Page loading … Idaho is among worst states for internet access. Here’s where it ranks

Shaun Goodwin

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If so, congratulations; You’re one of 91.4% of Idahoans with WiFi access.

That number sounds like a good chunk of people, and it is. But comparatively, Idaho has the second-worst WiFi coverage in the United States, according to a new study from U.K.-based broadband analyst Uswitch.

Of the 1,790,953 residents living in Idaho, according to Uswitch’s numbers, 154,684 are without access to at least one internet provider, which amounts to 8.6%.

The study calculated its percentages by considering people to have internet access if they have access to either ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), cable, or a fiber broadband connection.

Uswitch used the Federal Communication Commission’s open data from 2020 to calculate how many people in each state had access to zero internet providers. State populations were also taken from the FCC open data.

Wyoming is the only state with worse coverage than Idaho, with 10.3% of its 556,446 residents living without access to an internet provider, according to the study.

Wyoming, Idaho and Montana all make the top five for the worst internet access in the United States.
Wyoming, Idaho and Montana all make the top five for the worst internet access in the United States.

Montana comes in fourth on the list, with 6.83% of its residents without access to the internet, creating a WiFi black hole in the northern mountain states.

But Idahoans can take some solace in that Uswitch calculated that the Gem State boasts the seventh-cheapest mean cable price. Customers in Idaho can get their cable internet for a mean cost of 55 cents per megabit per second in bandwidth.

Sparklight, Xfinity and Spectrum are among internet providers that provide cable in the Boise area.

Idaho is tied with 15 other states for the cheapest cable internet for mean cost per megabit per second.
Idaho is tied with 15 other states for the cheapest cable internet for mean cost per megabit per second.

Connecticut has the best internet coverage in the country, with just 0.3% of its over 3.5 million residents without access to the internet.

Here are the top five states and bottom five states for internet access and the percentage of the population of each state without access:

Top five

1 - Connecticut - 0.33%

2- New York - 0.53%

3- Maine - 0.55%

4 - New Jersey - 0.82%

5 - North Carolina - 0.95%

Bottom five

46 - Arizona - 6.72%

47 - Montana - 6.83%

48 - Mississippi - 7.02%

49 - Idaho - 8.64%

50 - Wyoming - 10.28%

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