CallataGuidesGet a local business phone number in Merced, CA
Merced's area codes, prefixes and carriers from NANPA records, and how to put a Merced number in front of your customers.
- Area code
- 209 / 350
- Exchanges
- 59NANPA-assigned
- Carriers
- 17
- Population
- 96,073Census 2024 est.
Area codes in Merced
With 96,073 residents in the Census 2024 estimate, Merced sits in Merced County, California. NANPA lists 59 exchanges for its rate center across 2 area codes; 209 has the most (57, 97%). 209 is part of an overlay with 350, so a new local number in Merced may carry any of those codes depending on which have numbers available. Merced is in the Pacific time zone.
According to NANPA's dialing-plan data, local calls within 209 are dialed as 1 plus ten digits and toll calls as 1 plus ten digits.
Phone carriers in Merced
17 carriers hold the 59 exchanges assigned to Merced's rate center. New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC has the most, with 17. 43 of them are pooled codes, which the holder shares with other carriers in blocks of 1,000 numbers. Holding a code means NANPA assigned that block of numbers to the carrier for this rate center; individual numbers may since have been ported elsewhere.
| Carrier (NANPA operating company) | Exchanges | Share |
|---|---|---|
| New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC | 17 | 29% |
| Pacific Bell | 15 | 25% |
| T-mobile USA, INC. | 5 | 8.5% |
| Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless - CA | 4 | 6.8% |
| Onvoy, LLC - CA | 4 | 6.8% |
| Bandwidth.com CLEC, LLC - CA | 2 | 3.4% |
| Comcast Phone of California, LLC | 2 | 3.4% |
| U.s. Telepacific Corp. d/b/a TPX Communications | 1 | 1.7% |
| Level 3 Communications, LLC - CA | 1 | 1.7% |
| Telnyx LLC | 1 | 1.7% |
| AT&T Enterprises, LLC | 1 | 1.7% |
| Metropcs, INC. | 1 | 1.7% |
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.
Local prefixes for Merced
A prefix (NXX) is the three digits after the area code. Numbers starting with these prefixes are rated as local to Merced. The earliest assignment date recorded in the file for these codes is 2001. 11 of the 59 were assigned in 2020 or later.
| Area code | Prefixes (NXX) |
|---|---|
| 209 | 201, 205, 228, 230, 233, 259, 261, 285, 291, 308, 325, 349, 354, 355, 359, 381, 383, 384, 385, 386, 388, 413, 421, 446, 455, 489, 500, 504, 506, 514, 564, 580, 600, 617, 626, 628, 631, 658, 720, 721, 722, 723, 724, 725, 726, 746, 749, 756, 761, 769, 777, 793, 819, 875, 906, 934, 947 |
| 350 | 223, 503 |
Source: NANPA utilized central office code file.
When Merced's exchanges were assigned
The table groups Merced's exchanges by the decade NANPA recorded them as assigned.
| Decade assigned | Exchanges | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7 | 26% |
| 2010s | 9 | 33% |
| 2020s | 11 | 41% |
Assignment dates as recorded in NANPA's utilized code file; codes without a recorded date are excluded.
What makes a number local to Merced
Phone numbers are tied to a rate center, the local calling area used to decide whether a call is local or toll. Merced's numbers are rated to the MERCED rate center in NANPA's records. A business number from one of the prefixes above shows up on customers' phones as a Merced number.
If your business already has a Merced number, porting it to Callata is free and keeps it on your cards, listings and vehicles.
The local business market
Merced is part of the Merced, CA metro area, home to 297,000 people in 2024. County Business Patterns counted 3,592 business establishments in the Merced, CA metro area in 2023, employing 49,545 people. The largest sectors by establishment count are retail trade (550), health care and social assistance (514), and construction (415).
| Industry | Establishments | Employees | Employees per establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited-service restaurants | 169 | 3,687 | 21.8 |
| Physician practices | 125 | 903 | 7.2 |
| Full-service restaurants | 117 | 1,581 | 13.5 |
| General freight trucking companies (local) | 107 | — | — |
| Dental offices | 82 | 591 | 7.2 |
| Residential remodelers | 64 | 264 | 4.1 |
| Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors | 63 | 468 | 7.4 |
| Insurance agencies and brokerages | 57 | 362 | 6.4 |
Selected small-business industries (six-digit NAICS) covered by these guides. Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023.
Business phone service in Merced
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.
Porting a number you already use in Merced is free, and business texting is available once the carrier registration (10DLC) is approved; the registration carries a one-time $49 fee. Which specific numbers are open in a given area code depends on carrier inventory at the time you sign up.
AI agents are optional: an AI receptionist or scheduler can pick up when the team is busy or closed, take a message, send a text or email, or transfer the call. They draw on prepaid AI minutes ($0.25/minute), disclose that they are AI, and outbound AI calls require prior consent and are limited to 8am–9pm.
The comparison below uses 14 users, the rounded average establishment size in the Merced, CA metro area. At list prices checked September 28, 2026, that is $349.30 a month on Ooma Office Pro and $420.00 on RingCentral RingEX Core. Callata comes to $279.00 a month for 14 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.
| Provider (plan) | Pricing basis | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Callata (Callata Office) | $99 incl. 5 users, $20 per extra user | $279.00 | $3,348.00 |
| Quo (Starter) | $19.00 per user | $266.00 | $3,192.00 |
| Nextiva (Core) | $23.00 per user | $322.00 | $3,864.00 |
| Ooma (Office Pro) | $24.95 per user | $349.30 | $4,191.60 |
| Dialpad (Standard) | $27.00 per user | $378.00 | $4,536.00 |
| RingCentral (RingEX Core) | $30.00 per user | $420.00 | $5,040.00 |
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 Merced, CA?
Merced has exchanges in 209 and 350; 209 has the most.
How many phone companies have exchanges in Merced?
17, holding 59 exchanges between them, according to NANPA's 10/01/2026 file.
Can I keep my existing Merced 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 Merced?
Callata is $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user, with up to 3 local numbers; 14 users come to $279.00 a month. For comparison, 14 users on RingCentral RingEX Core list at $420.00 a month (checked September 28, 2026).