The 562 area code covers southeastern Los Angeles County and a sliver of northern Orange County — anchored by Long Beach and including Whittier, Norwalk, Downey, Lakewood, and Cerritos. A guide to its 1997 split from 310, covered cities, ZIP code overlap, Pacific Time dialing, scam-call patterns, the port-anchored economy, and how to get a 562 number in 2026.
It's 4 a.m. at the Port of Long Beach. A logistics dispatcher coordinates inbound container traffic across three terminals from a phone bearing a 562 area code, calling truckers, customs brokers, and warehouse managers across the southeastern Los Angeles basin. None of those calls cross into the 310 area code thirty miles west. Long Beach has had its own area code since 1997, and the boundary holds: 562 covers Long Beach and its industrial neighbors, not the city of Los Angeles proper.
If you received a call from a 562 number and want to know whether it is legitimate, you want a Long Beach-area business presence, or you are researching the region for a branch operation, this guide breaks down what makes 562 distinctive. You will find the 1997 split history, current coverage, ZIP code overlap, dialing rules, scam-call patterns, the port-anchored economy, and how to get a 562 phone number quickly in 2026.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| State | California |
| Region | Southeastern Los Angeles County, northwestern Orange County |
| Anchor city | Long Beach (population ~470,000) |
| Created | April 4, 1997 |
| Split from | 310 area code |
| Time zone | Pacific Time (UTC-8 standard, UTC-7 daylight saving) |
| Overlay codes | None currently |
| Dialing format | 10-digit (1 + 562 + 7-digit number) |
| Population served | Approximately 1.5 million |
| Major ZIP code ranges | 90601-90810, 90638-90899, 90701-90899 |
The 562 area code is a North American Numbering Plan code covering southeastern Los Angeles County and a small slice of northwestern Orange County in California. It was created on April 4, 1997, as a geographic split from the 310 area code. The 562 covers Long Beach as its anchor city, alongside roughly thirty surrounding cities and unincorporated communities. The region operates in Pacific Time and currently runs without an overlay code.
The 310 area code originally split from the 213 (Los Angeles core) code in 1991 to handle exhausted LA County inventory. By the mid-1990s, 310 itself was running out of numbers as mobile-phone adoption accelerated. Rather than overlay 310, the North American Numbering Plan Administration approved another geographic split. The new 562 took the southeastern portion of 310 territory, including Long Beach, Whittier, Norwalk, and Downey. The 310 retained the Westside, including Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Culver City, and the South Bay beach cities.
The split lines up with a real economic boundary. The 310 region became associated with Westside affluence, entertainment, and tech. The 562 region anchored itself around the Port of Long Beach, manufacturing, logistics, and the working communities of southeastern LA County.
The 562 area code spans approximately thirty cities and unincorporated communities across southeastern LA County and a sliver of Orange County. Major cities include:
| City | Key Features |
|---|---|
| Long Beach | Anchor city, California's seventh-largest by population, Port of Long Beach |
| Whittier | Eastern anchor, historic district, home to Whittier College |
| Norwalk | LA County's tenth-largest city, regional commercial center |
| Downey | Historic Boeing aerospace operations, growing retail corridor |
| Lakewood | Master-planned suburb, regional retail hub |
| Cerritos | Performing arts, retail, and business district |
| Bellflower | Growing residential and commercial community |
| Pico Rivera | Industrial and manufacturing corridor |
| La Mirada | Home to Biola University and cultural venues |
| Paramount | Manufacturing and Latino-cultural anchor |
| Santa Fe Springs | Logistics and distribution center |
| Signal Hill | Oil-industry historic city surrounded by Long Beach |
| Los Alamitos, Rossmoor | The Orange County slice of 562 |
Total population across this footprint is approximately 1.5 million, anchored by Long Beach's ~470,000 residents.
ZIP codes and area codes are administered separately, but the 562 region overlaps primarily with these ZIP code ranges in Southern California:
If you need to verify a specific ZIP code falls within 562, the United States Postal Service ZIP code lookup confirms the mapping between any street address and its serving ZIP code.
The 562 area code is fully legitimate. It is an officially assigned North American Numbering Plan code covering a real geographic region of California. Calls from 562 numbers are most likely from Long Beach-area residents, businesses, or services.
That said, like every US area code, 562 sees some scam and spam call activity. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires US carriers to implement STIR/SHAKEN call authentication to reduce caller-ID spoofing. To protect yourself from suspected scam calls displaying a 562 area code:
The FCC governs Voice over Internet Protocol regulations including caller-ID authentication, which means legitimate 562 calls from compliant carriers are increasingly distinguishable from spoofed traffic.
The entire 562 area code operates in Pacific Time, observing Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8) in winter and Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7) under daylight saving. Without an overlay code, 562 technically supports 7-digit local dialing, though most modern providers default to 10-digit dialing. Domestic callers from outside the area dial 1 + 562 + the 7-digit local number. International callers add their country's international prefix.
The Port of Long Beach is the second-busiest container port in the United States, anchoring the 562 region's economy alongside the neighboring Port of Los Angeles. Major industries include:
Nearby area codes within Southern California include:
Provisioning a 562 number through a modern virtual phone number provider takes three steps:
The process typically completes in 24 to 48 hours. Numbers remain portable under FCC rules.
Want a Long Beach or southeastern LA County business presence? Provision a 562 area code phone number with Ajoxi for local DIDs, business phone numbers, vanity numbers, and toll-free pairing, with same-day routing to your softphone, PBX, or contact center.
The 562 area code covers southeastern Los Angeles County and a small portion of northwestern Orange County, California. Major cities include Long Beach (the anchor city), Whittier, Norwalk, Downey, Lakewood, Cerritos, Bellflower, Pico Rivera, La Mirada, and Paramount. The region operates in Pacific Time and was created in 1997 as a split from the older 310 area code.
No, the 562 area code is fully legitimate and assigned to southeastern Los Angeles County and Orange County, California. Like every US area code, it sees some scam and spam activity, but the area code itself is real. To protect against suspected scam calls displaying a 562 number, let unfamiliar calls go to voicemail, block persistent callers, and report scams to the FTC.
The 562 area code is in Pacific Time, observing Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8) in winter and Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7) under daylight saving. This matches the rest of California. Callers from Eastern Time are three hours ahead; Central Time is two hours ahead; Mountain Time is one hour ahead.
The 562 area code covers approximately thirty cities including Long Beach, Whittier, Norwalk, Downey, Lakewood, Cerritos, Bellflower, Pico Rivera, La Mirada, Paramount, Bell Gardens, Hawaiian Gardens, Artesia, Signal Hill, Santa Fe Springs, and Los Alamitos. Long Beach is the anchor city with approximately 470,000 residents and the second-busiest US container port.
The 562 area code was created on April 4, 1997, as a geographic split from the 310 area code. The split was driven by phone-number exhaustion in LA County as mobile-phone adoption accelerated. The 310 retained the LA Westside while the new 562 took Long Beach and southeastern LA County communities.
Yes. Virtual phone number providers like Ajoxi allow businesses anywhere to provision a 562 area code number. Calls route to your softphone, mobile, IP-PBX, or contact center regardless of your physical location. Many remote-first businesses use 562 numbers to establish a Long Beach-metro presence without physical real estate.
Yes. FCC rules require number portability across US carriers, including 562 area code numbers. You can port your existing 562 number to a new provider, typically within 5 to 10 business days. Most modern VoIP providers handle the porting process on your behalf once you authorize the request.
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