Memphis, TN-MS-AR business phone guide

About the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area

The Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area covers 9 counties in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas and had 1.3 million residents in July 2024, down 0.5% since April 2020. The U.S. population grew 2.6% over the same period. Shelby County, TN is the most populous, with 911,000 people. By population it ranks 45th of the 925 metro and micropolitan areas and 52nd by business establishments.

Memphis, TN-MS-AR's business base

County Business Patterns counted 26,131 establishments in the area in 2023, employing 561,551 people in mid-March with $34.0 billion in annual payroll. That is an average of 21.5 employees per establishment. 45.5% of establishments with employees had fewer than five people. By establishment count, the largest sectors are retail trade (4,218), health care and social assistance (2,992), and accommodation and food services (2,788).

Business density and team size in Memphis, TN-MS-AR

Memphis, TN-MS-AR has 19.5 business establishments per 1,000 residents, 20.6% below the U.S. figure of 24.6. Establishments average 21.5 employees against 16.7 nationally, and payroll per employee is $60,574 (11.4% below the U.S. $68,342). 45.5% of establishments with employees have fewer than five people (U.S.: 55.5%), while 7.7% have 50 or more. Because a handful of large employers lift the average, the share of very small establishments says more about who buys a small-business phone system.

Small-business industries in Memphis, TN-MS-AR

Of the 141 industries these guides cover, 137 have a published Census count in Memphis, TN-MS-AR. The largest are limited-service restaurants (1,100), full-service restaurants (849), and physician practices (677). Relative to population, couriers and express delivery services are the most over-represented: 24.1 per 100,000 residents against 3.2 nationally.

Phone numbers in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR area

The area's named cities and towns have 709 NANPA-assigned exchanges across 4 area codes; 901 has the most (85%). A local number in the code your customers know is the simplest signal that you are nearby; Callata's plan includes up to 3.

Local numbers by city

Pages for 17 cities and towns in the area list their area codes, prefixes and carriers.

Phone costs for a typical Memphis, TN-MS-AR business

The comparison below uses 21 users, the rounded average establishment size in Memphis, TN-MS-AR. At list prices checked September 28, 2026, that is $523.95 a month on Ooma Office Pro and $630.00 on RingCentral RingEX Core. On Callata the same 21 people cost $419.00 a month, less than either per-seat plan.

Callata in Memphis, TN-MS-AR

For $99 a month, Callata puts a team of up to 5 on one plan ($20 for each person after that): up to 3 local numbers, unlimited inbound calls, a pooled allowance of 1,500 outbound US and Canada minutes per user, browser and cell calling, voicemail transcription with urgency triage, recorded calls with AI summaries and business-hours routing, with E911 on every number.

If you already have a number in Memphis, TN-MS-AR, 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.