Here’s a fun fact about the NFL (and it’s a fact also true for all four of the biggest pro sports leagues in North America, for that matter): if you took the amount of people who have ever played even one game in the league’s history and placed them all inside an NFL stadium, they wouldn’t even fill up a third of most stadiums’ capacities. It’s just not a lot of people.
So it’s no wonder that when someone makes it to the NFL, it’s definitely a Big Deal™. It’s such a big deal that it commonly inspires small towns to hoist their hometown heroes on city-limit signs, hang their jersey numbers from the high-school rafters, or as is the case with former Atlanta Falcons star Bud Dupree, feature his area code with his prolific tattoo ink. And he’s not the only athlete to rep his nostalgic area code. From college football to the NBA and the NFL, professional athletes across the country are constantly finding creative ways to pay public homage to their hometowns.
This got us thinking: which NFL player hometowns have produced the most players of all time?
The stats were admittedly a lot to tackle. But because we’re kind of nerdy, we took it a step further; we dug into the record books and broke down all major stats by each player’s league-listed birthplace area code to get an idea of which places in the U.S. merit the most hometown pride.
NFL By the Numbers (Area Code Numbers, that is)
- Area Codes that Produce the Most NFL Players
- Area Codes with the Best Stats
- Pro Bowl Area Codes
- Award-Winning Area Codes
- Hall of Fame Area Codes
Area Codes that Produce the Most NFL Players
If you zoom all the way out to analyze every person to ever wear an NFL uniform since the league’s inception in 1920, which hometown area from the U.S. is the clear winner?
All Time
Well, that would be the Los Angeles, California area! (And by more than an entire team’s worth of people!) Specifically, the 213 area code encompasses Downtown LA, as well as, of course, the University of Southern California (USC) campus.
After LA, next on the list is Chicago (312), followed closely by Houston, Texas (281).
Current Players
But things are pretty different if you look at NFL players currently in uniform (as of December 26, 2024).
The Atlanta, Georgia area codes 470 and 404 rank 1st and 6th, and boast an impressive combined 101 current players! Texas is also well represented, with Houston and Dallas both coming in strong at second and third place, respectively.
Area Codes with the Best Stats
Passing Stats
Okay, but let’s make this even more fun. We wanted to know which area codes have produced the best passers, rushers, and receivers all-time. Keep in mind that high individual achievers can single-handedly alter the results. (But that’s kind of the fun part, right?)
Somewhat surprising to us, Pittsburgh, PA (412) is king. The 412 area code is the all-time passing yards and touchdowns hometown champion! But this is likely unsurprising to NFL historians; the Pittsburgh area is home to some of the all-time greatest quarterbacks, like Dan Marino, Johnny Unitas, and Joe Montana. (Not to mention that the 724 also ranked in the top three for both, which is near the Pittsburgh-area too!*)
*For historical accuracy, it’s worth noting that our Pittsburgh-area data combines statistics from both the original 412 area code and the 724 area code that was split off in 1998. Notable players like Joe Montana, Dan Marino, and Fred Cox (the Vikings’ all-time leading scorer) were born when the entire region was served by the single 412 area code, reflecting the historical connection of the Greater Pittsburgh region in producing exceptional NFL talent.
Speaking of passing, we don’t want to pass by these other notable NFL passer-producing areas, specifically California. Los Angeles (213), San Francisco (415), San Joaquin Valley (559) are all places that excel at launching passers into their NFL careers. Check out the rest of the list for many more.
Rushing Stats
If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that passers and rushers are different breeds (with different hometowns).
Taking the ball and running with it, so to speak, is the Jackson, Mississippi area (601), which has produced by far the most NFL rushing yards. You can definitely thank Bears legend Walter Payton for that (not to mention Deuce McAllister and Wilbert Montgomery). The northern part of Texas (430) is in second place for both categories as well. (And shoutout to the Houston and Pittsburgh areas, once again.)
Receiving Yards & Touchdowns
Finally, let’s see where the best receivers in NFL history hail from.
The City of Angels tops the list once again (213), thanks in large part to “The Greatest Show On Turf”, then St. Louis Rams, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, both from the Los Angeles area. Landing in second place for both categories is the Miami, Florida area (305), with a lot of help from Cowboys great Michael Irvin and Texas sensation Andre Johnson.
Pro Bowl Area Codes
Whatever you think of the Pro Bowl itself, these areas have most consistently produced the best players of the year.
Area Codes Earning Pro Bowl Selections
It’s a tight race, but Los Angeles has produced the most frequent Pro Bowl selections, and is in a tie with Houston for the highest number of individual players who have received the honor (52 apiece!).
Texas and Chicago areas also continue to shine as amazing breeding-grounds for the best players year in and year out.
Award-Winning Area Codes
End of year awards, like the MVP award, are highly competitive (and even more hotly debated). But regardless of the difference of opinion, they’re still an interesting way to measure where NFL greatness is sourced.
Major NFL Awards by Area Code
With a convincing lead, New Orleans, LA is the most decorated hometown in the NFL. Many of those MVP awards are gracing the shelves of New Orleans greats Peyton Manning and Marshall Faulk, which The Big Easy can thank for the honor.
Northern Texas (430) and Pittsburgh (412) unsurprisingly round out the top three producers of equipment-winners. Northern Texas is a great example of how an area code can extend out into rural areas, not just major cities; the rural top of Texas has been producing NFL greats from as far back as Y.A. Tittle and Earl Campbell, to as recent as Adrian Peterson and Patrick Mahomes.
All-Pro Selections
One more measure of greatness is what’s called the “All-Pro” team, which is a media-given honor that democratically names the best player by position every single year. (Fans of defensive players, you can finally rejoice!)
And wouldn’t you know it, running back to the top of the charts, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles take the cake once again. But we’ve already heard a bit about both of those areas, so we’re going to call out the impressive fifth place finish of Detroit, MI (we really just wanted to shout out Mill “The Thrill” Coleman and Tyrone Wheatley.)
In fact, look for Detroit to keep climbing these charts in the future; last year, a survey of NFL players showed that the majority of all players hailed from Detroit-area high schools.
Hall of Fame Area Codes
Finally, here are the best-of-the-best: The Hall of Famers. This is the greatest honor any professional athlete can achieve in their field (sorry). Even repping a single, solitary Hall of Fame player is a huge honor. And in fact, only one place can (barely) claim an astounding double-digit number of members belonging to the Hall of Fame fraternity.
Yes, football heaven Pittsburgh, PA (412), once again showcases why the area is famous for its fans, teams, and players. Contending in a three-way tie (!) for second place are Northeast Ohio (234), Chicago-area (312), and Southwestern PA (724).
And that’s a wrap for our exploration of area codes producing the most famous American football players of all time. Our tip-of-the-helmet to the greatest NFL player hometowns of the last century! Go ahead and rep those area codes with even more satisfaction, just like some of the biggest football legends in NFL history have for over 100 years… and counting!
Illustrations by Daniel Fishel
Methodology
Statistics, awards, and biographical data, including birth city for every player in NFL history, were pulled from Pro Football Reference. All statistical data is accurate as of the date it was pulled (12/26/2024).
Player birthplaces were cross-referenced against a list of more than 45,000 cities compiled and maintained by AllAreaCodes.com to determine from which area codes U.S. players originate.
Player statistics and awards from each area code were added together to determine the area codes that have produced the most successful players across various statistical and honorific categories.
