Internet speeds are increasingly more important as time goes on. Modern online activities such as streaming your favorite TV shows and movies, online classes, working from home, playing online games, communicating with your friends and families can be quite demanding. In fact, a recent report indicates internet services by state and their rank according to the speed.
If you’re moving and want to know which state has the best internet services, here are the top 10 fastest average internet services by state.
Your Guide To The Top 10 States With The Fastest Internet Services
The importance of high internet speeds.
The FCC defines broadband as a download speed of at least 25 Mbps, and even it recognizes that its benchmark may be outdated by indicating that the average American home needs 100 Mbps. You can get away with as little as 5 Mbps if all you do is check your email, browse the Web and listen to Spotify. But most modern internet users do much more than that. Many American families would like to have high speed internet in their homes. We binge Netflix, play multiplayer online video games, FaceTime to keep in touch with family and friends, and so on and so forth.
Online speed tests.
An online speed test is a simplest and fastest way to determine what your internet speed is. More and more Internet users are taking advantage of these free speed tests, and that has provided a wealth of information through which we can assess the state of broadband Internet in the U.S. HighSpeedInternet.com is one such company that tracks this data, and it recently released a report using data from the previous year to assess America on a state-by-state basis.
⎆ Maryland is the fastest.
Maryland is the number one state with an average internet speed of 196.2 Mbps. That is rather impressive but perhaps not surprising. Maryland is a state that has positioned itself as an attractive destination for tech companies that want to be located on the East Coast. It is a bit of a chicken and egg scenario, but the sheer presence of tech companies has been integral to the expansion of broadband infrastructure in the state. Another interesting note from the report is that it boasts broadband coverage of 95.20%. Most states are in the mid-80s and many in the 70s.
⎆ Rounding out the top five.
Number two on the list is Virginia at 193.1 Mbps, which may be attributed to the local military presence, but it only has a coverage of 83.40%. Perhaps unsurprisingly, New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey round out the top five with 190.5, 188.2, and 174.3 Mbps, respectively. All three of those states are among the best in coverage at more than 95%, and New Jersey is particularly impressive at 98.10%.
⎆ Rounding Out the Top 10.
Connecticut takes the sixth position with 172.0 Mbps and actually has the best broadband coverage in the country at 98.30%. Next is Illinois at 171.3 Mbps, which may be no surprise due to Chicago. But number eight may be a surprise. It is Oklahoma at 168.8 Mbps, and what is interesting about that is that Oklahoma boasts among the worst coverage at 57.78%. Rounding out the top 10 are Colorado with 168.5 Mbps and Florida with 167.8 Mbps.
⎆ Some surprises.
Texas not making the top 10 is a mild surprise. It is hurt in an assessment like this by its sheer size, but Houston is a tech powerhouse. Perhaps a bigger surprise is North Carolina not even making the top half. Sure, it has a lot of rural areas, but it is also home to the Research Triangle Park and major universities. The biggest surprise may be California, which nears the bottom of the list at just 92.6 Mbps.
⎆ Alaska is the slowest.
What comes as no surprise is that Alaska is the slowest state at 17.03 Mbps. Internet service providers face significant geographical challenges in the state, and many people are forced to use slow satellite internet connections. Perhaps the wide release of Starlink will allow Alaska to at least close the gap.
In conclusion.
If you have any questions or suggestions, we always love to hear from you in the comments below. Also below are links to more fantastic articles about ALL things DESIGN for your home or business.
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About the Author: Ashley Edwards
