Complete Guide to Area Code 929: Everything You Should Know

Have you been receiving calls from the 929 area code and are wondering what region the famous prefix serves? This guide has all the answers you need about the 929 area code, which serves New York City. 

Learn about the 929 area code’s history, the time zone, detected scam risks, how to block unwanted codes, and even how to search for someone using their phone number. 

If you’re trying to reach an old friend or are vetting an unknown phone number with the 929 area code, Intelius can always help you uncover the difficult-to-find facts you’re looking for.  

929 area code overview: key facts

Related Read: Area Code 212 - The most famous area code in New York City. 

What area code is 929?

929 area code location

Area code 929 covers Manhattan, Kings County (Brooklyn), Marble Hill, the Bronx, Staten Island, and Queens. If you include all five boroughs of New York City and Marble Hill, the 929 overlay serves nearly 11.2M people. 

Fun fact: New York City is the birthplace of the famous movie actor, Robert Downey Jr. 

Cities in the 929 area code

The 929 area code exclusively serves New York City, including all five boroughs (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island) as well as the neighborhood of Marble Hill. 

Well-known neighborhoods

• Union Square
• Astor Place
• SoHo
• Tribeca
• East Village
• Chelsea
• Harlem
• Midtown 
• Wall Street
• Upper East Side
• Upper West Side

Local landmarks in New York City 

• Madison Square Garden
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• The Empire State Building
• Times Square
• Grand Central Terminal 
• Wall Street / New York Stock Exchange
• Central Park
• Broadway & Theater District

Fun Fact: It is the largest city in the U.S. by population and is uniquely situated on islands. Only the Bronx sits on the mainland. 

Zip codes serviced by area code 929

There are over 291 ZIP codes in total within the 929 service area. Some of the most recognizable are:

• 10001 - Chelsea 
• 10021 - Upper East Side 
• 10023 - Upper West Side
• 11201 - Downtown Brooklyn 
• 11351- Flushing  
• 11435 - Jamaica (Queens)

Surrounding Area Codes

If you’re trying to get yourself familiar with NYC’s zip codes or looking to expand your geographical knowledge, below is a useful list of area codes that surround area code 929. 

Area Code 929: Time Zone & Business Tips

• Standard time: UTC - 5:00 hours
• Daylight saving time: +1:00 hour
• Current time zone offset: UTC/GMT -4:00 hours
• Time zone abbreviation: ET (Eastern Time)

The 212 area code is located in the Eastern Time Zone, which covers the entire Eastern Coast of the United States, including New York City. 

The Eastern Time Zone is three hours ahead of the Pacific Time Zone. That means if you’re making a phone call during business hours and it’s 9 a.m. in Los Angeles (Pacific Time/PT), then it’s noon in Manhattan (Eastern Time/ET). 

New York state observes daylight saving time, so residents need to adjust their clocks twice a year: one hour forward in the Spring and one hour backward in the Fall. 

• Eastern Standard Time (EST): November to March
• Eastern Daylight Time (EDT): March to November

Fun Fact: New York City has nearly 25,000 restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and venues spread across all five boroughs. 

The history of area code 929 (New York City)

In the post-WWII era, telephone codes were launched by the North American Numbering Plan in 1947, in order to reduce the amount of time phone operators spent connecting customers. 

When the NANP originally launched, it assigned area code 212 to all of New York City, but the organization quickly realized in 1984 that it was running out of available numbers. To address this issue, city officials and NANP began dividing NYC into multiple area codes with overlays, starting with the 718 area code. 

By August 2010, there were no available 212 numbers. To fix the issue of a dwindling phone number supply, the 929 overlay was introduced in 2011 and covers the entire NYC, alongside existing overlays 347, 718, and 917. 

Fun Fact: NYC holds the record for the world’s most expensive phone number put on sale. The number, 212-222-2222, was listed for $7.5M USD back in 2017.

929/347 area code overlay

The first major area code change occurred in 1984. Due to the rapidly growing metropolitan population, the 212 area code couldn’t serve all of New York City.

To remedy the lack of new numbers, the boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island were all split off to create the new 718 area code. The Bronx followed soon after, in 1992. 

A few years later, in 1999, the 917 overlay was introduced to assist the dwindling 212/718 phone number reservations.

