901 Area Code: Memphis TN Location, Time Zone & Scam Check (2026)
The 901 area code covers Memphis, Tennessee — birthplace of rock 'n' roll, the blues, and soul music. Learn its history as an original 1947 area code, Central time zone, scam risk, and how to call Memphis internationally.
Quick Answer
The 901 area code covers Memphis, Tennessee and the surrounding metro area (Shelby, Tipton, and Fayette counties). It's in the Central time zone (UTC-6 / UTC-5 during DST). One of the original 86 area codes from 1947, 901 serves the birthplace of rock 'n' roll, the blues, and soul music — and still uses 7-digit dialing with no overlay.
Where Is the 901 Area Code?
The 901 area code covers Memphis and its immediate suburbs in southwestern Tennessee — sitting on the Fourth Chickasaw Bluff, 40-50 feet above the Mississippi River floodplain. The city is the largest on the Mississippi (bigger than St. Louis, New Orleans, or Minneapolis by city-limits population) and sits at the crossroads of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas.
Originally, 901 covered the entire state of Tennessee. After four successive splits (615 in 1954, 423 in 1995, 865 in 1999, and 731 in 2001), it shrank to just three counties: Shelby, Tipton, and Fayette. Remarkably, 901 has never been overlaid — one of the few major metro area codes in the US without one.
Neighboring Area Codes
West Tennessee
Jackson (split from 901)
Northern Mississippi
Tupelo, Oxford
Eastern Arkansas
West Memphis
History of the 901 Area Code
Area code 901 is a piece of American telecommunications history — one of the original 86 codes assigned when AT&T launched the North American Numbering Plan on January 1, 1947. Back then, 901 covered the entire state of Tennessee. The "9-0-1" format follows the original NANP convention where a middle digit of 0 or 1 indicated an area code (not a local exchange).
Memphis was founded on May 22, 1819, by John Overton, James Winchester, and Andrew Jackson (the future president). It was named after Memphis, Egypt — drawing a deliberate parallel between its position on the Mississippi and the ancient capital on the Nile.
| Code | Year | Type | What Happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| 901 | 1947 | Original | One of the original 86 NANP area codes. Covered the entire state of Tennessee. |
| 615 | 1954 | Split | Eastern two-thirds of Tennessee splits off. 901 retains all of West Tennessee. |
| 423 | 1995 | Split | East Tennessee (Chattanooga, Knoxville, Tri-Cities) splits from 615. |
| 865 | 1999 | Split | Knoxville and central East Tennessee splits from 423. |
| 731 | 2001 | Split | February 12 — most of West Tennessee outside metro Memphis splits from 901. 901 shrinks to Shelby, Tipton, and Fayette counties. |
| 629 | 2014 | Overlay | Nashville area (615) gets its first overlay. |
Still 7 digits: Because 901 has never been overlaid, Memphis is one of the largest US cities where you can still dial just 7 digits for local calls. Most other major metros switched to mandatory 10-digit dialing years ago. This is projected to last until at least 2035.
901 Area Code Time Zone & Best Time to Call
The entire 901 coverage area is in the Central Time Zone (CT) — UTC-6 during standard time and UTC-5 during daylight saving time.
Best Time to Call Memphis
- Business calls: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM CT
- Personal calls: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM CT
- Avoid: Before 8:00 AM and after 9:00 PM
- From East Coast (ET): Subtract 1 hour (12 PM ET = 11 AM CT)
- From West Coast (PT): Add 2 hours (9 AM PT = 11 AM CT)
International Time Differences
- London (GMT/BST): Memphis is 6 hours behind
- Mumbai (IST): Memphis is 11.5 hours behind
- Tokyo (JST): Memphis is 15 hours behind
- Sydney (AEST): Memphis is 16 hours behind
- Mexico City (CST): Same time zone
Use our Best Time to Call tool to convert between Memphis and any time zone instantly.
Is 901 a Spam Area Code?
The 901 area code is completely legitimate — it serves approximately 1 million people in the Memphis metro. But Tennessee has a serious robocall problem: the state ranks second-highest nationally for robocall complaints per capita, with over 1,000 FTC complaints per 100,000 people.
Memphis specifically ranks second for robocalls per capita among US metro areas, trailing only Atlanta. Nationally, scam and telemarketing calls averaged 2.56 billion per month through September 2025 — a six-year high. Money lost to phone scams increased 16% year-over-year.
| Scam Type | Prevalence | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| IRS impersonation | #1 type | Callers threatening arrest for unpaid taxes — Tennessee ranks 2nd nationally for robocall complaints per capita |
| Auto warranty scams | ~12% | Persistent robocalls about vehicle warranty expiration — one of the most common robocall types in the Southeast |
| Medicare enrollment fraud | ~8% | Fake Medicare representatives offering non-existent benefits or requesting Social Security numbers |
| Utility shutoff threats | Rising | Callers posing as MLGW (Memphis Light, Gas & Water) threatening immediate disconnection unless payment is made |
| One-ring callback scams | Common | Brief calls from spoofed 901 numbers designed to get you to call back a premium-rate number |
Got a suspicious call from a 901 number? Use our Spam Number Checker to look up the number. You can also use the Area Code Lookup tool to verify where any US number originates.
