Area code 272 covers Scranton and surrounding communities in Pennsylvania.
Updated 8 October 2026
Area code 272 is in Pennsylvania, shown here with Scranton marked.
Now in Scranton
Eastern Time · UTC−5, UTC−4 in summer
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Eastern Time
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Typical business hours, 9 to 5 Monday to Friday.
Typical business hours, 9 to 5 Monday to Friday, shown as the blue arc. A guide to when a real Scranton office is likely to answer. It says nothing about who called you.
Source: North American Numbering Plan Administrator, retrieved 8 October 2026.
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Is area code 272 a scam?
No. Area code 272 is a legitimate area code serving Scranton since 2013. Scammers spoof caller ID to display 272 numbers, which is why complaints exist against a code that is itself genuine.
Neighbour spoofing is the reason a local-looking number is not a guarantee. A caller anywhere in the world can display a 272 number, and the number they display may belong to a real business in Scranton that has nothing to do with the call.
The callerAnywhere in the worldSets the caller ID their equipment sends.
What is displayed(272) 624-2620May belong to a real Scranton business.
Your phoneLooks localA nearby code and prefix make you likelier to answer.
243Area code 272 had 243 different numbers reported for spam calls in the 30 days to 8 October 2026.
277thArea code 272 ranks 277th of 331 US geographic area codes by spam complaint volume.
80%Of the 260 complaints about area code 272 in the 30 days to 8 October 2026, 80% were reported as a recorded message or robocall.
36%The most reported subject on area code 272 is reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans), appearing in 36% of its complaints in the 30 days to 8 October 2026.
Why am I getting text messages from area code 272?
Texts from 272 numbers follow the same pattern as calls — mostly local businesses and services. Treat any text asking for payment or credentials as suspect regardless of the code.
The common patterns are a wrong-number opener that turns into conversation, an unsolicited job offer, and a crypto or investment tip. Do not reply, do not follow the link, and forward the message to 7726 (SPAM) to report it to your carrier.
Pattern 1Wrong-number openerTurns into conversation.
Pattern 2Unsolicited job offerDo not reply, do not follow the link.
Pattern 3Crypto or investment tipTreat any payment ask as suspect.
Report it7726Forward the message. It spells SPAM on a keypad.
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Area codes that overlay 272
Area code 272 shares its geographic footprint with one other code: 570. Overlays are laid over an existing area rather than splitting it, so all local calls require the full ten-digit number.
Area code 272 covers Scranton, Pennsylvania and the surrounding Lackawanna Valley as an overlay of the older 570. Scranton built its reputation on anthracite coal, iron, and rail, and the industrial identity outlived the industries. Today the local economy runs on health care and social assistance, the city's largest employment sector at 6,114 workers, followed by retail trade at 4,483 and accommodation and food services at 3,098 (Data USA, 2024). The wider metro of roughly 567,000 people (2020 census) supports a substantial warehousing and distribution corridor along Interstates 81 and 84, positioned within a day's drive of New York and Philadelphia.
Who lives in the 272 region
The city itself holds about 76,000 residents, the largest population in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Median household income was $50,739 in 2024, with a poverty rate of 23 percent (Data USA), so this is a market where price sensitivity is real and pitches built for coastal budgets tend to miss. The population is changing: 17.9 percent of residents are Hispanic and 11.3 percent were born outside the United States as of 2024, a share that has been rising year over year. Spanish is the most common language after English, and a meaningful share of households speak it at home.
What a 272 number signals to a caller
A 272 number reads as local, though longtime residents still associate the region with 570, which served the area alone until 2013. Ten-digit dialing is mandatory because of the overlay, so nobody blinks at the newer prefix. Callers describe business culture here as direct and relationship-driven, shaped by generations of union labor and family-owned firms. Outsiders calling into the Scranton area generally find that a straightforward pitch, delivered without varnish, gets further than polish.
Area code 272 serves Scranton and surrounding communities in Pennsylvania. It is in the Eastern Time zone.
What state is area code 272 in?
Area code 272 is in Pennsylvania.
Is area code 272 toll free?
No. Area code 272 is a geographic area code serving Scranton, Pennsylvania. The toll-free codes are 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877, 888, and a call to a 272 number is charged at your normal rate.
Why am I getting calls from 272?
Calls displaying a 272 number come from businesses and individuals in the Scranton area, and from anywhere at all when caller ID is spoofed to look local. 243 272 numbers were reported to the FTC in the 30 days to 8 October 2026.
How do I block calls from area code 272?
Both iOS and Android can silence calls from unknown numbers, and every major US carrier offers free call-blocking. Blocking the whole of area code 272 is rarely worth it, because spoofed numbers change constantly and you would lose legitimate calls from Scranton.