Public Infrastructure · Telecom · United States

The Last Payphones

2,031 public telephones mapped by OpenStreetMap contributors — fragments of a national network that peaked at 2.6 million in 1995. Search by city, address, or ZIP to find phones near you. Each dot is a place where someone can still pick up a receiver and hear a dial tone.

2,031

OSM-mapped phones

~100K

est. still operating

2.6M

peak · 1995

−96%

decline since peak

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Decline timeline

1960sMojave homestead phones installed — service for remote communities

1984AT&T breakup opens payphone market to independent operators

1995Peak: 2.6M payphones across the US

1999Mojave Phone Booth goes viral — first internet-era payphone moment

2000Rapid decline begins as cell phone penetration crosses 50%

2006Sprint sells its payphone division

2008AT&T exits payphone business

2011Verizon sells remaining phones; 1,000+ independent operators take over

2015FCC: major payphone providers earned $286M

2018~100,000 remain — one-fifth in New York

May 2022Last NYC street payphone kiosk removed; acquired by city museum

20262,031 phones mapped in OSM; actual count unknown but declining

Location data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · amenity=telephone nodes · Overpass API query Aug 18 2026 · OSM coverage is incomplete; actual US payphone count far exceeds this dataset · Industry figures: FCC 2015 Payphone Report; CNN Money 2018 · Stories: Atlas Obscura, NBC News · PhreakNet and PayFoneMap maintain curated verified lists · ← Hate Crimes Map · Seismic Map →