between them, listed under 92 distinct carrier names. A prefix is the three digits after the area code, and NANPA assigns each one to a single carrier.
Sources: City populations – U.S. Census Bureau PEP, Vintage 2024 (SUB-IP-EST2024-POP). State populations – the same program, Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025-ALLDATA). Area-code footprint and county populations – 2020 Census Centers of Population, mapped against NANP area code boundaries. The share of each city inside a code is measured the same way, against Census place boundaries from the Census Bureau's TIGERweb service. Area code assignments – NANPA CO Code data. See our data methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many area codes does Kentucky have?
Kentucky has 5 active area codes: 270, 364, 502, 606, 859.
What is the main area code for Kentucky?
Of the 5 area codes in Kentucky, 502 is the oldest one still serving Louisville, its largest city. 502 has been in service since 1947.
What are the largest cities in Kentucky?
The largest cities in Kentucky include Louisville, Lexington-Fayette, Bowling Green, Owensboro, Covington.
What is the total population of Kentucky?
Kentucky has an estimated total population of 4,584,046 based on US Census PEP 2024 data.
Do I have to dial ten digits in Kentucky?
In the parts of Kentucky covered by an overlay, yes. 3 of the 5 area codes here cover ground another code already covers, and where two codes share an area, local calls need the area code as well as the seven-digit number.
Why does Kentucky have 5 area codes?
They arrived one at a time rather than all at once: 502 has been in service since 1947. 3 of the 5 are overlays, laid over a code that already covered the same ground instead of splitting its map in two. The most recent is 364, in service since March 3, 2014.
What is the newest area code in Kentucky?
364, in service since March 3, 2014.
Is my county covered by more than one area code in Kentucky?
It may be: more than one area code covers 45 of the 120 counties in Kentucky, and one county there is covered by 3 of them. The table above shows which codes reach each of the largest cities.