These States Have the Fastest and Slowest Internet Speeds in 2020


fastest internet in the US

With tens of millions of people now working from home, internet speed is more important than ever. And if you happen to work from home, you might just be wondering how your city or state’s internet speed compares across the U.S.

This is the same thing HighSpeedInternet.com wondered, too. It analyzed more than three million speed tests to find out the fastest—and slowest—average internet speeds. The company took the average of every city in the US and ranked them from fastest to slowest. It also looked at the speeds of providers and listed their averages.

Fastest Internet in the US

So, why is internet speed important now? Internet speed has always been important, but with more people working online and video being the preferred method of communication/collaboration, faster speeds are essential. Fast internet speed is especially important for small businesses competing with large companies.

Small Business and Fast Internet Speeds

A good digital infrastructure makes it possible for small businesses to provide services that are comparable or even better than their larger counterparts.

Having broadband service makes you more efficient with faster downloads and uploads, supporting multiple users, making cloud computing more effective, lowering costs by using VoIP or other communication solutions and more.

However, it requires a comprehensive effort. Having fast internet speeds alone is not going to do it. With fast internet speeds, websites optimized for mobile, strong social media presence and SEO, a small business can reach its audience, attract new visitors and grow.

When you choose the speed for your business or home, try to figure out what you do online and how many people use the connection. This will give you a rough idea of the bandwidth you will need to work efficiently without experiencing bandwidth related glitches.

fastest internet in the US

image: HighSpeedInternet

Service Provider Speeds

By now you probably have noticed service providers advertising incredible speeds. And you might be wondering where those speeds are. It is important to note, the speeds they advertise are real, but they are only available in select areas with ideal conditions.

With that in mind, here are the advertised and average speeds of the major service providers in the U.S.

AT&T

Top advertised download speed: Up to 1000 Mbps

AT&T Avg. Internet Speed Test Results:

  • Average download speed: 50.29 Mbps
  • Average latency: 35.25 ms
  • Total speed tests: 342,380

Xfinity Internet 

Top advertised download speed: Up to 2000 Mbps

Xfinity Internet Speed Test Averages:

  • Average download speed: 84.18 Mbps
  • Average latency: 10.27 ms
  • Total speed tests: 839,303

CenturyLink Internet

Top advertised download speed: Up to 940 Mbps

CenturyLink Internet Speed Test Averages:

  • Average download speed: 24.8 Mbps
  • Average latency: 13.74 ms
  • Total speed tests: 146,194

Spectrum Internet

Top advertised download speed: Up to 940 Mbps

Spectrum average internet speed test results:

  • Average download speed: 59.18 Mbps
  • Average latency: 9.96 ms
  • Total speed tests: 567,432

Frontier Internet

Top advertised download speed: Up to 1000 Mbps

Frontier average internet speed test results:

  • Average download speed: 53.21 Mbps
  • Average latency: 41.23 ms
  • Total speed tests: 124,790

Verizon Internet

Top advertised download speed: Up to 940 Mbps

Verizon Fios average internet speed test results:

  • Average download speed: 95.82 Mbps
  • Average latency: 88.8 ms
  • Total speed tests: 88,785

Verizon DSL average internet speed test results:

  • Average download speed: 42.58 Mbps
  • Average latency: 34.96 ms
  • Total speed tests: 17,097

States with the Fastest Internet

  1. Maryland (84.1 Mbps)
  2. Delaware (80.9 Mbps)
  3. New Jersey (76.3 Mbps)
  4. D.C. (75.2 Mbps)
  5. Virginia (74.5 Mbps)
  6. Rhode Island (74.5 Mbps)
  7. Massachusetts (73.6 Mbps)
  8. Colorado (70.9 Mbps)
  9. Washington (67.3 Mbps)
  10. California (67.2 Mbps)

States with the Slowest Internet

  1. Alaska (20.6 Mbps)
  2. Montana (30.1 Mbps)
  3. Maine (30.8 Mbps)
  4. Idaho (30.9 Mbps)
  5. Wyoming (33.3 Mbps)
  6. South Dakota (33.3 Mbps)
  7. Iowa (35.8 Mbps)
  8. Arkansas (37.3 Mbps)
  9. Mississippi (37.9 Mbps)
  10. Hawaii (38.1 Mbps)

fastest internet in the US

image: HighSpeedInternet

Cities with the Fastest Internet

  1. Whitestone, NY – 138.4 Mbps
  2. Elkridge, MD – 114.0 Mbps
  3. Merrick, NY – 112.0 Mbps
  4. Odenton, MD – 109.9 Mbps
  5. Halethorpe, MD – 109.0 Mbps
  6. Pasadena, MD – 108.3 Mbps
  7. Somerset, NJ – 107.8 Mbps
  8. Pacifica, CA – 106.5 Mbps
  9. Merchantville, NJ – 106.4 Mbps
  10. Long Island City, NY – 105.8 Mbps

Cities with the Slowest Internet

  1. Stowe, VT – 7.3 Mbps
  2. Española, NM – 7.7 Mbps
  3. Ville Platte, LA – 7.8 Mbps
  4. Oneonta, AL – 8.6 Mbps
  5. Kingston, WA – 9.2 Mbps
  6. Elko, NV – 9.5 Mbps
  7. Foley, AL – 10.1 Mbps
  8. New Richmond, WI – 10.2 Mbps
  9. Wasilla, AK – 10.4 Mbps
  10. Vashon, WA – 10.9 Mbps

Your Internet Speed

Whether you live in the fastest or slowest internet speed cities or states, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will get the same results. Based on your location, the type of services you subscribe to and the infrastructure it can be much better.

The good news is you now have more options than ever to get quality internet speed. And with the full deployment of 5G just around the corner, fast internet will be available to everyone.

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Image: Depositphotos.com

5 Comments ▼

Michael Guta Michael Guta is the Assistant Editor at Small Business Trends and currently manages its East African editorial team. Michael brings with him many years of content experience in the digital ecosystem covering a wide range of industries. He holds a B.S. in Information Communication Technology, with an emphasis in Technology Management.

5 Reactions
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