SSN Area Numbers

Alabama’s pre-2011 area numbers sit in the 416–424 band. That band followed the mailing address on the original application, so a number in this range does not prove the cardholder was born in Alabama.

Alaska was assigned a single area number, 574, before randomization. Sparse population meant one three-digit area was enough for decades of cards issued from Alaskan mailing addresses.

Arizona first used 526–527, then 600–601, and later 764–765. Extra bands were how SSA avoided running out of numbers in fast-growing Sun Belt states before 2011.

Arkansas area numbers began at 429–432. A later block, 676–679, was added when the original allocation could no longer cover demand from Arkansas mailing addresses.

California received one of the largest historic allocations: 545–573, then 602–626. Size reflects population and in-migration, not a special numbering scheme unique to the state.

Colorado’s original 521–524 block was later joined by 650–653. Both ranges only describe where the application was addressed before 25 June 2011.

Connecticut used a compact northeastern block, 040–049. Early area numbers were generally lower in New England because SSA issued from the northeast westward.

Delaware’s historic areas are 221–222. Two area numbers were sufficient for a small state; group and serial digits did the rest of the uniqueness work.

Florida needed several expansions (261–267, then 589–595, then 766–772) as retirees and new residents filed applications from Florida addresses.

Georgia’s first block was 252–260. The later 667–675 range skipped 666, which SSA has never assigned as an area number.

Hawaii first used 575–576 and later received 750–751. Like other geographically distant jurisdictions, it kept a compact allocation rather than a wide continental band.

Idaho’s historic areas are 518–519. Mountain West states typically received short ranges that were later reused only through group and serial assignment.

Illinois was given a wide midwestern block, 318–361, reflecting Chicago-area volume. Width of a range is about expected applications, not prestige or card type.

Indiana used 303–317. The block sits between Ohio and Illinois on the historic map because SSA laid area numbers out roughly from east to west.

Iowa’s allocation is 478–485. A number in this range only means the original application used an Iowa mailing ZIP, not that the person still lives there.

Kansas was assigned 509–515. Plains states received modest blocks; when those filled, SSA added later high-number ranges to other states first.

Kentucky’s historic areas run 400–407. Group numbers inside each area were issued in SSA’s odd-then-even administrative order, not by county.

Louisiana started with 433–439 and later received 659–665. The second block is a reminder that “one state, one range” was never the full story.

Maine holds one of the lowest area bands, 004–007. Low numbers are a northeast-first artifact of the 1930s rollout, not a mark of an older person.

Maryland used 212–220. After 1972, cards were issued centrally and the area followed the ZIP on the application, which might be a military, student, or family address.

Massachusetts received 010–034, a large early block. That is why many older New England numbers look “small” in the first three digits.

Michigan’s 362–386 range covered a large industrial population. Auto-industry migration means a Michigan-area card can belong to someone who spent adulthood elsewhere.

Minnesota was allocated 468–477. Twin Cities volume and rural applications shared the same area pool; the digits do not encode city versus farm.

Mississippi used 425–428, later 587–588, and a late expansion at 752–755. Several short blocks, not a single wide one, covered the state’s application volume.

Missouri’s historic areas are 486–500. St. Louis and Kansas City applications sat in the same statewide pool as smaller post offices.

Montana received 516–517. Low-population states often have two-area allocations that look tiny next to California or New York.

Nebraska used 505–508. The range is historical geography only; a 2012 card issued to an Omaha address will not follow this chart.

Nevada started with area 530 and later added 680 as Las Vegas and other cities grew. Two scattered numbers are still a complete historic allocation.

New Hampshire was assigned the first area numbers, 001–003. They are famous for being first, not for belonging to any particular generation.

New Jersey used 135–158, a dense mid-Atlantic block. Commuters who applied from a New York or Pennsylvania address can fall outside this range entirely.

New Mexico’s chart is non-contiguous: 525, 585, and 648–649. SSA sometimes handed leftover high numbers to states that had already used their first block.

