The region represented by the 608 area code encompasses the south central and southwest parts of Wisconsin and is home to cities such as Beloit, Janesville, Madison, and La Crosse. And it’s attracting more and more people, according to Applied Population Lab research analyst and demographer David Egan-Robertson.

He says the 608 area has experienced the largest percentage increase in population of any of the state’s five regions in the last 20 years. That’s 18% growth vs. 8% for the rest of Wisconsin combined. The area is now expected to run out of unique combinations of “assign- able prefixes” (which are the three-digit sequences that follow an area code) by the first quarter of 2024. After that happens, customers will be assigned phone numbers starting with a new 353 area code.

This article was posted in Economic and Community Development, Number Crunching, Spring 2023 and tagged 353 area code, 608 area code, Applied Population Laboratory, Community and Environmental Sociology, David Egan-Robertson, demographics.