The team at SatelliteInternet.com recently analyzed speed test data from 7790 zip codes in nearly 300 rural micropolitan areas to see which small towns have the fastest and slowest rural internet in the US.
Want to learn more? Here is a link to the full report.
Some interesting findings include:
- Plattsburgh, NY area internet speeds far exceeded other micro areas in our analysis (217 Mbps median download speed), thanks in part to a boost in internet infrastructure from higher-ed institutions, SUNY Plattsburgh and Clinton Community College, within the area.
- Other small towns with the fastest rural internet included Mt. Sterling, KY (55 Mbps median download speed); Alice, TX (48 Mbps); Selinsgrove, PA (37 Mbps); and Heber, UT (26.5 Mbps)
- Some of the small towns with the slowest rural internet included Hutchinson, KS (.38 Mbps median download speed); Coos Bay, OR (.76 Mbps); Brevard, NC (1.41 Mbps); Lincoln, IL (1.46 Mbps); Indiana, PA (1.49 Mbps)
Methodology: To calculate the small towns with the most improved rural internet speeds, we examined HighSpeedInternet.com speed test results from 2020-2021. We filtered out Cellular connections as well as multiple tests from the same IP address. We used micropolitan statistical area pages on Statistical Atlas to pull zip codes for micropolitan areas with a population of 100,000 people or less.
To find the 10 small towns with the fastest and slowest speeds, we calculated the median download speed for each micropolitan area in 2021 with five or more speed tests. To find the 10 rural areas with the most and least improved internet speeds from 2020 to 2021, we calculated the percentage change in median download speed for each micropolitan area with five or more speed tests between each year.
Who is SatelliteInternet.com? We are a group of rural internet & tech experts working to help consumers find the best internet connections in their area.