Finally, in 2011, the 929 area code was added as an additional overlay to the 718/347 area codes. 

Fun Fact: The new 465 area code is scheduled to replace the near-exhausted supply of 347, 718, 917, and 929 area codes later next year.

Why a 929 number still turns heads

Part of the original design of the North American Number Plan emphasized assigning values based on factors like population density and future growth. The area code “212” was selected for NYC for this exact reason, and the area code “929” is no different. 

In the early days of telecommunication, phone operator centers were responsible for connecting callers with their intended recipients. Areas with larger population density would receive area codes with fewer rotary dial pulses to shorten the time required to connect a caller. The longer it took for an operator to dial a number, the more expensive the call would be. 

To help operators with this dialing issue, states with multiple area codes would have a “1” assigned as the middle digit, making the number easier to dial.

Today, the 929 area code follows a similar method, by assigning the number “two” to the middle value and identical values for the other two digits. 

How to Get a 929 Phone Number

1. Try a local phone provider: The go-to option for most people, major phone providers like AT&T®, T-Mobile®, and Verizon® provide nationwide coverage and easy setup.
2. Sign up for a VoIP service: Great for users on a budget or who need multi-device flexibility, both Google® Voice and Grasshopper are great options. They’re easy to understand and are cost-effective, but require a Wi-Fi connection. 
3. Use virtual phone systems: If you’re running a business with multiple employees, OpenPhone, RingCentral, and similar services are ideal. You can set up call routing, extensions, and multiple lines.  
4. Reach out to number brokers: If you’re looking for a specific phone number, either in high demand or for vanity, a number broker may have what you’re looking for. Historically, they’re quite costly. 

Spotting and blocking 929 area code scams

Red Flags to Watch Out For

It’s important to stay aware of scams happening in the 929 area code. The top three scam types reported in the FTC’s National Do Not Call Registry report for 2024 in the 929 area code focused on: 

• Reducing debt
• Meidcal & prescriptions
• Imposters

Scammers can use a variety of methods to impersonate banks, delivery drivers, customer service agents, collection agencies, and even doctors. 

• Rank: 31
• Complaints: 4,980 
• Robocalls: 2,669
• Live scam calls: 2,113

Some methods scammers might use include:

• Robocalls
• Malicious or fake links
• Caller ID spoofing
• Text messages pretending to be from an official business 
• Voicemails

If you’ve been receiving strange calls from numbers you’re unsure about with a 929 area code, do not provide the scammer with your personal information. Instead, remember the following steps:

1. Don’t give out personal information, financial details, or send money to phone numbers you don’t know.  
2. You can always hang up, find the official number on their website, and call back to verify it’s a legitimate business.
3. Run a reverse phone lookup on Intelius to reveal who owns the number.

How to block a 929 number

1. Download an app for additional defense: Third-party apps like Truecaller, Hiya, and RoboKiller offer additional scam call protection, call screening, and even help you report suspicious numbers. 
2. Join the National Do Not Call Registry: If you add your number to the National Do Not Call List, it can help cut down on the number of telemarketing calls you receive.
3. Check your phone’s settings: Android and iOS smartphones both have options to block or filter phone calls. Phone carriers also offer call-blocking services, although they may not be free. 
4. Forward suspected fraud to FTC: You can easily copy and forward strange texts (from any area code) to 7726 (SPAM). Your wireless carrier will take notice and attempt to block the caller. 
5. File a complaint: If you’ve run out of patience with scam callers, you can file a fraud complaint with the FTC. This helps regulators track and shut down the most persistent offenders. 

How To Look Up a 929 Phone Number

If you’re getting too many calls from the 929 area code, here are three easy ways to figure out who is calling:

1. Use a search engine: Do a web search. You can find out if the number belongs to a business.
2. Browse the FCC’s scam number database: It’s an excellent resource that contains known scam numbers.
3. Run a reverse phone lookup: A reverse phone lookup on a 929 number can help reveal the owner’s name, mailing address, aliases, and more. 

Use Intelius to look up a 929 number, learn about the caller’s identity, and find out whether the number is linked to a scam or a real business. 

Need intel on a caller with a 929 area code? Run a reverse number search now to quickly gather key information.

FAQs for the 929 area code