CallataGuidesGet a local business phone number in Florence, AL
Florence's area codes, prefixes and carriers from NANPA records, and how to put a Florence number in front of your customers.
- Area code
- 256 / 938
- Exchanges
- 32NANPA-assigned
- Carriers
- 11
- Population
- 42,716Census 2024 est.
Area codes in Florence
With 42,716 residents in the Census 2024 estimate, Florence sits in Lauderdale County, Alabama. NANPA lists 32 exchanges for its rate center across 2 area codes; 256 has the most (29, 91%). 256 is part of an overlay with 938, so a new local number in Florence may carry any of those codes depending on which have numbers available. Florence is in the Central time zone.
According to NANPA's dialing-plan data, local calls within 256 are dialed as ten digits (area code plus number) and toll calls as 1 plus ten digits.
Phone carriers in Florence
11 carriers hold the 32 exchanges assigned to Florence's rate center. Bellsouth Telecomm INC d/b/a South Central Bell Tel has the most, with 9. 22 of them are pooled codes, which the holder shares with other carriers in blocks of 1,000 numbers. The table counts codes by the operating company NANPA assigned them to, not by who serves each number today.
| Carrier (NANPA operating company) | Exchanges | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Bellsouth Telecomm INC d/b/a South Central Bell Tel | 9 | 28% |
| Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless - Al | 7 | 22% |
| Powertel Birmingham Licenses, INC. | 4 | 13% |
| Onvoy, LLC - Al | 3 | 9.4% |
| Level 3 Communications, LLC - Al | 2 | 6.3% |
| Metropcs, INC. | 2 | 6.3% |
| Paetec Itel, LLC | 1 | 3.1% |
| AT&T - Local | 1 | 3.1% |
| Bandwidth.com CLEC, LLC - Al | 1 | 3.1% |
| Comcast Ip Phone, LLC | 1 | 3.1% |
| Ton80 Communications, LLC | 1 | 3.1% |
Carrier names are the operating company (OCN) names on NANPA's utilized central office code file dated 10/01/2026. A carrier holding a code may port numbers to other carriers.
Exchanges (NPA-NXX) assigned in Florence
A prefix (NXX) is the three digits after the area code. Numbers starting with these prefixes are rated as local to Florence. The earliest assignment date recorded in the file for these codes is 2001. 4 of the 32 were assigned in 2020 or later.
| Area code | Prefixes (NXX) |
|---|---|
| 256 | 246, 263, 275, 284, 335, 349, 366, 367, 394, 415, 443, 554, 629, 633, 648, 710, 712, 718, 740, 760, 762, 764, 765, 766, 767, 768, 904, 956, 980 |
| 938 | 222, 251, 368 |
Source: NANPA utilized central office code file.
When Florence's exchanges were assigned
Assignment dates show when each block of Florence numbers was added to the local supply.
| Decade assigned | Exchanges | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6 | 43% |
| 2010s | 4 | 29% |
| 2020s | 4 | 29% |
Assignment dates as recorded in NANPA's utilized code file; codes without a recorded date are excluded.
How local numbers work in Florence
Phone numbers are tied to a rate center, the local calling area used to decide whether a call is local or toll. Florence's numbers are rated to the FLORENCE rate center in NANPA's records. A business number from one of the prefixes above shows up on customers' phones as a Florence number.
New local numbers are drawn from carrier inventory, so the exact 256 numbers available change over time; porting an existing number is free.
The local business market
Florence is part of the Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL metro area, home to 156,000 people in 2024. County Business Patterns counted 3,321 business establishments in the Florence, AL metro area in 2023, employing 50,430 people. The largest sectors by establishment count are retail trade (616), health care and social assistance (403), and other services (except public administration) (393).
| Industry | Establishments | Employees | Employees per establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited-service restaurants | 145 | 3,281 | 22.6 |
| Physician practices | 100 | 1,197 | 12.0 |
| Full-service restaurants | 99 | 2,334 | 23.6 |
| Insurance agencies and brokerages | 73 | 344 | 4.7 |
| Law offices | 70 | 216 | 3.1 |
| Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors | 52 | 826 | 15.9 |
| Dental offices | 48 | 458 | 9.5 |
| Landscaping services | 44 | 310 | 7.0 |
Selected small-business industries (six-digit NAICS) covered by these guides. Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023.
Business phone service in Florence
Callata Office costs $99 per month for up to 5 people, and each additional user is $20 a month. That covers up to 3 local numbers, calling from a browser or your cell, transcribed voicemail, recorded calls with AI summaries, after-hours routing and E911 on each number.
If you already have a number in Florence, porting it to Callata is free. Texting from a local number requires a one-time carrier registration (10DLC, $49), and the numbers available in any area code depend on carrier inventory when you choose them.
Optional AI agents (receptionist, sales, support or scheduler) can answer calls after hours or when nobody picks up, take messages, text, email and transfer to your team. They are billed from prepaid AI minutes at $0.25 per minute, identify themselves as AI, and may only place outbound calls to people who consented, between 8am and 9pm.
The comparison below uses 15 users, the rounded average establishment size in the Florence, AL metro area. At list prices checked September 28, 2026, that is $374.25 a month on Ooma Office Pro and $450.00 on RingCentral RingEX Core. On Callata the same 15 people cost $299.00 a month, less than either per-seat plan.
| Provider (plan) | Pricing basis | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Callata (Callata Office) | $99 incl. 5 users, $20 per extra user | $299.00 | $3,588.00 |
| Quo (Starter) | $19.00 per user | $285.00 | $3,420.00 |
| Nextiva (Core) | $23.00 per user | $345.00 | $4,140.00 |
| Ooma (Office Pro) | $24.95 per user | $374.25 | $4,491.00 |
| Dialpad (Standard) | $27.00 per user | $405.00 | $4,860.00 |
| RingCentral (RingEX Core) | $30.00 per user | $450.00 | $5,400.00 |
Competitor prices are each vendor's published month-to-month list price per user for its lowest plan that includes business calling and texting, checked September 28, 2026: Quo Starter $19, Nextiva Core $23, Ooma Office Pro $24.95 (Essentials excludes texting; one-time $29.95 activation not included), Dialpad Standard $27, RingCentral RingEX Core $30 ($20 billed annually). Prices exclude taxes and fees and may change; annual contracts lower some competitors' prices.
Frequently asked questions
What area code is Florence, AL?
Florence has exchanges in 256 and 938; 256 has the most.
How many phone companies have exchanges in Florence?
11, holding 32 exchanges between them, according to NANPA's 10/01/2026 file.
Can I keep my existing Florence business number?
Yes. Porting an existing number to Callata is free. Texting from it starts after carrier registration (10DLC), a one-time $49 fee.
How much is a business phone line in Florence?
Callata is $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user, with up to 3 local numbers; 15 users come to $299.00 a month. For comparison, 15 users on RingCentral RingEX Core list at $450.00 a month (checked September 28, 2026).