The 718 area code covers four of New York City's five boroughs — Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. This guide covers its history, the four boroughs it serves, business benefits, dialing format, overlay codes, scam protection, and how to get a 718 virtual number.
When you think of New York City phone numbers, Manhattan's 212 area code often steals the spotlight. But for millions of real New Yorkers — the people who live and work in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island — there is one code that truly defines the outer borough identity: 718.
The 718 area code was created in 1984 when the original New York City code (212) split off its outer boroughs into a dedicated prefix. Today, 718 is the backbone of NYC's outer borough telecommunications — covering four of the city's five boroughs, millions of residents, and some of the most culturally vibrant neighborhoods in the world.
Whether you are a Brooklyn-based business looking to establish local credibility, a remote company targeting Queens customers, or an entrepreneur who wants an authentic NYC outer-borough number — a 718 virtual number positions you right in the heart of it all.
The 718 area code is a North American Numbering Plan (NANP) area code assigned to four of New York City's five boroughs: Brooklyn (Kings County), Queens (Queens County), the Bronx (Bronx County), and Staten Island (Richmond County). Manhattan — the fifth borough — uses the 212 and 646 codes.
The 718 area code operates in the Eastern Time Zone (ET) — EST (UTC−5) in winter and EDT (UTC−4) in summer.
The four boroughs covered by 718 together span over 280 square miles and house more than 6 million residents — making the 718 service area larger in population than most US cities.
When the North American Numbering Plan launched in 1947, the entire state of New York was assigned a single area code: 212. As one of the most memorable low-digit codes, 212 covered everything from Buffalo to Brooklyn. Over the following decades, as phone demand exploded, the state was carved into new regions.
On January 1, 1984, the outer boroughs of New York City — Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island — split from 212 and were assigned the new 718 area code. Manhattan kept 212. This was a landmark split, as it was the first time New York City's five boroughs were divided across multiple area codes.
By the 1990s, the rise of mobile phones, fax machines, and pagers was exhausting the 718 number pool. In 1992, the 917 area code was introduced as the first overlay across all five NYC boroughs, primarily for mobile and pager use. Then in 1999, the 347 area code was added as a dedicated overlay for the 718 geography — providing fresh numbers for the outer boroughs without displacing existing 718 holders.
In 2011, a second dedicated outer-borough overlay arrived: 929. Today, new phone numbers in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island are typically assigned 347 or 929 — but the 718 numbers that already exist remain active and in use, retaining their original identity and local prestige.
Brooklyn is the most populous borough in New York City, with over 2.7 million residents. Known for neighborhoods like Williamsburg, DUMBO, Park Slope, Flatbush, and Coney Island, Brooklyn is a global hub for food, art, tech startups, and independent business. A 718 number with a Brooklyn identity carries enormous cultural cachet in creative and entrepreneurial industries.
Queens is the most ethnically diverse urban area on Earth, home to Flushing, Astoria, Jamaica, Long Island City, and Forest Hills. With over 2.3 million residents representing 160+ nationalities, Queens businesses benefit enormously from local phone credibility. A 718 number in Queens signals deep community roots to both local and immigrant-owned business markets.
The Bronx — birthplace of hip-hop and home to Yankee Stadium — houses over 1.4 million residents. Key neighborhoods include the South Bronx, Fordham, Riverdale, and Co-op City. The Bronx has an expanding healthcare, education, and retail economy where a recognizable local number builds immediate trust.
Staten Island is NYC's most suburban borough, with over 490,000 residents and a strong small-business ecosystem in areas like St. George, New Springville, and Tottenville. Staten Island businesses and professionals have historically relied on the 718 area code as their primary local identifier.
Worth noting: Marble Hill is legally part of Manhattan but physically attached to the Bronx — and it uses the 718/347 area codes rather than Manhattan's 212/646, making it an interesting geographic quirk in NYC's area code map.
With a modern VoIP provider, you can get a virtual phone number with a 718 area code and route calls to any device — no physical presence in the outer boroughs required.
Customers in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island are far more likely to answer and trust a call from a local 718 number than an unknown out-of-state prefix. Studies consistently show local numbers improve answer rates by 30–50% over toll-free or unfamiliar area codes.
The four 718 boroughs combined represent over 6 million consumers — more than the entire population of cities like Dallas, Houston, or Chicago. A 718 number gives your business immediate geographic credibility across this massive market.
| Feature | Traditional Landline | 718 Virtual Number |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | Days/weeks | Minutes |
| Hardware | Required | None |
| Remote use | Limited | Full |
| Scalability | Complex | Instant |
| Multi-borough reach | One line | Unlimited routing |
All calls to a 718 number require 10-digit dialing — even local calls within the same borough. This became mandatory when the 347 overlay was added, requiring callers to include the area code with every call.
Format: 718-XXX-XXXX
When calling a 718 number from another country, use your country's international exit code, followed by the US country code +1, then the full 10-digit number.
Format: [Exit Code] + 1 + 718 + 7-digit number
Example from UK: 00 1 718 555 0100
Format: 011 + [country code] + [local number]
Example to Canada: 011 1 416 XXX XXXX
The 718 area code is used across a wide range of businesses and industries tied to NYC's outer boroughs:
If you have read our guide on the 929 area code, you already know that the outer boroughs now have three codes sharing the same geography. Here is how they compare:
| Factor | 718 | 347 | 929 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year introduced | 1984 | 1999 | 2011 |
| Prestige level | Highest | Moderate | Moderate |
| Availability | Limited (legacy numbers) | Good | Good |
| Primary association | Established outer-borough | Modern NYC OB | Newer outer-borough |
| Best for | Legacy businesses, credibility | Growing businesses | New lines, startups |
| Local SEO value | Very high | High | High |
Bottom line: A 718 number carries the most outer-borough prestige because it is the original code — scarcity and history make it the preferred choice for established businesses. If 718 availability is limited, 347 or 929 are strong alternatives with the same geographic signal.
The broad recognition of the 718 area code across NYC makes it a popular target for scammers using caller ID spoofing — technology that allows them to display any number, including 718 numbers they do not own.
If your own 718 number is being spoofed by scammers, contact your VoIP provider immediately and file reports with both the FTC and the FCC.
Getting a 718 virtual number with Ajoxi takes under five minutes:
Already have a 718 number from another carrier? Ajoxi supports number porting — bring your existing number over with zero downtime.
The 718 area code covers four of New York City's five boroughs: Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. Manhattan uses the 212 and 646 area codes.
The 718 area code was created on January 1, 1984, when New York City's outer boroughs split from the original 212 area code to handle growing phone demand.
718 is the original 1984 outer-borough code and carries the most prestige. 347 was added in 1999 and 929 in 2011. All three cover Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island.
Yes. Through a VoIP provider like Ajoxi, you can get a 718 virtual number from anywhere and route calls to any device.
The 718 area code is in the Eastern Time Zone — EST (UTC−5) in winter and EDT (UTC−4) in summer.
The 718 area code is the original voice of New York City's outer boroughs — created in 1984 and still the most recognized identifier for Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. With over 6 million residents and some of the most diverse, vibrant communities in the world, the 718 service area represents a business opportunity unlike any other.
Thanks to modern VoIP technology, any business anywhere can get a 718 virtual number and instantly establish a credible presence across all four outer boroughs — no NYC office required. Set yours up with Ajoxi in minutes and tap into the trust and recognition that only a real New York area code can deliver.
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