10 Metros With the Fastest, Slowest Internet Speeds

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More Americans are now reliant on fast internet as remote work and school and tech-enabled personal connections grew during the COVID-19 pandemic. House hunters even say fast internet and cell service are crucial as they shop for homes, new surveys show.

Where you live may have a stake in just how fast your internet speed is. A new study from HighSpeedInternet.com analyzed and ranked the average internet speeds of the top 100 largest metro areas in the U.S.

The U.S. metro with the fastest average internet speed in the nation: Washington, D.C., according to the study. On the other hand, Charleston, W.Va., has the slowest internet speeds in the country—about four times slower than Washington, D.C.

The nationwide difference between the fastest and slowest metros’ internet speeds is 96.4 Mbps, according to the study.

Researchers identified the following 10 metros as having the fastest internet, based on median download speeds:

1. Washington D.C. (129.1 Mbps)
2. Philadelphia (127.4 Mbps)
3. San Francisco (126.1 Mbps)
4. New York (124.2 Mbps)
5. Boston (123.6 Mbps)
6. Baltimore (120.9 Mbps)
7. San Antonio (119.7 Mbps)
8. Dallas-Fort Worth (117.2 Mbps)
9. Las Vegas (117.1 Mbps)
10. Houston (116.2 Mbps)

On the other hand, the metros with the slowest internet speeds of the top 100 largest metros are:

1. Charleston, W.Va. (32.7 Mbps)
2. Boise, Idaho (56.9 Mbps)
3. Toledo, Ohio (58.2 Mbps)
4. Myrtle Beach, S.C. (59.0 Mbps)
5. Scranton, Pa. (59.0 Mbps)
6. Little Rock, Ark. (60.8 Mbps)
7. Portland, Maine (67.0 Mbps)
8. Lansing, Mich. (68.9 Mbps)
9. Fort Wayne, Ind. (69.1 Mbps)
10. Rochester, N.Y. (69.5 Mbps)