What is the 724 Area Code? Time Zone and Location
- Area code 724 serves southwestern Pennsylvania except the Pittsburgh metro area — it includes the cities of New Castle, Murrysville, and Hermitage, and overlaps coverage areas with area code 878.
- Combined with overlay 878, it covers 192 cities across 15 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania, serving a population of 2,902,977.
- Major locations in the numbering plan area include Beaver, Butler, Cranberry Township, Ellwood City, Greensburg, Hermitage, Imperial, Indiana, Kittanning, Latrobe, New Castle, North Huntingdon, Oakdale, Sharon, Uniontown, Washington, Waynesburg, and Wexford.
- The 724 area code is located in the Eastern Time Zone in the United States, following Eastern Standard Time (EST, UTC−5) during standard time and Eastern Daylight Time (EDT, UTC−4) during daylight saving time.
- Area code 724 was put into service on February 1, 1998, and was the 229th area code in service — one of 21 area codes introduced in 1998 — created to relieve pressure on the 412 area code, making 412 an enclave for the city of Pittsburgh, while 724 surrounds it.
- Within two years of its creation, both 724 and 412 were nearing exhaustion due to the rapid growth of telecommunications in the Pittsburgh area from the proliferation of cell phones and pagers — area code 878 was then implemented as an overlay complex on August 17, 2001, making 10-digit dialing mandatory across southwestern Pennsylvania.
- 10-digit dialing mandatory for all local calls within the 724/878 overlay complex.
724 Area Code Quick Facts
| Area Code | 724 |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State / Region | Pennsylvania (southwestern Pennsylvania — Pittsburgh suburbs and surrounding counties) |
| Area Code Type | Overlay area code (shares region with area code 878) |
| Overlay Codes | 878 |
| Major Cities Covered | New Castle, Greensburg, Washington, Butler, Hermitage, Uniontown, Beaver Falls, Indiana, Kittanning, Latrobe, Cranberry Township, Sharon, Ellwood City, Waynesburg, Wexford, North Huntingdon, Monessen, Canonsburg, Connellsville, Jeannette |
| Primary City Association | New Castle, Pennsylvania (Lawrence County seat) / Greensburg, Pennsylvania (Westmoreland County seat) |
| Geographic Coverage | 192 cities across 15 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania, including Westmoreland, Washington, Butler, Fayette, Lawrence, Beaver, Armstrong, Indiana, Greene, Mercer, and Venango counties |
| Time Zone | Eastern Time Zone (ET) |
| Standard Time Offset | UTC −5 hours |
| Daylight Saving Time | UTC −4 hours (EDT) |
| DST Period (2026 Example) | March → November |
| Introduced / Activation Date | February 1, 1998 |
| Reason for Creation | Split from the 412 area code in 1998 to accommodate explosive demand for telephone numbers in the Pittsburgh suburbs — the split made 412 an enclave for the city of Pittsburgh, with 724 surrounding it, before both codes were themselves overlaid by 878 in 2001 |
| Dialing Requirement | 10-digit dialing mandatory (due to 724/878 overlay complex) |
| Coverage Nature | Overlay complex — 724 and 878 share the same southwestern Pennsylvania suburban geography |
| Population Coverage | Combined with overlay 878, serves a population of 2,902,977 across southwestern Pennsylvania |
| Nearby / Related Area Codes | 227/240/301 (Germantown, MD), 234/330 (Akron, OH), 304/681 (West Virginia), 412 (Pittsburgh, PA), 436/440 (Cleveland, OH), 582/814 (Erie, PA), 878 (724 overlay) |
| Telecom System | North American Numbering Plan (NANP) |
| Common Legitimate Callers | Westinghouse Electric nuclear engineers, regional healthcare schedulers from UPMC facilities, and energy sector workers are among the most recognized legitimate callers from 724 numbers |
| Example Phone Format | (724) XXX-XXXX |
| Usage Type | Mobile, landline, VoIP numbers |
| Business Use | Essential for local presence across southwestern Pennsylvania's Pittsburgh suburban corridor — covering the full ring of communities surrounding America's most livable city |
| Number Availability | Covers roughly 7.84 million unique phone numbers — with first 878 numbers issued in April 2013 after 724 central office codes were exhausted, indicating strong combined capacity across the overlay complex |
| Area Code Status | Active and widely used |
| Notable Economic Profile | The 724/878 corridor is home to Westinghouse Electric's global nuclear headquarters in Cranberry Township, multiple UPMC regional medical centers, and a robust network of Pittsburgh-adjacent manufacturing, energy, and professional services industries |
| Notable Geography | The 724 region encompasses some of Pennsylvania's most storied industrial heritage communities — from the steel towns of the Monongahela Valley to the natural gas fields of Butler and Mercer counties, and from the coal country of Fayette and Greene counties to the emerging technology corridor along the Route 19 and Route 228 suburban Pittsburgh axis |
Is the 724 Area Code a Scam?
