MASSACHUSETTS · AREA CODE GUIDE
978 area code location: Lowell and Lawrence, Massachusetts
- Local date and time
- Eastern Time
Map data: HSIP (2010) · NANPA · US Census Bureau, checked 26 September 2026. Boundaries are approximate.
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Download the 978 area code map
A printable area code 978 location map, with time zone and state. Use the PNG image in a document or slide; the SVG stays sharp at any size.
978 area code at a glance
- State
- Massachusetts
- Primary cities
- Lowell, Lawrence, and Haverhill
- Established
- Population
- Largest community: Lowell, 119,971 (2025)Not an area-code population.
- Prefixes in service
- 773 as of 13 October 2026
An area code does not show where a caller is now.
History
Country and calling code: United States (+1).
Parent code: 508.
New code planned: No, as of 22 September 2026.
- : 351 added as an overlay on 978
Time zone
- Eastern Time
- Standard time UTC−05:00
- Daylight saving time UTC−04:00
Counties and cities covered
978 numbers are issued across 58 communities. These are telephone exchange areas, which follow the phone network rather than city limits, so a place can sit just outside the boundary of the town it is named for.
Counties of the communities we could place (the code may reach further): Essex County, Worcester County, and Middlesex County.
- Lowell
- Lawrence
- Haverhill
- Peabody
- Salem
- Leominster
- Beverly
- Billerica
- Fitchburg
- Gloucester
- Westford
- Acton
- Gardner
- Sudbury
- Newburyport
- Concord
- Amesbury
- North Reading
- Littleton
- Westminster
- Georgetown
- Templeton
- Sterling
- Hamilton
- Harvard
33 more communities
- Merrimac
- Ashburnham
- Bolton
- West Newbury
- Hubbardston
- Princeton
- Berlin
- Ashby
- Andover
- Athol
- Athol Franklin County
- Ayer
- Barre
- Clinton
- Danvers
- Essex
- Groton
- Hudson
- Ipswich
- Lunenburg
- Manchester
- Maynard
- Orange
- Pepperell
- Petersham
- Rockport
- Rowley
- Shirley
- Topsfield
- Townsend
- Tyngsboro
- Wilmington
- Winchendon
Notable places in 978
| Place | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| University of Massachusetts Lowell | 1.2 km from Lowell | University, 20,418 12-month enrollment (2023–24) |
| Beverly Municipal Airport | 3.0 km from Danvers | Airport |
| Salem State University | 0.6 km from Salem | University, 7,428 12-month enrollment (2023–24) |
| Gardner Municipal Airport | 4.4 km from Gardner | Airport |
| Lawrence Municipal Airport | 3.6 km from Lawrence | Airport |
| Salem Maritime National Historical Park | 2.5 km from Salem | National Historical Park |
| Peabody Essex Museum | 2.6 km from Salem | Museum |
| Fitchburg State University | 2.6 km from Fitchburg | University, 9,604 12-month enrollment (2023–24) |
| Moore Army Airfield | 1.8 km from Ayer | Military base |
| Addison Gallery of American Art | 1.1 km from Andover | Museum |
Area code 351 has its own page.
Area code 978
978 started service on .It came from 508.
No new code is planned for the region as of .
Questions about 978
Where is the 978 area code?
978 is in Massachusetts. Its numbers are issued in Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, and 55 other communities.
What time zone is area code 978 in?
978 is in Eastern Time. Daylight saving time is observed.
Does 978 have an overlay?
Yes. 351 was added as an overlay on 978 on 2 May 2001.
What cities are in the 978 area code?
Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, Peabody, and Salem, and 53 other communities.
What state is area code 978 in?
Area code 978 is in Massachusetts.
What counties are covered by area code 978?
Area code 978 covers communities in Essex County, Worcester County, and Middlesex County.
Is 978 a toll-free area code?
No. 978 is a geographic area code. The toll-free codes are 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877, and 888.
Sources: NANPA area code listing, NANPA places by area code, NANPA central office code assignments, U.S. Census Bureau population estimates, OMB metropolitan area delineations. Checked .
Business phone numbers in area code 978, answered by an AI agent
A local number for Lowell, Lawrence, and Haverhill, Massachusetts, with an AI receptionist that takes caller details, answers the questions you give it, and books appointments. Numbers depend on what carriers have left.