417 Area Code: Springfield, Branson & Missouri's Ozark Country

The 417 area code covers the southwestern corner of Missouri — anchored by Springfield, the state's third-largest city, and extending west to Joplin on the Kansas-Oklahoma border and south to Branson, the live-entertainment capital of the United States. Area code 417 has served this region since January 1, 1947, when it launched as one of three original Missouri codes under AT&T's North American Numbering Plan.

In the decades since, Missouri's other original codes have been split and overlaid multiple times — yet 417 has remained whole, serving the same southwestern Missouri geography it was assigned nearly eight decades ago. No split, no overlay. Time zone is Central (CT) throughout.

This guide covers what 417 serves, explains why Branson's entertainment economy is unlike anything else in the 417 footprint, traces the history of Missouri's area code evolution, and details the economy behind southwestern Missouri's most recognized three digits.

What 417 covers — Springfield, Joplin, Branson and the Ozarks

The 417 area code location is the southwestern quadrant of Missouri — a geographic region defined by the Ozark Plateau, the James River, the Spring River, and the Missouri-Arkansas-Kansas-Oklahoma border corridor. The 417 footprint stretches roughly from Republic and Ozark in the north to the Arkansas border in the south, and from the Nixa–Ozark corridor east to Carthage and Joplin in the west.

Cities and communities in the 417 area code:

What 417 does NOT cover:

• St. Louis and eastern Missouri → 314 and 557
• Central and southeastern Missouri → 573
• Kansas City and western Missouri → 816 and 975
• Northwestern Missouri → 660

Like 406 in Montana, which has served the entire state since 1947 without a single split, 417 stands as one of the few original NANP codes that has held its original territory intact — while neighboring Missouri codes around it have been divided multiple times.

Branson vs Broadway — a number that surprises most people

The most striking fact in the 417 area code is about a city of 13,000 people that hosts more live-entertainment theater seats than Broadway.

Branson, Missouri draws more than 8 million visitors per year to a two-mile stretch of Highway 76 lined with theaters, music halls, and entertainment venues. The city has more than 50 performing theaters with a combined seating capacity that exceeds Broadway's 41 theaters — making it the largest live entertainment market per capita in the country. Artists ranging from country music legends to comedy acts, Chinese acrobatics, and classic rock tribute shows perform in Branson year-round.

The comparison runs deeper than seat count:

Beyond theaters, Branson anchors the broader southern 417 economy through Table Rock Lake (reservoir recreation, marinas, and lakeside resorts), Silver Dollar City (1880s-themed amusement park drawing 2 million visitors annually), and the Branson Landing lakefront retail and entertainment district along Lake Taneycomo.

How area code 417 has stayed intact since 1947

January 1, 1947 — Missouri launched with three original NANP area codes: 314 for eastern Missouri (St. Louis), 816 for western Missouri (Kansas City), and 417 for southwestern Missouri (Springfield, Joplin, and the Ozarks). All three covered vast territories with the expectation that population growth would eventually require adjustments. For 314 and 816, that expectation proved correct many times over. For 417, it has not.

1996 — Missouri's first wave of splits leaves 417 alone As St. Louis and Kansas City metro populations grew through the mobile phone era, Missouri's original codes began splitting. In 1996, 573 was created from 314 to cover central and southeastern Missouri — leaving 314 as the St. Louis metro-only code. Meanwhile, 660 was split from 816 to take northwestern Missouri rural territory. Area code 417 was untouched by either change.

1999 and beyond — St. Louis gets overlays, 417 does not The continued growth of St. Louis and Kansas City prompted additional relief codes: 636 split from 314 in 1999 for the outer St. Louis suburbs, and 557 was later added as a 314 overlay. Kansas City received 975 as an 816 overlay. Southwestern Missouri grew more slowly than the state's two major metros, keeping the 417 pool from depleting.

Today — one original code, intact since 1947 Area code 417 serves the same southwestern Missouri geography it was assigned 78 years ago. No number exhaustion application has been filed with NANPA. The combination of a lower-than-average subscriber density across the rural Ozarks counties and the absence of a major corporate technology sector has kept 417 from approaching the kind of pressure that triggered splits in 314 and 816.

What the 417 economy runs on

Southwestern Missouri's economy is built on outdoor retail, tourism, healthcare, and education — four industries that give 417 a distinctive economic profile unlike any other mid-size American region:

Bass Pro Shops (Springfield) Bass Pro Shops was founded in Springfield in 1972 by Johnny Morris, who started selling fishing lures from the back of his father's liquor store. Today it is one of the largest outdoor and sporting goods retailers in the United States, with more than 200 stores across North America. Its flagship store in downtown Springfield — a converted historic building — is itself a tourist attraction, drawing more than 4 million visitors annually with taxidermied animals, aquariums, and an indoor archery range. Bass Pro's 2017 acquisition of Cabela's made it the undisputed largest outdoor retailer in the country.

