Surprising number of US pay phones are still in use

Most households in America have gotten rid of their landlines and replaced them with cell phones, according to the US Health Department.

But what about pay phones? Are those still being used?

According to CNN Money, there are still 100,000 active pay phones in the U.S., compared to 2 million in 1999.

Although 95 percent of Americans have cell phones, there are still a little over a thousand companies operating pay phones, reports Pew Research.

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Most households in the US have gotten rid of their landlines and replaced them

And in 2015, pay phone providers reported $286 million dollars in revenue, according to the FCC.

CNN Money reports pay phones can still be profitable in places where there isn’t cell phone or landline coverage.

One entrepreneur told the outlet that pay phones are a lifeline during emergencies and natural disasters because they stay intact when cell networks go down.

However, even low-income Americans who once depended on pay phones are now relying on prepaid phones or subsidies on cell phones instead.