Thinking about moving to the country but need speedy your internet? There are some areas you might want to consider before others. SatelliteInternet.com published a report based on more than 1 million internet speed tests in rural cities: communities with populations of less than 10,000 people that are at least an hour away from the nearest major city.
We covered the cities in rural areas with the fastest and slowest average internet speeds earlier this year, but things have changed in ten months. For one, the national average for all rural speed tests increased from 39.01Mbps to 45.9Mbps, which is encouraging. The rural area with the fastest average internet speed changed from Hampton, GA to Boardman, OR.
First, the rural areas with high internet speeds: Boardman, OR (103.8Mbps), Madisonville, LA (101.7Mbps), Rifle, CO (96.7Mbps), Pulaski, VA (96.6Mbps), Seaford, DE (96.4Mbps), Ware, MA (92.0Mbps), Barnegat, NJ (90.1Mbps), Lock Haven, PA (89.5Mbps), Cotati, CA (89.0Mbps), Valley, AL (86.6Mbps), Winchester, CA (85.9Mbps), Avon, CO (83.2Mbps), El Cerrito (82.8Mbps), Inwood, WV (82.4Mbps), Reedsburg, WI (81.3Mbps), Mahopac, NY (79.8Mbps), Scottsville, KY (79.7Mbps), Erwin, TN (78.8Mbps), Ruckersville, VA (78.7Mbps), and Chilhowie, VA (77.9Mbps).
The rural areas that top the list are located near geographical features, such as mountains, lakes, and rivers. Keep in mind that the recommended internet speed is at least 25 Mbps.
Many of the fastest areas are on the East Coast, a trend that’s held true in recent years. But areas in Colorado, California, and Oregon also earned spots on the list this year.
And here are the rural cities with the lowest internet speeds: Hyden, KY (4.2 Mbps), White Hall, AR (5.4 Mbps), Yale, MI (5.9 Mbps), Farmington, ME (6.4 Mbps), Stevensville, MT (6.6 Mbps), Stowe, VT (7.3 Mbps), Blue Hill, ME (7.3 Mbps), Fairfax, VT (7.5 Mbps), Caldwell, TX (7.7 Mbps), Mountain View, AR (7.7 Mbps), Winnemucca, NV (8.3 Mbps), Bellville, OH (8.3 Mbps), Mariposa, CA (8.6 Mbps), Kingston, WA (9.2 Mbps), Merrill, WI (10.3 Mbps), Linden, TN (10.9 Mbps), Sylva, NC (11 Mbps), Pecos, TX (11.1 Mbps), Spring Hill, KS (11.2 Mbps), and Grayson, KY (11.2 Mbps).
Low internet speeds in rural areas contribute to opportunity gaps while people are working from home and participating in online schooling, the report asserts. Satellite internet providers, such as Viasat and HughesNet, help bridge this divide, and Starlink has the potential to go even further.
