CallataGuidesGet a local business phone number in Waco, TX
Waco's area code, prefixes and carriers from NANPA records, and how to put a Waco number in front of your customers.
- Area code
- 254
- Exchanges
- 117NANPA-assigned
- Carriers
- 36
- Population
- 146,608Census 2024 est.
What area code is Waco, TX?
With 146,608 residents in the Census 2024 estimate, Waco sits in McLennan County, Texas. All 117 exchanges NANPA lists for its rate center are in area code 254. Waco is in the Central time zone.
According to NANPA's dialing-plan data, local calls within 254 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 254 | 117 | 100% | 1997 | none | Central |
Source: NANPA utilized central office code file and NPA report, dated 10/01/2026.
Who holds Waco phone exchanges
36 carriers hold the 117 exchanges assigned to Waco's rate center. Southwestern Bell has the most, with 31. 69 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Southwestern Bell | 31 | 26% |
| Globalstar USA, INC. | 12 | 10% |
| New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC - Il | 11 | 9.4% |
| Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless - TX | 10 | 8.5% |
| Onvoy, LLC - TX | 6 | 5.1% |
| Level 3 Communications, LLC - TX | 4 | 3.4% |
| Metropcs, INC. | 4 | 3.4% |
| Nuso, LLC | 3 | 2.6% |
| Bandwidth.com CLEC, LLC - TX | 3 | 2.6% |
| T-mobile USA, INC. | 2 | 1.7% |
| Grande Communications Networks, INC. - TX | 2 | 1.7% |
| Helmsco, INC. | 2 | 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 Waco
These are the central office codes NANPA records for Waco. A caller seeing one of them recognizes a local number. The earliest assignment date recorded in the file for these codes is 2001. 13 of the 117 were assigned in 2020 or later.
| Area code | Prefixes (NXX) |
|---|---|
| 254 | 201, 202, 204, 214, 218, 219, 224, 227, 229, 230, 235, 240, 241, 260, 262, 265, 292, 294, 296, 297, 299, 300, 301, 304, 307, 313, 315, 327, 339, 340, 342, 343, 349, 362, 366, 373, 377, 378, 379, 381, 387, 388, 391, 398, 399, 400, 405, 412, 416, 420, 424, 429, 447, 460, 461, 480, 489, 492, 495, 498, 504, 523, 529, 537, 543, 548, 550, 591, 617, 633, 640, 644, 651, 652, 662, 666, 709, 710, 714, 715, 716, 717, 719, 722, 723, 730, 732, 733, 737, 741, 744, 745, 749, 750, 751, 752, 753, 754, 755, 756, 757, 759, 761, 772, 776, 777, 799, 808, 844, 855, 867, 870, 871, 878, 900, 910, 981 |
Source: NANPA utilized central office code file.
When Waco's exchanges were assigned
Assignment dates show when each block of Waco numbers was added to the local supply.
| Decade assigned | Exchanges | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 29 | 54% |
| 2010s | 12 | 22% |
| 2020s | 13 | 24% |
Assignment dates as recorded in NANPA's utilized code file; codes without a recorded date are excluded.
Rate centers and local calling in Waco
What a caller sees as "local" is the area code plus prefix. In Waco, those come from the WACO rate center, as recorded by NANPA.
Keeping an existing Waco number costs nothing on Callata, because porting is free; a new number depends on what carriers have open in 254 when you pick it.
Who does business near Waco
Waco is part of the Waco, TX metro area, home to 307,000 people in 2024. County Business Patterns counted 6,481 business establishments in the Waco, TX metro area in 2023, employing 115,925 people. The largest sectors by establishment count are retail trade (995), health care and social assistance (742), and other services (except public administration) (727).
| Industry | Establishments | Employees | Employees per establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited-service restaurants | 262 | 5,387 | 20.6 |
| Full-service restaurants | 170 | 4,474 | 26.3 |
| Physician practices | 131 | 2,276 | 17.4 |
| Insurance agencies and brokerages | 129 | 524 | 4.1 |
| Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors | 116 | 2,107 | 18.2 |
| Offices of real estate agents and brokers | 97 | 192 | 2.0 |
| Law offices | 94 | 501 | 5.3 |
| Dental offices | 88 | 647 | 7.4 |
Selected small-business industries (six-digit NAICS) covered by these guides. Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023.
Setting up a Waco 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 Waco, 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 18 users, the rounded average establishment size in the Waco, TX metro area. At list prices checked September 28, 2026, that is $449.10 a month on Ooma Office Pro and $540.00 on RingCentral RingEX Core. On Callata the same 18 people cost $359.00 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 | $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 Waco, TX?
254. All exchanges NANPA lists for Waco are in 254.
How many phone companies have exchanges in Waco?
36, holding 117 exchanges between them, according to NANPA's 10/01/2026 file.
Can I keep my existing Waco 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 Waco?
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).