When selecting an internet service provider, speed is one of the most important considerations. In addition to the swiftness of your online tasks, the internet speed influences the number of tasks your network can handle simultaneously.

The twist is that the internet speed is not the same everywhere. Your internet connection’s speed and quality are affected by various factors. Transfer technology, your geographic location, the device you use, and the number of people sharing your connection are just a few variables. Additionally, there are distinctions between a mobile network and a fixed network.

Internet Speed in U.S. Cities

We have conducted thorough research on U.S. cities with the fastest and the slowest internet speeds. Residential broadband internet speeds data from Federal Communications Commission has been used to determine the cities with the fastest and slowest available broadband internet.

Division of cities

We have divided U.S. cities into three main groups based on the population below.

• Cities with populations exceeding 250,000 are categorized as large cities.
• Cities with populations ranging from 100,000 to 250,000 are categorized as medium-sized cities.
• Cities with populations ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 are categorized as small cities.

Determination of internet speed

The average percentage of the people with access to a gigabit-speed internet provider was used to determine the fastest internet speeds in each city.

The average percentage of people who have access to 100 Mbps, 250 Mbps, or gigabit internet at home was used to evaluate the cities with the slowest speeds.

Average Internet Speed in the U.S.

The national average speed for 2022 is 119.03 Mbps, which represents a significant improvement in internet speeds across the country. The average internet speed in 2021 was 99.3 Mbps—a 20% increase in speed.

According to our most recent report on the fastest internet providers, internet speeds have steadily increased across the country for the past four years. This continuing trend reflects an increased demand for high-speed Internet access as Americans spend more time online for work, education, and healthcare.

Additionally, many parts of the United States have seen increased access to technology such as fiber internet and 5G, contributing to increased speeds.

Cities With the Fastest Broadband Internet

Among large, medium, and small cities, below are the cities with the highest percentage of residents who have access to 1 Gbps, 250 Mbps, and 100 Mbps residential broadband internet speeds.

• Small Cities with the Fastest Broadband Internet
• Midsize Cities with the Fastest Broadband Internet
• Large Cities with the Fastest Broadband Internet

Small Cities with the Fastest Internet Speeds

Located on the northwestern side of Grand Lake, Celina is a small city in Dayton. It is among 8 small cities in the U.S. with access to the fastest broadband internet. These include:

• Celina
• Dalton
• Laramie
• Ozark
• Evanston
• Hays
• Monmouth
• Bristol
• Dickinson
• Cedar Falls and more.

All these cities can pick 100% penetration of gigabit internet based on their preference.

Midsize Cities with the Fastest Internet Speeds

Many commercial and industrial companies have their headquarters in Olathe, a mid-sized city in southwest Kansas City. The city is home to Farmers Insurance, GARMIN, Convergys, and Honeywell.

Olathe has the fastest internet speeds in the United States, with 99.3% of residents having access to gigabit internet.

Other midsize cities with the fastest broadband internet include:

• Provo
• Kansas City
• Coral Springs
• Chattanooga
• Lafayette and more.

Large Cities with the Fastest Internet Speeds

Atlanta, the capital of Georgia, is a cultural and economic powerhouse in the southern U.S. The city’s economy is versatile, with industries such as logistics and transportation, aerospace, professional and financial services, healthcare, media, and technology. Atlanta hosted the Summer Olympics in 1996 and is home to major corporations such as Home Depot, Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, UPS, and AT&T.

Atlanta had nearly universal highest speed internet penetration in a country with 250,000 residents. A total of 98 percent of residents have access to at least an internet provider delivering up to one gigabit of speeds.

Other large cities with the fastest broadband internet include:

• Kansas City
• Minneapolis
• Lincoln
• Minneapolis
• Urban Honolulu, etc.

Cities with the Slowest Broadband Internet

Based on the percentage of residents who have access to at least one broadband internet provider offering speeds of 1,000 Mbps, 250 Mbps, and 100 Mbps, we determined the slowest cities in the United States.

Finally, we used this average to identify the cities with the slowest internet speeds in each of the three categories, including small, medium, and large-sized cities. In the following lists, you’ll find a breakdown of the average percentage of people in each city who have access to the three different types of broadband.

Small Cities with the Slowest Internet Speeds

Coalinga is a small city situated in Fresno County, California. Oil, agriculture, and prisons are the city’s main sources of income. No one in Coalinga had access to more than 25 Mbps internet speeds, but all residents had access to at least one provider.

Other small cities with the slowest broadband internet include:

• Coalinga
• Pine Bluff
• Spring Creek
• Artesia
• Arizona City
• Deming, etc.

Midsize Cities with the Slowest Internet Speeds

In the east of Fort Myers, unincorporated Lehigh Acres is a mostly suburban area. In the past few decades, this area has seen a significant increase in population. Among the residents of Lehigh Acres, only 2.2% of the population had access to gigabit broadband, and 13.5% of the city used 250 Mbps internet. To put it simply, 73.8% of the city’s population had access to just 100 Mbps broadband.

Other midsize cities with the slowest broadband internet include:

• Sioux Falls
• Richmond
• Glendale
• Norfolk
• Columbia, etc.

Large Cities with the Slowest Internet Speeds

The city of Toledo is located on Lake Erie’s west shore, south of the Detroit metropolitan area. Erie Canal once made Toledo an important port; the city was also known for its glassmaking industry. Additionally, the city is home to several solar and auto manufacturing facilities. Regarding internet speeds, 97.5 percent of people use 100 Mbps, 8.8% of Toledoans have access to 250 Mbps, and only 7.3 percent have gigabit speeds.

Other large cities with the slowest broadband internet include:

• Mesa
• Tucson
• Boston
• Baltimore, etc.

To Sum It Up

We identified the U.S. cities with the fastest and slowest available residential broadband speeds for residents by using fixed broadband deployment data from the Federal Communications Commission. If you’re looking for reliable and fast internet speeds at home, you’ll be excited to know that AT&T internet packages deliver the fastest internet speeds across 22 states in the U.S and unmatched customer support for Spanish users with AT&T Espanol!