CallataGuidesGet a local business phone number in Beaufort, NC
Beaufort's area code, prefixes and carriers from NANPA records, and how to put a Beaufort number in front of your customers.
- Area code
- 252
- Exchanges
- 7NANPA-assigned
- Carriers
- 4
- Population
- 4,895Census 2024 est.
Area codes in Beaufort
With 4,895 residents in the Census 2024 estimate, Beaufort sits in Carteret County, North Carolina. All 7 exchanges NANPA lists for its rate center are in area code 252. Beaufort is in the Eastern time zone.
According to NANPA's dialing-plan data, local calls within 252 are dialed as seven digits and toll calls as 1 plus ten digits.
| Area code | Exchanges here | Share | In service since | Overlay with | Time zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 252 | 7 | 100% | 1998 | none | Eastern |
Source: NANPA utilized central office code file and NPA report, dated 10/01/2026.
Phone carriers in Beaufort
4 carriers hold the 7 exchanges assigned to Beaufort's rate center. Brightspeed of Eastern North Carolina, LLC has the most, with 3. 6 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Brightspeed of Eastern North Carolina, LLC | 3 | 43% |
| Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless - NC | 2 | 29% |
| Frontier Communications of America, INC. - NC | 1 | 14% |
| United States Cellular - NC | 1 | 14% |
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 Beaufort
These are the central office codes NANPA records for Beaufort. A caller seeing one of them recognizes a local number. The earliest assignment date recorded in the file for these codes is 2002. 1 of the 7 were assigned in 2020 or later.
| Area code | Prefixes (NXX) |
|---|---|
| 252 | 248, 504, 528, 728, 732, 780, 838 |
Source: NANPA utilized central office code file.
When Beaufort's exchanges were assigned
Assignment dates show when each block of Beaufort numbers was added to the local supply.
| Decade assigned | Exchanges | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1 | 33% |
| 2010s | 1 | 33% |
| 2020s | 1 | 33% |
Assignment dates as recorded in NANPA's utilized code file; codes without a recorded date are excluded.
Rate centers and local calling in Beaufort
Phone numbers are tied to a rate center, the local calling area used to decide whether a call is local or toll. Beaufort's numbers are rated to the BEAUFORT rate center in NANPA's records. A business number from one of the prefixes above shows up on customers' phones as a Beaufort number.
New local numbers are drawn from carrier inventory, so the exact 252 numbers available change over time; porting an existing number is free.
Who does business near Beaufort
Beaufort is part of the Morehead City, NC micropolitan area, home to 70,259 people in 2024. County Business Patterns counted 2,249 business establishments in the Morehead City, NC micropolitan area in 2023, employing 21,789 people. The largest sectors by establishment count are retail trade (373), construction (327), and accommodation and food services (277).
| Industry | Establishments | Employees | Employees per establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-service restaurants | 121 | 2,319 | 19.2 |
| Offices of real estate agents and brokers | 67 | 132 | 2.0 |
| Limited-service restaurants | 66 | 1,200 | 18.2 |
| New single-family housing construction contractors | 64 | 162 | 2.5 |
| Physician practices | 53 | 667 | 12.6 |
| Landscaping services | 48 | 352 | 7.3 |
| Residential remodelers | 47 | 176 | 3.7 |
| Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors | 46 | 321 | 7.0 |
Selected small-business industries (six-digit NAICS) covered by these guides. Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023.
Setting up a Beaufort 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 Beaufort, 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 10-person team is the benchmark here, the rounded average establishment size in the Morehead City, NC micropolitan area. Billed per seat at month-to-month list prices (checked September 28, 2026), RingCentral RingEX Core costs $300.00 a month and Ooma Office Pro $249.50. On Callata the same 10 people cost $199.00 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 | $199.00 | $2,388.00 |
| Quo (Starter) | $19.00 per user | $190.00 | $2,280.00 |
| Nextiva (Core) | $23.00 per user | $230.00 | $2,760.00 |
| Ooma (Office Pro) | $24.95 per user | $249.50 | $2,994.00 |
| Dialpad (Standard) | $27.00 per user | $270.00 | $3,240.00 |
| RingCentral (RingEX Core) | $30.00 per user | $300.00 | $3,600.00 |
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 Beaufort, NC?
252. All exchanges NANPA lists for Beaufort are in 252.
How many phone companies have exchanges in Beaufort?
4, holding 7 exchanges between them, according to NANPA's 10/01/2026 file.
Can I keep my existing Beaufort 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 Beaufort?
Callata is $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user, with up to 3 local numbers; 10 users come to $199.00 a month. For comparison, 10 users on RingCentral RingEX Core list at $300.00 a month (checked September 28, 2026).