Delaware ranks third in average Internet speeds, according to a company that monitors broadband performance.
The ranking came from HighSpeedInternet.com. The website offers internet speed tests for customers.
The state finished slightly behind New Jersey, with Maryland in a solid first place.
Over the years, Delaware has ranked in the top five and sometimes came in at first place. Delaware has robust competition in some built-up areas between Comcast and Verizon FiOS. Comcast has boosted speeds on its system to levels that are comparable with fiber-optic-based FiOS.
Despite a large percentage of customers having access to high-speed broadband, large sections of rural Maryland and Delaware have low speeds.
Both states have launched government and private sector efforts to improve access. High-speed wireless service is expected to bridge the speed gap in coming years and provide more economic development opportunities for less populated areas.
Here are average speeds for the top five states in megabits per second.
- Maryland (65.02 Mbps)
- New Jersey (59.68 Mbps)
- Delaware (59.08 Mbps)
- Rhode Island (56.77 Mbps)
- Virginia (55.98 Mbps)
The states with the slowest internet, based on the company’s speed tests:
- Alaska(17.03 Mbps)
- Mississippi(24.77 Mbps)
- Idaho(25.30 Mbps)
- Montana(25.70 Mbps)
- Maine(26.05 Mbps)
The national average speed is 42.42 Mbps
