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Data Study

US States With the Fastest Internet

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The COVID-19 pandemic brought into focus an indisputable fact about the US today: access to quality internet service is key to full participation in society and the economy. As workplaces and schools moved online and households increasingly relied on internet-enabled services like ecommerce and streaming platforms, those with good internet service were better able to manage the transition than those without.

Internet Inequality

But inequitable access to high-speed internet has been an issue for much longer than the last two years. Policymakers and business leaders — especially those from low-income and rural communities — have long advocated for increased investment in broadband infrastructure to unlock greater economic opportunities in underprivileged areas.

These efforts, along with the access issues raised during the pandemic, have inspired major action over the last two years. Federal COVID relief legislation like the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan included funds to support broadband expansion. And a $65 billion investment in broadband was one of the major components of the bipartisan infrastructure package signed into law last November.

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Growth of Internet Use

The importance of connecting more Americans has grown as the internet has become a more ubiquitous part of society and the economy over time. Beginning in the 1990s, the internet moved from primarily government and academic uses to application for communications, business, and other wide-ranging uses.

By 2000, just over half of US adults reported using the internet in some capacity. And innovations like ecommerce and smartphones encouraged even greater adoption in the two decades since. Today, 93% of American adults report using the internet, according to a recent survey by Pew Research Center.

Nearly every American adult reports using the internet in some capacity

Digital Divide

While internet use is certainly common, some populations and parts of the country may face greater barriers to reliable internet access. Experts refer to a “digital divide” between those who have reliable access to internet technologies and those who do not.

Low income, rural, and minority households all tend to have less access to quality internet service and related technologies. In some cases, these households cannot afford the cost of service. But in others, internet providers may not service their communities at all for financial or logistical reasons.

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Geographic Inequality

The Southeast is the region of the US that lags furthest behind the rest of the country when it comes to broadband internet access, along with access to computers in the home. In Mississippi, for example, just over half (50.1%) of all households have access to broadband internet, and only around 64.2% have a desktop or laptop computer.

In contrast, many states in the Northeast and West have much better access to technology. New Hampshire leads all states in the share of households with broadband internet access, at 79.9%, and Utah leads in the share of households with a computer, at 87.5%.

The Southeast lags behind other states in computer and internet use

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Less Internet Often Means Worse Internet

Further, there are some signs that states with fewer households able to access the internet also have worse internet quality overall. States with a higher percentage of households that have broadband also tend to have higher average download speeds.

There is a similar but weaker correlation between the percentage of households with a computer and average download speeds.

There is a loose positive correlation between computer/internet use and internet speed

Many of the states that lead in download speeds are densely populated and have strong economies, which helps service providers justify the cost of building infrastructure.

States in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions are among those with the fastest internet, but residents of other well-populated and prospering states like California, Texas, and Florida also enjoy excellent internet speeds.

The internet speed data used in this analysis is from HighSpeedInternet.com’s Fastest and Slowest States for Internet Speeds report. Statistics on internet and computer access are from the US Census Bureau and Pew Research Center.

For the purpose of this analysis, statistics on broadband access include high-speed internet subscriptions, such as cable or DSL, and do not include cellular data plans.

To determine the states with the fastest internet, researchers at HotDog.com ranked states based on the average download speed measured in megabits per second (Mbps).

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US States With the Fastest Average Internet Speeds

Here are the states with the fastest internet.

New York, NY
Photo Credit: William Perugini / Shutterstock

15. New York

  • Average download speed (Mbps): 121.8
  • Average download speed (compared to average): 2.3% faster
  • Percentage of households with broadband internet: 73.4%
  • Percentage of households with a desktop or laptop computer: 78.6%

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Chicago, IL
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock

14. Illinois

  • Average download speed (Mbps): 122.8
  • Average download speed (compared to average): 3.2% faster
  • Percentage of households with broadband internet: 70.3%
  • Percentage of households with a desktop or laptop computer: 78.1%
Seattle, WA
Photo Credit: CSNafzger / Shutterstock

13. Washington

  • Average download speed (Mbps): 124.3
  • Average download speed (compared to average): 4.5% faster
  • Percentage of households with broadband internet: 77.7%
  • Percentage of households with a desktop or laptop computer: 84.9%
Denver, CO
Photo Credit: Nicholas Courtney / Shutterstock

12. Colorado

  • Average download speed (Mbps): 125.0
  • Average download speed (compared to average): 5.0% faster
  • Percentage of households with broadband internet: 76.2%
  • Percentage of households with a desktop or laptop computer: 85.0%
Nashua, NH
Photo Credit: Jon Bilous / Shutterstock

11. New Hampshire

  • Average download speed (Mbps): 127.7
  • Average download speed (compared to average): 7.3% faster
  • Percentage of households with broadband internet: 79.9%
  • Percentage of households with a desktop or laptop computer: 84.5%
Tampa, FL
Photo Credit: Kevin J King / Shutterstock

