CallataGuidesGet a local business phone number in Stafford, TX
Stafford's area codes, prefixes and carriers from NANPA records, and how to put a Stafford number in front of your customers.
- Area code
- 346 / 832 / 281
- Exchanges
- 27NANPA-assigned
- Carriers
- 12
- Population
- 17,555Census 2024 est.
Area codes in Stafford
Stafford, in Fort Bend County, Texas, had a Census-estimated population of 17,555 in July 2024. NANPA lists 27 exchanges for its rate center across 3 area codes; 346 has the most (14, 52%). 346 is part of an overlay with 281, 621, 713, and 832, so a new local number in Stafford may carry any of those codes depending on which have numbers available. Stafford is in the Central time zone.
According to NANPA's dialing-plan data, local calls within 346 are dialed as ten digits (area code plus number) and toll calls as 1 plus ten digits.
Stafford exchanges by carrier
12 carriers hold the 27 exchanges assigned to Stafford's rate center. Metropcs, INC. has the most, with 8. 24 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Metropcs, INC. | 8 | 30% |
| Frontier Southwest INC d/b/a Frontier Comm of Texas | 4 | 15% |
| Grande Communications Networks, INC. - TX | 2 | 7.4% |
| Comcast Ip Phone, LLC | 2 | 7.4% |
| Bandwidth.com CLEC, LLC - TX | 2 | 7.4% |
| Onvoy, LLC - TX | 2 | 7.4% |
| Aerial Communications, INC. | 2 | 7.4% |
| Mcimetro Access Transmission Services LLC - TX | 1 | 3.7% |
| Fractel, LLC | 1 | 3.7% |
| Level 3 of Telecom of Texas, LLC - TX | 1 | 3.7% |
| Level 3 Communications, LLC - TX | 1 | 3.7% |
| U.s. Telepacific Corp. d/b/a TPX Communications | 1 | 3.7% |
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.
Exchanges (NPA-NXX) assigned in Stafford
A prefix (NXX) is the three digits after the area code. Numbers starting with these prefixes are rated as local to Stafford. The earliest assignment date recorded in the file for these codes is 2013. 7 of the 27 were assigned in 2020 or later.
| Area code | Prefixes (NXX) |
|---|---|
| 281 | 208, 261, 403, 410, 499, 969 |
| 346 | 245, 283, 304, 341, 371, 393, 514, 585, 757, 767, 793, 871, 894, 899 |
| 832 | 342, 539, 897, 899, 947, 987, 989 |
Source: NANPA utilized central office code file.
When Stafford's exchanges were assigned
The table groups Stafford's exchanges by the decade NANPA recorded them as assigned.
| Decade assigned | Exchanges | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 10 | 59% |
| 2020s | 7 | 41% |
Assignment dates as recorded in NANPA's utilized code file; codes without a recorded date are excluded.
How local numbers work in Stafford
What a caller sees as "local" is the area code plus prefix. In Stafford, those come from the STAFFORD rate center, as recorded by NANPA.
If your business already has a Stafford number, porting it to Callata is free and keeps it on your cards, listings and vehicles.
Who does business near Stafford
Stafford is part of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area, home to 7.8 million people in 2024. County Business Patterns counted 162,055 business establishments in the Houston, TX metro area in 2023, employing 2,863,143 people. The largest sectors by establishment count are professional, scientific, and technical services (22,233), retail trade (20,204), and health care and social assistance (20,054).
| Industry | Establishments | Employees | Employees per establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited-service restaurants | 5,768 | 129,426 | 22.4 |
| Physician practices | 5,628 | 52,412 | 9.3 |
| Full-service restaurants | 5,201 | 133,839 | 25.7 |
| Law offices | 3,867 | 27,482 | 7.1 |
| Dental offices | 3,400 | 21,058 | 6.2 |
| Insurance agencies and brokerages | 2,805 | 16,850 | 6.0 |
| Management consulting firms | 2,726 | 20,467 | 7.5 |
| Offices of real estate agents and brokers | 2,582 | 6,722 | 2.6 |
Selected small-business industries (six-digit NAICS) covered by these guides. Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023.
Business phone service in Stafford
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 Stafford 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.
Per-seat phone plans multiply by headcount. For the rounded average establishment size in the Houston, TX metro area, 18 users on RingCentral RingEX Core come to $540.00 a month and on Ooma Office Pro $449.10, at month-to-month list prices checked September 28, 2026. Callata comes to $359.00 a month for 18 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 | $359.00 | $4,308.00 |
| Quo (Starter) | $19.00 per user | $342.00 | $4,104.00 |
| Nextiva (Core) | $23.00 per user | $414.00 | $4,968.00 |
| Ooma (Office Pro) | $24.95 per user | $449.10 | $5,389.20 |
| Dialpad (Standard) | $27.00 per user | $486.00 | $5,832.00 |
| RingCentral (RingEX Core) | $30.00 per user | $540.00 | $6,480.00 |
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 Stafford, TX?
Stafford has exchanges in 346, 832, and 281; 346 has the most.
How many phone companies have exchanges in Stafford?
12, holding 27 exchanges between them, according to NANPA's 10/01/2026 file.
Can I keep my existing Stafford 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 Stafford?
Callata is $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user, with up to 3 local numbers; 18 users come to $359.00 a month. For comparison, 18 users on RingCentral RingEX Core list at $540.00 a month (checked September 28, 2026).