New York received one of the widest early allocations, 050–134. The well-known sample number 078-05-1120 sits inside this historic New York band.

North Carolina appears as 232, 237–246, and 681–690. SSA charts also list 232 with West Virginia; treat 232 as a shared historical footnote, not a home address.

Area 232 is listed for both North Carolina and West Virginia. On the detailed SSA chart, group 30 of area 232 is North Carolina; 232–236 except group 30 is West Virginia. We do not split by group, so 232 stays ambiguous.

Shared listing with West Virginia.

North Dakota used 501–502. Two area numbers covered the state’s applications until randomization ended geographic assignment.

Ohio’s 268–302 block is large, matching mid-century industrial employment. A Cleveland-area application and a rural one share the same three-digit pool.

Oklahoma was assigned 440–448. Native American, oil-field, and city applications were not given separate area numbers.

Oregon used 540–544. Pacific Northwest allocations sit just below Washington’s 531–539 and California’s much larger western blocks.

Pennsylvania received 159–211, a wide mid-Atlantic range. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh did not get exclusive prefixes; the state shared one pool.

Rhode Island’s historic areas are 035–039. Small geography, small band. Uniqueness still came from group and serial digits.

South Carolina used 247–251 and later 654–658. The second block is a late expansion, not a different kind of Social Security Number.

South Dakota was assigned 503–504, immediately after North Dakota’s 501–502 on the historic list.

Tennessee’s original areas run 408–415, with a later block at 756–763. Enumeration at Birth later meant many numbers were issued to hospitals, still using the application ZIP, not the child’s future hometown.

Texas needed two large blocks, 449–467 and 627–645. Growth, not a special Texas format, is why the state appears twice on the allocation chart.

Utah used 528–529 and later 646–647. Both ranges are pre-randomization geography only.

Vermont holds 008–009, among the earliest area numbers. They sit between Maine and Massachusetts on the northeast sequence.

Virginia’s original 223–231 block was later joined by 691–699. Military and federal-worker addresses in Virginia are a common reason a card does not match a childhood home.

Washington state used 531–539. Do not confuse this with Washington, D.C., which used 577–579.

West Virginia is listed as 232–236. Because 232 also appears with North Carolina on SSA charts, a 232 area number is historically ambiguous.

Area 232 is listed for both West Virginia and North Carolina. On the detailed SSA chart, 232–236 except group 30 is West Virginia; group 30 of 232 is North Carolina. We do not split by group, so 232 stays ambiguous.

Shared listing with North Carolina.

Wisconsin received 387–399. The block sits after Michigan and before Kentucky on the classic east-to-west layout.

Wyoming used a single area number, 520. One area with 99 groups and 9,999 serials per group was enough for the state’s application volume.

Washington, D.C. was allocated 577–579. Cards issued to District mailing addresses used these areas even when the applicant later lived in Maryland or Virginia.

Puerto Rico appears as 580–584 and 596–599. Area 580 is also listed for the U.S. Virgin Islands, so that single number is shared on the historic chart.

Area 580 is also listed for the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Shared listing with U.S. Virgin Islands.

The U.S. Virgin Islands share area 580 with Puerto Rico on SSA allocation charts. Treat 580 as a Caribbean possession mark, not a precise island.

Area 580 is also listed for Puerto Rico.

Shared listing with Puerto Rico.

Area 586 is the public-chart code for Guam, American Samoa, and the Philippine Islands. SSA also used it for some Americans employed abroad by U.S. employers. It is a possession and program code, not a U.S. state.

Areas 700–728 were reserved for Railroad Retirement Board enumerations, not a geographic state. SSA stopped issuing new numbers in this band on 1 July 1963. After 25 June 2011, unused numbers from this series may be assigned at random, so a 700-series prefix is historic context, not proof of a railroad job.

Areas 729–733 were associated with Enumeration at Entry: numbers assigned through immigration processes rather than a state field office. They are not a birth-state code. After randomization, unused numbers in this band may also be assigned nationwide.