10. Florida

  • Average download speed (Mbps): 127.8
  • Average download speed (compared to average): 7.4% faster
  • Percentage of households with broadband internet: 72.1%
  • Percentage of households with a desktop or laptop computer: 80.2%
Atlanta, GA
Photo Credit: f11photo / Shutterstock

9. Georgia

  • Average download speed (Mbps): 128.0
  • Average download speed (compared to average): 7.5% faster
  • Percentage of households with broadband internet: 69.3%
  • Percentage of households with a desktop or laptop computer: 77.7%
Long Beach, CA
Photo Credit: Ingus Kruklitis / Shutterstock

8. California

  • Average download speed (Mbps): 131.0
  • Average download speed (compared to average): 10.1% faster
  • Percentage of households with broadband internet: 75.2%
  • Percentage of households with a desktop or laptop computer: 82.8%
Austin, TX
Photo Credit: ShengYing Lin / Shutterstock

7. Texas

  • Average download speed (Mbps): 133.7
  • Average download speed (compared to average): 12.3% faster
  • Percentage of households with broadband internet: 66.8%
  • Percentage of households with a desktop or laptop computer: 76.3%
Providence, RI
Photo Credit: ESB Professional / Shutterstock

6. Rhode Island

  • Average download speed (Mbps): 134.5
  • Average download speed (compared to average): 13.0% faster
  • Percentage of households with broadband internet: 75.0%
  • Percentage of households with a desktop or laptop computer: 78.1%
Cambridge, MA
Photo Credit: Roman Babakin / Shutterstock

5. Massachusetts

  • Average download speed (Mbps): 138.1
  • Average download speed (compared to average): 16.0% faster
  • Percentage of households with broadband internet: 78.7%
  • Percentage of households with a desktop or laptop computer: 82.2%
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Photo Credit: Alexandr Junek Imaging / Shutterstock

4. Virginia

  • Average download speed (Mbps): 139.6
  • Average download speed (compared to average): 17.3% faster
  • Percentage of households with broadband internet: 71.0%
  • Percentage of households with a desktop or laptop computer: 80.6%
Baltimore, MD
Photo Credit: Olivier Le Queinec / Shutterstock

3. Maryland

  • Average download speed (Mbps): 144.3
  • Average download speed (compared to average): 21.2% faster
  • Percentage of households with broadband internet: 76.5%
  • Percentage of households with a desktop or laptop computer: 83.3%
Trenton, NJ
Photo Credit: Henryk Sadura / Shutterstock

2. New Jersey

  • Average download speed (Mbps): 144.7
  • Average download speed (compared to average): 21.6% faster
  • Percentage of households with broadband internet: 77.6%
  • Percentage of households with a desktop or laptop computer: 82.1%
Wilmington, DE
Photo Credit: Paul Brady Photography / Shutterstock

1. Delaware

  • Average download speed (Mbps): 145.8
  • Average download speed (compared to average): 22.5% faster
  • Percentage of households with broadband internet: 75.4%
  • Percentage of households with a desktop or laptop computer: 78.2%

Methodology and Detailed Findings

The internet speed data used in this analysis is from HighSpeedInternet.com’s Fastest and Slowest States for Internet Speeds report. Statistics on internet and computer access are from the US Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates and from Pew Research Center’s Internet/Broadband Fact Sheet.

For the purpose of this analysis, statistics on broadband access include high-speed internet subscriptions, such as cable or DSL, and do not include cellular data plans.

To determine the states with the fastest internet, researchers ranked states based on the average download speed measured in megabits per second (Mbps). Speeds were measured between February 2021 and March 2022 from over 2,500 cities in the US.

Featured image photo credit: Jelena Zelen / Shutterstock

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Frank Moraes
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By Frank Moraes

Frank Moraes is Content Editor at HotDog where he oversees the creation and maintenance of articles. His focus is on sports and the regional programming issues that flummox streamers.

He has led the efforts to create pages that fully address problems fans have watching out-of-market NFL games. And he is responsible for the site's thorough coverage of the regional sports networks that are essential for fans of MLB, NBA, and NHL.

Frank got his PhD in Atmospheric Physics from Oregon Institute of Technology back in 1995. After that, he spent much of that time developing remote sensing technology including streaming video back in the days when most people were using VHS tapes.

Since that time, Frank has become a veteran tech writer who specializes in the nexus of entertainment and technology. It was natural that he gravitated toward the streaming industry. He started streaming early, back in 2007 when Netflix introduced "instant watch." Then Hulu started and he was hooked.

Outside his work life, Frank is a longtime cord-cutter. He streams pretty much everything while his library of thousands of Blu-rays and DVDs collects dust.

Frank currently subscribes to the following streaming services:

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He streams mostly on a Roku-powered TCL TV and a VIZIO with an Amazon 4K Fire TV stick.

Frank also writes about horror and other cult films at Psychotronic Review

Contact Frank with thoughts, questions, and story ideas at [email protected].

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