How to Call a 901 Number from Outside the US
Dialing Format by Country
+1 901 XXX XXXX00 1 901 XXX XXXX00 1 901 XXX XXXX00 1 901 XXX XXXX0011 1 901 XXX XXXXCall Memphis Numbers with BubblyPhone
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View RatesMajor Cities & Communities in the 901 Area Code
| City / Community | Population (2025 est.) | County |
|---|---|---|
| Memphis | 629,000 | Shelby |
| Bartlett | 56,000 | Shelby |
| Collierville | 51,300 | Shelby |
| Germantown | 40,300 | Shelby |
| Arlington | 15,300 | Shelby |
| Lakeland | 12,400 | Shelby |
| Millington | 11,500 | Shelby |
| Atoka | 10,000 | Tipton |
| Covington | 8,660 | Tipton |
| Oakland | 6,620 | Fayette |
| Munford | 6,300 | Tipton |
| Bolivar | 5,060 | Hardeman |
| Somerville | 3,200 | Fayette |
| Brighton | 3,000 | Tipton |
| Piperton | 1,450 | Fayette |
What Makes the 901 Area Code Region Unique
Sun Studio & Stax: Where Music Was Born
Sun Studio (706 Union Ave, opened 1950) launched Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins. The "Million Dollar Quartet" jam session happened here on December 4, 1956. Across town, Stax Records created Southern soul — Isaac Hayes won the first Oscar for a Black composer (Shaft, 1971). Otis Redding recorded "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" days before his death.
FedEx: Why Memphis?
Fred Smith's Yale paper on overnight delivery (legend says his professor gave it a C) became Federal Express. He moved to Memphis in 1973 for three reasons: the airport's proximity to the US geographic population center, mild weather (fewer flight delays), and the Central Time Zone (an extra hour over East Coast hubs). Today Memphis International is the busiest cargo airport in the world — despite being only the 42nd-largest metro.
St. Jude: Danny Thomas's Promise
When Danny Thomas was a struggling performer, he put his last $7 in an offering box and prayed to St. Jude (patron saint of hopeless causes). A week later he got a gig paying 10x more. He kept his vow, founding St. Jude Children's Research Hospital on February 4, 1962 — the first fully racially integrated hospital in the South. Childhood cancer survival went from 20% to over 80%. No family ever receives a bill.
Memphis BBQ: Wet vs. Dry
Memphis BBQ centers on pork ribs and pulled shoulder, smoked over hickory. The great debate: dry ribs (paprika, garlic, cayenne rub — no sauce) vs. wet ribs (tangy tomato-vinegar sauce). Rendezvous (est. 1948) invented the dry rub style. Memphis also created BBQ spaghetti — noodles tossed in BBQ sauce with pulled pork at The Bar-B-Q Shop. The World Championship BBQ contest (est. 1978) is called the "Super Bowl of Swine."
Memphis by the Numbers
Notable Landmarks in the 901 Area Code
National Civil Rights Museum (Lorraine Motel)
On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on the balcony of Room 306. He was in Memphis to support 1,300 sanitation workers striking under the banner "I Am a Man." The motel is now a museum chronicling the civil rights movement, with Room 306 preserved exactly as it was. The wreath on the balcony marks where King fell.
Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid
A 321-foot-tall pyramid on the Mississippi (originally a 20,142-seat arena, built 1991). Reopened in 2015 as a Bass Pro megastore with a hotel, restaurants, bowling alley, 600,000 gallons of aquariums, and the tallest freestanding elevator in the United States leading to an observation deck over the river.
The Peabody Hotel Duck March
Started in the 1930s when the General Manager placed live hunting decoys in the lobby fountain after "a little too much Tennessee sippin' whiskey." Five mallards now march on a red carpet at 11 AM and 5 PM daily to Sousa's "King Cotton March." They live in a $200,000 marble-and-glass "Royal Duck Palace" on the rooftop. Historian David Cohn wrote: "The Mississippi Delta begins in the lobby of The Peabody."
Big River Crossing
Opened October 22, 2016 — the longest public pedestrian bridge across the Mississippi River at nearly one mile. Free to use, it connects Memphis to West Memphis, Arkansas, making it the longest active rail/bicycle/pedestrian bridge in the country.
Shelby Farms Park
At 4,500 acres, one of the largest urban parks in the United States — five times the size of Central Park. Features trails, lakes, a bison herd, and the Shelby Farms Greenline connecting the park to downtown Memphis.
Major Companies in the 901 Area Code
Memphis is the logistics capital of America: 3,600+ logistics companies employ 119,000 people — the highest concentration of any US metro. The city sits on the 3rd busiest trucking corridor, has the 2nd busiest Mississippi port, and is served by 5 Class I railroads. The supply chain sector alone contributes $18.9 billion to the regional economy.
| Company | Sector | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| FedEx | Logistics — $90B+ revenue, world's busiest cargo airport | ~30,000 local |
| AutoZone | Auto parts retail — 6,400+ stores, ~$18B revenue | HQ in Memphis |
| International Paper | Paper/pulp — world's largest, $21.7B revenue | HQ in Memphis |
| St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | Pediatric research — no family ever receives a bill | 5,000+ |
| First Horizon National | Banking and financial services | ~6,000 |
| Smith & Nephew | Medical devices — orthopedics, wound care | ~7,000 |
| Baptist Memorial Health Care | Healthcare system — largest in Memphis region | ~11,500 |
| ServiceMaster / Terminix | Home services and pest control | HQ in Memphis |
Related Area Codes
Frequently Asked Questions About the 901 Area Code
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