The 573 area code covers the eastern half of Missouri outside the St. Louis metro area, including Columbia, Jefferson City, Cape Girardeau, Rolla, Hannibal, and Sikeston, and uses Central Time. It has been in service since January 7, 1996, and since 2024, it has shared its region with an overlay code, 235.
573 Area Code Fast Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| State | Missouri |
| Region | Eastern/central and southeastern Missouri (excludes St. Louis metro) |
| Major cities | Columbia, Jefferson City, Cape Girardeau, Rolla, Hannibal, Sikeston, Farmington, Poplar Bluff |
| Time zone | Central Time (CT / America-Chicago) |
| In service since | January 7, 1996 |
| Split from | Area code 314 |
| Overlay code | 235 (added March 24, 2024) |
| Dialing rule | 10-digit local dialing required (area code + number) |
| Counties covered | About 50, including Boone, Cole, Cape Girardeau, and Scott counties |
Where Is the 573 Area Code Located?
The area code 573 covers most of eastern Missouri, but it does not include the immediate St. Louis metro area, which uses 314 and its overlay, 557. Instead, 573 stretches from the northeastern corner of the state near Hannibal, down through the Lake of the Ozarks region, across to Cape Girardeau on the Mississippi River, and south into the Missouri Bootheel near Doniphan and Caruthersville.
Major cities served by 573
History: Why Missouri Has a 573 Area Code
Area code 573 missouri was carved out of area code 314 on January 7, 1996. Originally, 314 covered eastern Missouri, including St. Louis. As phone numbers, especially fax lines, pagers, and eventually cell phones, multiplied through the 1990s, the state needed a split. St. Louis and its immediate suburbs kept 314, while the rest of eastern and southeastern Missouri became the new 573 territory.
The 235 Overlay: What Changed in 2024
By the early 2020s, the 573 region was running low on available phone numbers. Rather than splitting the region again, which would force some residents to change their area code, regulators chose an overlay. On March 24, 2024, area code 235 was added on top of the same geographic footprint as 573.
What Time Zone Is 573 In?
The entire 573/235 region is in the Central Time Zone and observes Daylight Saving Time with the rest of Missouri. If you’re calling from the East Coast, subtract one hour; from the West Coast, add two hours.
Who’s Calling From a 573 Number? Is It a Scam?
Not every 573 call is spam; the area code serves over a million real residents, businesses, government offices (including the Missouri state government in Jefferson City), and two major universities. That said, scammers often use area codes in neighbor spoofing, where they fake a local caller ID to make you more likely to answer.
How to Dial a 573 Number
Because of the 235 overlay, you must always dial 10 digits for local calls in the region:
Dialing just the 7-digit number will no longer connect, even for calls within the same town.
Getting a 573 Phone Number
Businesses expanding into mid-Missouri, or people who want a local-sounding number for the Columbia, Jefferson City, or Cape Girardeau area, can get a 573 number through:
A local area code can help a business appear more established to customers in that region, even if the company itself isn’t physically based there.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Conclusion
The area code 573 location identifies a caller or number as tied to eastern and southeastern Missouri, from the college town of Columbia to the river city of Cape Girardeau to the small towns of the Bootheel. Since 2024, it shares that footprint with the 235 overlay, and every local call now requires 10-digit dialing.
