5. Oklahoma
> Average download speed: 376 KBps
> Average completion rate: 82%
> Residents per square mile: 54.7 (16th fewest)
> Median income by state: $41,716 (6th lowest)
Oklahoma is another state that is eligible to receive funding from the federal government to provide high-speed broadband to rural communities, businesses and schools. The state has low unemployment, but also has the sixth-lowest median income in the country. Oklahoma also has a sparse population, and only 15% of the state’s homes are in apartments or condominiums.
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4. New Mexico
> Average download speed: 370 KBps
> Average completion rate: 82%
> Residents per square mile: 17 (6th fewest)
> Median income by state: $42,830 (11th lowest)
According to the Department of Information Technology, a large geographical area of New Mexico does not have access to cable, fiber-optic or DSL broadband Internet. The state is one of the most sparsely populated in the country, and many of those who live outside of the major metropolitan areas must pay for more expensive satellite service.
3. Montana
> Average download speed: 352 KBps
> Average completion rate: 82%
> Residents per square mile: 6.8 (3rd fewest)
> Median income by state: $42,222 (8th lowest)
Montana is one of the most sparsely populated states in the country, and high-speed internet is simply not available to large parts of its population. According to the FCC’s national broadband map, only a tiny fraction of the state has access to broadband services of any kind. The average download speed in the state is 352 kilobytes per second, well under half that of many states in the Northeast.
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2. Wyoming
> Average download speed: 346 KBps
> Average completion rate: 81%
> Residents per square mile: 5.8 (2nd fewest)
> Median income by state: $54,400 (19th highest)
Like its neighbor Montana, Wyoming’s tiny population is spread very thin. It is the least populous and most sparsely populated state in the U.S, only second to Alaska. Developing a high-speed internet network for the areas located outside of cities like Cheyenne would be incredibly expensive for providers, and the return on investment would be minimal. Wyoming is, however, subject to the millions in federal funding that would provide funding for broadband in schools. The state’s download completion rate, 81%, is tied for the second-slowest in the country.
1. Idaho
> Average download speed: 318 KBps
> Average completion rate: 83%
> Residents per square mile: 18.9 (7th fewest)
> Median income by state: $44,644 (14th lowest)
Idaho’s average internet speed is by far the slowest in the country. The factors working against a developed broadband network are many. The mountainous terrain makes it difficult for wireless tower-based connections to reach far, and running high-speed cable is just as difficult. The state is the seventh most sparsely populated in the country, further diminishing average speeds. According to the New York Times, with an internet connection equal to the state average, 318 KBps, “it would take you 9.42 seconds to download a standard music file compared with 3.36 seconds in Rhode Island, the state with the fastest average speeds, at 894 kilobytes per second.”
Michael B. Sauter
