716 Area Code: Buffalo's Calling Card for Western New York

Quick answer: The 716 area code is Western New York's calling card — the 8 westernmost counties of New York state. That includes Buffalo (the state's 2nd-largest city), Niagara Falls, Cheektowaga, Amherst, Tonawanda, Hamburg, Orchard Park, Lockport, plus the Southern Tier cities of Jamestown, Olean, and Dunkirk. It's one of the original 1947 NANP codes, sits in Eastern Time, and shares its territory with the 624 overlay (added 2017). 10-digit dialing is required for every local call.

What is the 716 area code?

A 716 number on caller ID tells you the call is from Buffalo or somewhere across Western New York — the corner of the state wedged between Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and the Pennsylvania border.

WNY has its own distinct identity inside New York: chicken wings, Bills mafia, snowstorms off the lakes, and a Rust Belt economy that's gradually reinventing itself around healthcare, education, and tech.

The 716 prefix has been Buffalo's calling card since the NANP launched in 1947 — making it one of the longest-running area codes in continuous use.

This guide comes from My Country Mobile (MCM), a virtual phone provider that issues local numbers across the US.

Where 716 reaches — Buffalo + the 8 counties of WNY

The 716 footprint divides cleanly between the Buffalo metropolitan core and the Southern Tier rural belt:

The Buffalo Metro (Erie + Niagara counties)

The population center. ~1.1 million people in a tight cluster around Buffalo:

• Buffalo (~278,000) — the anchor. 2nd-largest city in New York state. Anchor of the metro.
• Cheektowaga (~88,000) — eastern Buffalo suburb, airport area.
• Tonawanda (~73,000) — north Buffalo, Niagara River waterfront.
• Amherst (~131,000) — northern suburb, home of University at Buffalo.
• West Seneca (~44,000) — south-of-Buffalo suburb.
• Lackawanna (~19,000) — historic steel-mill city directly south of Buffalo.
• North Tonawanda (~31,000) — Niagara County, the Erie Canal start.
• Williamsville + Clarence + Lancaster — northeast suburbs.
• Hamburg + Orchard Park — southtowns. Highmark Stadium (Buffalo Bills) is in Orchard Park.

Niagara County (the falls + canal towns)

~210,000 people:

• Niagara Falls (~49,000) — the falls themselves, tourism economy.
• Lockport (~20,000) — Erie Canal locks, the canal's eastern start.
• Tonawanda + North Tonawanda — the "Twin Cities" at the canal's western end.

The Southern Tier (rural belt)

The southwest corner of New York, ~250,000 people across Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany counties:

• Jamestown (~28,000) — Lucille Ball's hometown, the National Comedy Center.
• Dunkirk (~12,000) — Lake Erie port city.
• Fredonia (~10,000) — SUNY Fredonia campus town.
• Olean (~13,000) — Cattaraugus County, NY-PA border.
• Salamanca — built on Seneca Nation reservation land.

How 716 and 624 work together

For 70 years, Western New York was on a single area code. The story of how 624 joined:

1947: 716 launches

When the NANP went live, 716 covered all of Western and Upstate New York west of Syracuse — Buffalo, Rochester, the Southern Tier, the Finger Lakes, everything.

1999: 585 splits off (Rochester)

In 1999, the Rochester metro and Finger Lakes split off as 585. 716 was left with just the western 8 counties — Buffalo + Niagara + Southern Tier.

March 2017: 624 overlay added

By the mid-2010s, 716 was running low on numbers — even with the 585 split having freed up capacity for 18 years. On March 11, 2017, the New York PSC layered 624 as an overlay on top of 716. Same exact Western NY territory, second pool of numbers, 10-digit dialing became mandatory.

What it means for you

• Existing 716 numbers stayed 716. Nobody renumbered.
• New numbers issued since 2017 can come from either pool — 716 or 624.
• A 624 number is not "lesser" than a 716 number — they cover identical Western NY geography.
• 10-digit dialing is mandatory for every local call.

How the 716 area code works

Dialing rules:

The 716 time zone

716 runs on Eastern Time — the same clock as New York City, Boston, and Washington DC.

• Eastern Standard Time (EST): UTC−5 (winter)
• Eastern Daylight Time (EDT): UTC−4 (summer)

Reference clock — when it's 12:00 PM in 716 (Buffalo):

Why a 716 number helps your business

A 716 line tells a Buffalo healthcare network, a Niagara hotel, or a Jamestown manufacturer that you're part of the Western NY community.

• Higher pickup rates on outbound. Western NY is known for community loyalty — locals recognize 716 and answer.
• Geo-targeted ads land harder when the call-back number is local. A 716 on a billboard reads as a neighbor.
• Vanity numbers double as marketing — 716-BUFFALO, 716-NIAGARA, 716-BILLS, 716-WINGS.

And because it's a virtual number, you can hold a 716 line while based anywhere with internet.

How to get a 716 phone number

Five postcards, about five minutes start to first call.

1. Sign up — Open a free MCM account. No card needed to browse.
2. Search 716 — Filter live inventory by area code 716 (or 624).
3. Pick a number — Standard or vanity (e.g. 716-BUFFALO, 716-NIAGARA, 716-BILLS).
4. Pick a plan — Seat count + features. From $12 / user / month.
5. Go live — Activate, route to cell / desk phone / softphone, take your first call.

Porting an existing 716 number runs 5–10 business days in the background while you stay live on a temporary number.

Get a 716 virtual number →

ZIP codes in the 716 area code

The 716 / 624 region overlaps with roughly 180+ ZIP codes across Western NY. A sample by city:

(Source: USPS ZIP code data and New York Public Service Commission records.)

Frequently asked questions about the 716 area code

Sources

• North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA)
• New York Public Service Commission
• Wikipedia — Area codes 716 and 624
• USPS ZIP Code Lookup
• FCC — STIR/SHAKEN call authentication