Branson tourism economy Branson generates more than $2 billion in annual economic impact for the 417 region, supporting approximately 22,000 jobs across entertainment, hospitality, food service, and retail. Beyond theaters, the Silver Dollar City theme park, Shepherd of the Hills outdoor drama, and the concentration of lodging along Table Rock Lake make Branson one of the most self-contained tourism economies in the American interior. Contact us to find available 417 numbers with Springfield or Joplin prefixes for your southwestern Missouri business presence.

Mercy Health (Springfield) Mercy — one of the largest Catholic health systems in the United States — maintains its major regional hub in Springfield. Mercy Hospital Springfield is among the largest hospitals in Missouri and serves as the primary trauma center for the Ozarks region. The broader Springfield healthcare cluster, which also includes Cox Health (another major regional system), makes healthcare the largest employment sector in the Springfield metro and a significant driver of 417 call traffic.

Missouri State University and the education cluster Missouri State University is the second-largest university in Missouri by enrollment, with more than 23,000 students at the Springfield campus. It is Springfield's largest single employer and anchors a broader education economy that includes Drury University, Evangel University, Ozarks Technical Community College, and several smaller institutions. The combined university presence shapes Springfield's demographics, real estate market, and service economy year-round.

Where is 417 area code? Is it in Missouri?

Yes — 417 is exclusively a Missouri area code, covering the southwestern part of the state. It is not used in Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, or any other state, despite the fact that Joplin sits on the Missouri-Kansas-Oklahoma tri-state border and Springfield is less than 70 miles from Arkansas.

"417 area code Missouri" is one of the most common 417 searches because the code is not nationally well-known. Unlike 415 (San Francisco) or 412 (Pittsburgh), 417 does not carry the same instant-recognition that major metro codes do. Searches from recipients in other states — particularly those who received a business call from Springfield or Joplin — confirm that 417 is an unfamiliar code outside the Midwest.

"Calls from 417 area code" searches reflect two dynamics: Springfield and Joplin are home to a significant call-center and telemarketing industry, meaning 417 numbers make high volumes of outbound calls to all US states. Additionally, robocallers spoof 417 numbers for the same reason they spoof any regional code — local-looking numbers have higher answer rates.

417 area code ZIP codes

Common ZIP codes within the 417 coverage area:

Springfield 65801 · 65802 · 65803 · 65804 · 65806 · 65807 · 65809 · 65810 · 65814 · 65817 · 65897 · 65898 · 65899

Joplin 64801 · 64802 · 64803 · 64804 · 64830

Branson 65616 · 65615

Carthage 64836 · 64835

Neosho 64850 · 64851

Ozark 65721 · 65725

Nixa 65714 · 65715

Republic 65738 · 65737

Webb City 64870 · 64871

Monett 65708 · 65709

ZIP code boundaries and area code boundaries do not always align precisely. Some addresses near the 417 boundary with 573 or 660 may require verification through NANPA's number resource portal.

Scam calls from 417 numbers

Robocallers spoof 417 numbers to reach targets across Missouri and surrounding states, exploiting the area code's unfamiliarity to increase answer rates. Common spoofed 417 schemes include:

• Extended auto warranty and insurance calls — High-volume robocall campaigns using spoofed 417 numbers are common across the Midwest, targeting vehicle owners and homeowners.
• Medicare and Social Security impersonation — Government-impersonation scripts targeting rural and suburban Ozarks residents who may not immediately recognize the spoofed local number.
• Utility and billing scams — Callers claiming to represent Empire Electric, City Utilities of Springfield, or other regional providers, threatening service interruptions to prompt immediate payment.
• Branson ticket and vacation scams — Fraudulent calls offering heavily discounted Branson show packages or vacation rentals requiring immediate payment or credit card confirmation.
• Fake debt collection — Callers posing as collection agencies using 417 numbers to appear local to Missouri recipients.

The FCC's STIR/SHAKEN call authentication framework requires carriers to authenticate caller ID before connecting calls — the reason phones increasingly display "Spam Risk" or "Scam Likely" before suspected spoofed calls connect. A 417 call that leaves no voicemail and arrives from an unrecognized number is almost certainly a spoof.

Key takeaways

• 417 covers southwestern Missouri — Springfield, Joplin, Branson, Carthage, Neosho, Ozark, and surrounding Ozarks communities — since January 1, 1947.
• 417 has never been split or overlaid. While Missouri's other original 1947 codes (314, 816) have been divided multiple times into 573, 660, 636, 557, and 975, area code 417 has remained intact for nearly eight decades.
• Branson has more live-entertainment theater seats than Broadway and draws 8 million visitors per year — one of the most concentrated tourism economies in the American interior.
• 417 is not in Kansas, Oklahoma, or Arkansas — it is exclusively Missouri, despite Joplin's tri-state border location and Springfield's proximity to Arkansas.
• Time zone: Central (CT) — CST (UTC −6) in winter, CDT (UTC −5) during Daylight Saving Time.
• The 417 economy spans Bass Pro Shops (Springfield HQ), Branson tourism ($2B+ annual impact), Mercy and Cox Health (Springfield's largest employment sector), and Missouri State University (23,000+ students, Springfield's largest employer).

Frequently asked questions