Area Code 872 Location

Area code 872 serves the entire City of Chicago, Illinois, as an all-services overlay to 312 and 773. It covers Chicago from the downtown Loop to the North, West, and South Sides, but it does not include suburban areas. Introduced to expand numbering capacity, 872 was put into service on November 7, 2009 (NANPA). Because it’s an overlay, local calls within 312/773/872 use 10‑digit dialing.

This Chicago area code reaches many of the city’s best-known landmarks and neighborhoods, including:

• The Loop and the Magnificent Mile
• Millennium Park and Navy Pier
• Wrigley Field and the United Center
• The Museum Campus and Soldier Field
• Hyde Park and the University of Chicago
• O’Hare and Midway International Airports

As an overlay, phone numbers with 872 can be assigned anywhere within the city alongside 312 and 773, so the code itself doesn’t mark a specific neighborhood. It’s a practical sign of Chicago’s growth in mobile phones, businesses, and connected devices. Fun history: 312 is one of the original 1947 area codes, 773 launched in 1996, and 872 followed to meet demand in 2009. “Chicago’s population is about 2.7 million” (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020), which helps explain why multiple Chicago area codes—872, 312, and 773—serve the same urban footprint.