CallataGuidesGet a local business phone number in Lake Charles, LA
Lake Charles's area code, prefixes and carriers from NANPA records, and how to put a Lake Charles number in front of your customers.
- Area code
- 337
- Exchanges
- 80NANPA-assigned
- Carriers
- 19
- Population
- 81,157Census 2024 est.
Lake Charles area codes
Lake Charles, in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, had a Census-estimated population of 81,157 in July 2024. All 80 exchanges NANPA lists for its rate center are in area code 337. Lake Charles is in the Central time zone.
According to NANPA's dialing-plan data, local calls within 337 are dialed as ten digits (area code plus number) and toll calls as 1 plus ten digits.
| Area code | Exchanges here | Share | In service since | Overlay with | Time zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 337 | 80 | 100% | 1999 | none | Central |
Source: NANPA utilized central office code file and NPA report, dated 10/01/2026.
Phone carriers in Lake Charles
19 carriers hold the 80 exchanges assigned to Lake Charles's rate center. Bellsouth Telecomm INC d/b/a South Central Bell Tel has the most, with 24. 41 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Bellsouth Telecomm INC d/b/a South Central Bell Tel | 24 | 30% |
| New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC - Ga | 23 | 29% |
| Metropcs, INC. | 6 | 7.5% |
| Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless - La | 3 | 3.8% |
| Level 3 Telecom of Louisiana, LLC - La | 3 | 3.8% |
| Paetec Itel, LLC | 3 | 3.8% |
| Level 3 Communications, LLC - La | 2 | 2.5% |
| Spok, INC. | 2 | 2.5% |
| Teleport Communications America La - LLC | 2 | 2.5% |
| Cebridge Telecom La, LLC D/b/a Suddenlink Comm La | 2 | 2.5% |
| Fractel, LLC | 2 | 2.5% |
| Voicestream GSM I, LLC | 1 | 1.3% |
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 Lake Charles
These are the central office codes NANPA records for Lake Charles. A caller seeing one of them recognizes a local number. The earliest assignment date recorded in the file for these codes is 2001. 2 of the 80 were assigned in 2020 or later.
| Area code | Prefixes (NXX) |
|---|---|
| 337 | 214, 217, 219, 240, 244, 263, 274, 292, 302, 304, 309, 310, 312, 377, 395, 405, 419, 421, 425, 426, 429, 430, 431, 433, 436, 437, 438, 439, 474, 475, 477, 478, 479, 480, 485, 488, 489, 491, 493, 494, 496, 497, 499, 502, 505, 508, 513, 515, 526, 529, 532, 540, 549, 562, 564, 570, 596, 602, 634, 656, 660, 661, 677, 688, 707, 708, 721, 722, 764, 794, 802, 842, 853, 855, 882, 884, 905, 912, 936, 990 |
Source: NANPA utilized central office code file.
When Lake Charles's exchanges were assigned
Assignment dates show when each block of Lake Charles numbers was added to the local supply.
| Decade assigned | Exchanges | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 17 | 68% |
| 2010s | 6 | 24% |
| 2020s | 2 | 8.0% |
Assignment dates as recorded in NANPA's utilized code file; codes without a recorded date are excluded.
How local numbers work in Lake Charles
Phone numbers are tied to a rate center, the local calling area used to decide whether a call is local or toll. Lake Charles's numbers are rated to the LK CHARLES rate center in NANPA's records. A business number from one of the prefixes above shows up on customers' phones as a Lake Charles number.
If your business already has a Lake Charles number, porting it to Callata is free and keeps it on your cards, listings and vehicles.
The local business market
Lake Charles is part of the Lake Charles, LA metro area, home to 243,000 people in 2024. County Business Patterns counted 5,463 business establishments in the Lake Charles, LA metro area in 2023, employing 84,232 people. The largest sectors by establishment count are retail trade (895), health care and social assistance (668), and professional, scientific, and technical services (564).
| Industry | Establishments | Employees | Employees per establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited-service restaurants | 191 | 3,634 | 19.0 |
| Physician practices | 145 | 1,740 | 12.0 |
| Full-service restaurants | 130 | 2,965 | 22.8 |
| Law offices | 126 | 745 | 5.9 |
| Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors | 94 | 801 | 8.5 |
| Insurance agencies and brokerages | 89 | 468 | 5.3 |
| Engineering services firms | 87 | 1,644 | 18.9 |
| Dental offices | 72 | 594 | 8.3 |
Selected small-business industries (six-digit NAICS) covered by these guides. Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023.
Setting up a Lake Charles business line
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 Lake Charles, 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 Lake Charles, LA 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 Lake Charles, LA?
337. All exchanges NANPA lists for Lake Charles are in 337.
How many phone companies have exchanges in Lake Charles?
19, holding 80 exchanges between them, according to NANPA's 10/01/2026 file.
Can I keep my existing Lake Charles 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 Lake Charles?
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).