| Spam Ranking | Ranked #181 for spam complaints nationally, accounting for approximately 0.24% of all spam complaints |
|---|---|
| Spam Growth | Spam calls in Pennsylvania increased by 212.95% over the past year — one of the sharpest statewide increases in the country — with the highest volume recorded in September 2025 accounting for 12.93% of all calls |
| Most Common Complaint Type | Prerecorded voice complaints make up 49.55% of total reports — the dominant complaint type |
| Top Scam Categories | Google Listings calls make up 18.18% of complaints — the single largest category by a wide margin — followed by auto warranty (11.82%), health insurance (5.91%), solar panels (4.09%), and political calls (3.64%) |
| Top Reported Cities for Complaints | Nitro, WV leads cross-border complaints, with South Hutchinson, KS and Wichita, KS also appearing — while in-region, communities across Westmoreland, Washington, and Butler counties are the most frequently reported |
| Peak Complaint Period | December 2024 saw the highest volume of complaints for area code 724, with September 2025 showing a 25% decrease compared to August 2025 |
| Neighbor Spoofing Rate | About 58% of scam calls using the 724 area code use neighbor spoofing to appear local, making more than half of all 724 scam calls appear to originate from familiar southwestern Pennsylvania communities |
| Common Labels | Grandparent bail scammer, fake kidnapping caller, Medicare impersonator, fake police/fire charity, phantom debt collector, Google Business listing fraudster |
| Spoofing Risk | 724 is one of Pennsylvania's top spam area codes — calls typically involve medical and prescription spam alongside impersonation scams where callers pretend to be from the government, businesses, or the target's family |
| Typical Strategy | Neighbor spoofing — faking familiar New Castle, Greensburg, or Butler numbers to build trust among southwestern Pennsylvania residents before exploiting community closeness with family emergency or charity scams |
| Signature Scam — Grandparent Bail / Family Emergency | The 724 area code is specifically identified as a top target for the "Grandma Scam" — callers posing as a grandchild in distress claim they need immediate bail money, medical bill payment, or emergency cash, using AI-generated voices to sound convincingly like real family members |
| Documented Grandparent Scam Case | A 72-year-old victim in Mercer County (724 area) received a call claiming her grandson was in a serious crash — the caller posed as both an attorney and the grandson, convincing her to hand $9,500 in cash to a courier service before she realized it was a scam when asked for an additional $7,500 |
| Signature Scam — FBI Kidnapping Warning | The FBI's Pittsburgh office specifically warned 724 area residents about a kidnapping scam in which more than 450 calls were placed to the 724 area code in a single week — callers from Mexico scan social media for travelers near the Southwest border, then call their loved ones in the 724 area, claiming the traveler has been kidnapped and demanding immediate money transfers |
| Signature Scam — Fake Police & Firefighter Charity | Callers solicit donations for fake police and firefighter charities — asking if they can send an "envelope" for you to mail money back, hanging up immediately if you ask for 501(c)(3) information, pressuring specific donation amounts like "$150 or $200," and calling from "Unknown Name" caller ID so the fraudulent organization can never be traced |
| Signature Scam — Google Business Listing Extortion | Google Listings calls are the single most-reported scam category for 724 — scammers claim business listings have been flagged, suspended, or will be removed unless the owner pays a fee or shares Google account credentials, specifically targeting the many small businesses throughout southwestern Pennsylvania's suburban and rural corridors |
| Signature Scam — Phantom Debt Collector / Process Server | Scammers leave voicemails claiming pending judgments exist against 724 residents — threatening to serve papers at home or work, mentioning "wage and asset verification," citing fake case numbers, and pressuring immediate callback to "resolve" legal proceedings that do not exist |
