The average national internet speed last year was 214 Mbps, a 9% year-over year increase from 2023, when the average was 196 Mbps, according to a report from HighSpeedInternet.com.
The report split the states into five internet speed categories. The top ten states were Delaware (246.95 Mbps); Maryland (238.26 Mbps); New Jersey (235.67 Mbps); Connecticut (233.88 Mbps); Florida (232.80 Mbps); Virginia (230.49 Mbps); Rhode Island (227.10 Mbps); Texas (225.74 Mbps); California (223.59 Mbps); and Nevada (220.91 Mbps).
The slowest ten states were Vermont (166.40 Mbps); West Virginia (164.85 Mbps); South Dakota (164.71 Mbps); Minnesota (164.68 Mbps); Iowa (150.74 Mbps); Wyoming (147.19 Mbps); Hawaii (146.19 Mbps); Montana (129.73 Mbps); Alaska (125.09 Mbps); and Idaho (124.57 Mbps).
The site provided highlights of the internet speed report:
- Only 15 states surpassed the national average download speed (214Mbps); 36 fell below it.
- 70% of the fastest states are located in the northeast and southeast regions.
- The midwest and west each account for 40% of the nation’s slowest states.
- The average download speed in the 10 fastest states is 231.54 Mbps; the ten slowest states average 148.40 Mbps.
- Delaware has the fastest internet speed at 246.95 Mbps, while Idaho ranks last with 124.57 Mbps, the report said.
“As internet speeds continue to rise across the U.S., disparities remain between the speedy urban and suburban areas and the slower remote and rural areas,” HighSpeedInternet.com writer Trevor Wheelwright said in a blog post.
“While the national average download speed has reached 214Mbps, driven by fiber expansion and 5G broadband, most states still fall below this benchmark. Coastal states benefit from strong infrastructure and competition, while rural and mountainous regions struggle with slower speeds due to limited broadband access.”
The blog post about the internet speed report points out that lower-income households may have slower speeds or even lack connectivity altogether, even in metro areas that have higher average speeds and more reliable service.
Fiber availability goes hand-in-hand with data speed. An early March report from Reviews.org found that Rhode Island, at 80.19% of households, has the highest level of fiber availability. The worst state is Alaska, with the technology available to only 9.18% of households. The findings are based on data from the FCC’s National Broadband Map.
