CallataGuidesGet a local business phone number in Columbia, MO
Columbia's area codes, prefixes and carriers from NANPA records, and how to put a Columbia number in front of your customers.
- Area code
- 573 / 235
- Exchanges
- 63NANPA-assigned
- Carriers
- 18
- Population
- 130,900Census 2024 est.
What area code is Columbia, MO?
With 130,900 residents in the Census 2024 estimate, Columbia sits in Boone County, Missouri. NANPA lists 63 exchanges for its rate center across 2 area codes; 573 has the most (59, 94%). 573 is part of an overlay with 235, so a new local number in Columbia may carry any of those codes depending on which have numbers available. Columbia is in the Central time zone.
According to NANPA's dialing-plan data, local calls within 573 are dialed as ten digits (area code plus number) and toll calls as 1 plus ten digits.
Who holds Columbia phone exchanges
18 carriers hold the 63 exchanges assigned to Columbia's rate center. Brightspeed of Missouri, LLC has the most, with 23. 42 of them are pooled codes, which the holder shares with other carriers in blocks of 1,000 numbers. A business number in Columbia can come from any of these blocks; once it is yours, porting lets it move between providers.
| Carrier (NANPA operating company) | Exchanges | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Brightspeed of Missouri, LLC | 23 | 37% |
| T-mobile USA, INC. | 9 | 14% |
| New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC - Il | 8 | 13% |
| United States Cellular - Mo | 4 | 6.3% |
| Onvoy, LLC - Mo | 4 | 6.3% |
| Level 3 Communications, LLC - Mo | 3 | 4.8% |
| Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless - Mo | 1 | 1.6% |
| HD Carrier LLC | 1 | 1.6% |
| Peerless Network of Missouri, LLC - Mo | 1 | 1.6% |
| Wavenation, LLC | 1 | 1.6% |
| Mcimetro Access Transmission Services LLC - Mo | 1 | 1.6% |
| Chariton Valley Communications Corporation | 1 | 1.6% |
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 Columbia
A prefix (NXX) is the three digits after the area code. Numbers starting with these prefixes are rated as local to Columbia. The earliest assignment date recorded in the file for these codes is 2001. 10 of the 63 were assigned in 2020 or later.
| Area code | Prefixes (NXX) |
|---|---|
| 235 | 202, 204, 208, 217 |
| 573 | 214, 219, 228, 234, 239, 256, 268, 289, 303, 355, 356, 397, 424, 441, 442, 443, 445, 446, 447, 449, 474, 476, 489, 499, 507, 514, 529, 530, 540, 554, 607, 615, 639, 673, 771, 777, 801, 808, 810, 814, 815, 817, 818, 819, 823, 825, 864, 874, 875, 876, 881, 882, 884, 886, 941, 968, 970, 988, 999 |
Source: NANPA utilized central office code file.
When Columbia's exchanges were assigned
Assignment dates show when each block of Columbia numbers was added to the local supply.
| Decade assigned | Exchanges | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 24% |
| 2010s | 6 | 29% |
| 2020s | 10 | 48% |
Assignment dates as recorded in NANPA's utilized code file; codes without a recorded date are excluded.
What makes a number local to Columbia
Phone numbers are tied to a rate center, the local calling area used to decide whether a call is local or toll. Columbia's numbers are rated to the COLUMBIA rate center in NANPA's records. A business number from one of the prefixes above shows up on customers' phones as a Columbia number.
New local numbers are drawn from carrier inventory, so the exact 573 numbers available change over time; porting an existing number is free.
Businesses around Columbia
Columbia is part of the Columbia, MO metro area, home to 219,000 people in 2024. County Business Patterns counted 5,312 business establishments in the Columbia, MO metro area in 2023, employing 91,660 people. The largest sectors by establishment count are health care and social assistance (821), retail trade (669), and construction (606).
| Industry | Establishments | Employees | Employees per establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited-service restaurants | 175 | 4,234 | 24.2 |
| Full-service restaurants | 153 | 3,878 | 25.3 |
| Physician practices | 149 | 1,509 | 10.1 |
| Insurance agencies and brokerages | 113 | 506 | 4.5 |
| Offices of real estate agents and brokers | 108 | 367 | 3.4 |
| Law offices | 104 | 464 | 4.5 |
| Residential remodelers | 94 | 340 | 3.6 |
| Landscaping services | 93 | 512 | 5.5 |
Selected small-business industries (six-digit NAICS) covered by these guides. Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023.
A Columbia number on Callata
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 Columbia, 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.
A 17-person team is the benchmark here, the rounded average establishment size in the Columbia, MO metro area. Billed per seat at month-to-month list prices (checked September 28, 2026), RingCentral RingEX Core costs $510.00 a month and Ooma Office Pro $424.15. On Callata the same 17 people cost $339.00 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 | $339.00 | $4,068.00 |
| Quo (Starter) | $19.00 per user | $323.00 | $3,876.00 |
| Nextiva (Core) | $23.00 per user | $391.00 | $4,692.00 |
| Ooma (Office Pro) | $24.95 per user | $424.15 | $5,089.80 |
| Dialpad (Standard) | $27.00 per user | $459.00 | $5,508.00 |
| RingCentral (RingEX Core) | $30.00 per user | $510.00 | $6,120.00 |
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 Columbia, MO?
Columbia has exchanges in 573 and 235; 573 has the most.
How many phone companies have exchanges in Columbia?
18, holding 63 exchanges between them, according to NANPA's 10/01/2026 file.
Can I keep my existing Columbia 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 Columbia?
Callata is $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user, with up to 3 local numbers; 17 users come to $339.00 a month. For comparison, 17 users on RingCentral RingEX Core list at $510.00 a month (checked September 28, 2026).