Area code 878 covers Pittsburgh and surrounding communities in Pennsylvania.
Updated 8 October 2026
Area code 878 is in Pennsylvania, shown here with Pittsburgh marked.
Now in Pittsburgh
Eastern Time · UTC−5, UTC−4 in summer
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Typical business hours, 9 to 5 Monday to Friday.
Typical business hours, 9 to 5 Monday to Friday, shown as the blue arc. A guide to when a real Pittsburgh office is likely to answer. It says nothing about who called you.
Source: North American Numbering Plan Administrator, retrieved 8 October 2026.
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Is area code 878 a scam?
No. Area code 878 is a legitimate area code serving Pittsburgh since 2001. Scammers spoof caller ID to display 878 numbers, which is why complaints exist against a code that is itself genuine.
Neighbour spoofing is the reason a local-looking number is not a guarantee. A caller anywhere in the world can display a 878 number, and the number they display may belong to a real business in Pittsburgh that has nothing to do with the call.
The callerAnywhere in the worldSets the caller ID their equipment sends.
What is displayed(878) 251-9675May belong to a real Pittsburgh business.
Your phoneLooks localA nearby code and prefix make you likelier to answer.
146Area code 878 had 146 different numbers reported for spam calls in the 30 days to 8 October 2026.
308thArea code 878 ranks 308th of 331 US geographic area codes by spam complaint volume.
70%Of the 148 complaints about area code 878 in the 30 days to 8 October 2026, 70% were reported as a recorded message or robocall.
34%The most reported subject on area code 878 is reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans), appearing in 34% of its complaints in the 30 days to 8 October 2026.
Why am I getting text messages from area code 878?
Texts from 878 numbers follow the same pattern as calls — mostly local businesses and services. Treat any text asking for payment or credentials as suspect regardless of the code.
The common patterns are a wrong-number opener that turns into conversation, an unsolicited job offer, and a crypto or investment tip. Do not reply, do not follow the link, and forward the message to 7726 (SPAM) to report it to your carrier.
Pattern 1Wrong-number openerTurns into conversation.
Pattern 2Unsolicited job offerDo not reply, do not follow the link.
Pattern 3Crypto or investment tipTreat any payment ask as suspect.
Report it7726Forward the message. It spells SPAM on a keypad.
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Area codes that overlay 878
Area code 878 shares its geographic footprint with one other code: 412. Overlays are laid over an existing area rather than splitting it, so all local calls require the full ten-digit number.
Area code 878 overlays 412 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and part of the surrounding region, in service since 2001. Pittsburgh's economy finished its long conversion from steel to institutions decades ago. Health care and social assistance is the largest employment sector at 30,172 workers, driven by UPMC, the region's biggest employer, with educational services second at 25,297, anchored by the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon (Data USA, 2024). Professional, scientific, and technical services employs another 16,575, and the robotics and autonomy companies that grew out of Carnegie Mellon's labs keep that column growing.
Who lives in the 878 region
The city held 304,759 people in 2024, with a median household income of $65,742 and a median property value of $205,800, low for a major metro and a genuine recruiting advantage (Data USA, 2024). The median age of 33.6 reflects tens of thousands of students, and the foreign-born share has been rising, with India and China leading among origin countries statewide. The average Pittsburgh household owns one car, which says something about the city's compact, neighborhood-centered geography.
What an 878 number signals to a caller
An 878 number has been around since 2001, yet locals still describe 412 as the badge. "412" appears on t-shirts and in rap lyrics, and some businesses hold the older code the way others hold a vanity plate. Practically the two work identically. Callers describe Pittsburgh phone manners as friendly but unpretentious: people answer plainly, small talk is genuine rather than performed, and overselling reads badly in a city that watched its dominant industry collapse and rebuilt anyway. Modest claims, kept, go further here than big ones.
Area code 878 serves Pittsburgh and surrounding communities in Pennsylvania. It is in the Eastern Time zone.
What state is area code 878 in?
Area code 878 is in Pennsylvania.
Is area code 878 toll free?
No. Area code 878 is a geographic area code serving Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The toll-free codes are 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877, 888, and a call to a 878 number is charged at your normal rate.
Why am I getting calls from 878?
Calls displaying a 878 number come from businesses and individuals in the Pittsburgh area, and from anywhere at all when caller ID is spoofed to look local. 146 878 numbers were reported to the FTC in the 30 days to 8 October 2026.
How do I block calls from area code 878?
Both iOS and Android can silence calls from unknown numbers, and every major US carrier offers free call-blocking. Blocking the whole of area code 878 is rarely worth it, because spoofed numbers change constantly and you would lose legitimate calls from Pittsburgh.