New Hampshire Has Better Broadband Than Japan

The U.S. overall ranks 14th but sliced and diced by state, the U.S. dominates worldwide Internet speeds

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

Overall, U.S. broadband speeds place a dismal 14th among the country's international peers, but broken down by state and district, a rosier picture emerges. In fact, Washington, D.C., has the third-highest speed in the world, behind only one other city, Hong Kong, and one country, South Korea.

A new report from The Connectivist, an online magazine created in partnership with the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, shows that D.C. plus 9 U.S. states capture 10 of the top 15 broadband speed rankings worldwide.

But is city-versus-country a fair way to make the comparison? Clearly that's a horn the cable industry would like to toot. But The Connectivist makes a case for why comparing the United States as a whole to smaller countries with far denser populations is misleading.

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

"Highly rated countries like South Korea , Japan, Latvia and Switzerland have more in common geographically with U.S. states than they do with the United States as a whole," Sam Friedman, a spokesperson for the publication, said.

The Connectivist used data from Akamai, a cloud service that handles as much as 30 percent of all Internet traffic, to determine the figures. (You can find top speeds for your own state on Akamai's interactive map.)

So if you're unhappy with broadband service in your area, maybe check out real estate in New Hampshire, Vermont or Utah.

Infographic courtesy of The Connectivist.

Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism

Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.

When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.

Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber

Thank you,

Jeanna Bryner, Editor in Chief, Scientific American