Broadview Networks has just released the above map comparing Internet speeds in states around the country, and Alabama appears to be lagging well behind most other states, especially those in the Northeast.
“Using Akamai’s ‘State of the Internet’ Report, we were able to find the average internet speed in each state,” explained Broadview’s Russ Fordyce. “The speeds are measured in megabits per second (mbps) which is simply a measurement of data transfer speed within a network. In our map, darker greens represent faster speeds and lighter greens represent slower speeds. It’s no surprise that the Northeast has some of the fastest speeds in the nation, while the Midwest and less populated states have generally slower speeds.”
In the first quarter of 2014, the average Internet speed in Alabama was 8.9 Mbps, which ranks the Yellowhammer State 34th nationally. The Internet in Virginia, where speeds are the fastest, was almost 65 percent quicker than in Alabama.
But there was some good news in the report as well. Alabama actually experienced a 39 percent increase in average Internet speed over the last 12 months. That’s the tenth highest percentage increase of any state over that time period.
States on the West coast and in the Northeast tend to have the fastest Internet, while the South lags behind. According to Akamai, if a state’s average Internet speed eclipses 10 Mbps, it is considered “high broadband.” 26 states achieved that status in the first quarter of 2014, and no state dropped into the “low broadband” category of 4 Mbps or less.
But the U.S. as a whole only ranks 10th in the world with an average Internet speed of 10.5 Mbps. South Korea leads the world with an average of 23.6 Mbps. That’s far ahead of second place Japan, with an average of 14.6 Mbps.
The full state by state breakdown can be viewed below.
| State | Q1 ’14 Avg Mbps | QoQ Change % (Q1 ’14 vs. Q4 ’13) | YoY Change % (Q1 ’14 vs. Q1 ’13) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 13.7 | -4.3 | 30 |
| Delaware | 13.1 | 6.3 | 18 |
| Massachusetts | 13.1 | 2.6 | 22 |
| Rhode Island | 12.9 | 11 | 35 |
| D.C. | 12.8 | 5 | 18 |
| Washington | 12.5 | 8.5 | 29 |
| New Hampshire | 12.3 | 4 | 6 |
| Utah | 12.1 | 6 | 17 |
| Michigan | 11.8 | 13 | 42 |
| Connecticut | 11.7 | 7.2 | 18 |
| North Dakota | 11.7 | 14 | 27 |
| Oregon | 11.7 | 5.2 | 36 |
| Wisconsin | 11.5 | 9.2 | 45 |
| New York | 11.5 | 3.5 | 18 |
| Maryland | 11.3 | 3.7 | 58 |
| Pennsylvania | 11.3 | 6.3 | 23 |
| Ohio | 11.2 | 40 | 19 |
| New Jersey | 11.2 | 2 | 26 |
| Minnesota | 11.1 | 8.8 | 38 |
| California | 10.9 | 4.1 | 27 |
| South Dakota | 10.8 | 12 | 31 |
| Georgia | 10.7 | 21 | 57 |
| Indiana | 10.7 | 7.4 | 32 |
| Vermont | 10.2 | 5.7 | -17 |
| Nevada | 10.1 | 16 | 40 |
| Florida | 10.1 | 4.4 | 36 |
| Tennessee | 9.9 | 7.4 | 30 |
| Colorado | 9.7 | 5.9 | 28 |
| South Carolina | 9.7 | 5.3 | 21 |
| North Carolina | 9.7 | 4.8 | 15 |
| Nebraska | 9.5 | 10 | 43 |
| Texas | 9.4 | 6.3 | 29 |
| Illinois | 9.2 | 5.7 | 21 |
| Alabama | 8.9 | 10 | 39 |
| Oklahoma | 8.9 | 8.1 | 30 |
| Iowa | 8.8 | 4.9 | 33 |
| Maine | 8.7 | 7.8 | 20 |
| Arizona | 8.7 | 1.1 | 30 |
| Kansas | 8.6 | 7.2 | 91 |
| Hawaii | 8.4 | 3.6 | 31 |
| Wyoming | 8 | 8.3 | 23 |
| Idaho | 7.7 | 9.5 | 60 |
| Louisiana | 7.7 | -1.9 | 38 |
| Missouri | 7.7 | 7.6 | 26 |
| New Mexico | 7.6 | 1.9 | 22 |
| Mississippi | 7.6 | 7.3 | 34 |
| West Virginia | 7.5 | 6.1 | 29 |
| Montana | 7.3 | 9.1 | 25 |
| Kentucky | 7.3 | 5.8 | 23 |
| Arkansas | 7.3 | 8.4 | 69 |
| Alaska | 7 | 7.8 | 33 |
Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims
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