| Reporting Authority | Report suspicious calls to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, to the Pennsylvania AG at attorney.general.pa.gov or 1-800-441-2555; for FBI kidnapping scams, contact the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office at 412-432-4000 |
| Key Risk Indicator | Family emergency calls from grandchildren or relatives asking for immediate cash via courier, calls claiming a loved one has been kidnapped near the US-Mexico border, charity callers who cannot provide a 501(c)(3) number, Google Business listing suspension threats, or voicemails about "pending judgments" with fake case numbers |
| Safety Tip | If you receive a call claiming a grandchild or family member is in trouble, hang up and call that person directly at their known number before doing anything else — AI voice cloning can now recreate family members' voices convincingly, but scammers cannot intercept your outbound call to your grandchild's real phone number |
What Are the Business Benefits of the 724 Area Code?
| Local Presence | Helps businesses appear local across southwestern Pennsylvania's Pittsburgh suburban ring — a vast, economically diverse region covering the full arc of communities that collectively form the greater Pittsburgh metropolitan area outside the city core |
|---|---|
| Customer Trust Factor | A local 724 number dramatically increases answer rates vs. unknown out-of-state numbers in close-knit western Pennsylvania communities where residents strongly favor recognizable local codes |
| Pittsburgh Proximity Advantage | The 724 corridor directly surrounds Pittsburgh — meaning a 724 number gives businesses access to the full Pittsburgh metro market while distinguishing them as a suburban or regional provider rather than a downtown Pittsburgh operation |
| Coverage Advantage | One number covers 192 cities across 15 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania, spanning from the Ohio and West Virginia borders in the south and west through Mercer County in the north and Westmoreland County's Latrobe and Greensburg communities in the east |
| VoIP Compatibility | Easily available for SaaS platforms, call centers, and remote teams serving the southwestern Pennsylvania market |
| Scalability | Covers roughly 7.84 million unique phone numbers across the 724/878 overlay complex — solid long-term availability with 878 absorbing continued new number demand |
| Marketing Use | Ideal for local SEO, digital ads, and customer outreach across New Castle, Greensburg, Washington, Butler, Hermitage, Uniontown, Beaver Falls, Cranberry Township, Indiana, Kittanning, Latrobe, and surrounding communities |
| Startup Friendly | Increasingly attractive for energy technology, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing startups, given the region's Westinghouse nuclear technology heritage, multiple UPMC regional campuses, and the Route 228/Cranberry Township corridor's growing tech-adjacent business ecosystem |
| Call Routing Flexibility | Can route calls globally while appearing local to southwestern Pennsylvania customers — particularly valuable for nuclear energy, healthcare, and manufacturing companies managing regional and international operations |
| Top Industries | Nuclear energy technology (Westinghouse Electric — global headquarters in Cranberry Township), healthcare (UPMC Passavant, UPMC St. Margaret, Excela Health, Heritage Valley Health System), natural gas extraction (Marcellus Shale), manufacturing (aluminum, glass, specialty chemicals), higher education (Duquesne University satellite, Waynesburg University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Seton Hill University), retail, agriculture, and coal mining (Fayette and Greene counties) benefit most from a local 724 presence |
| Use Case Examples | AI receptionist, nuclear energy and engineering firm support lines, healthcare practices and UPMC-affiliated services, natural gas and energy sector dispatch, manufacturing supplier support, university admissions and affiliated research services, real estate agencies, local retail and service businesses, and agricultural services |
