In 221 large and medium-size U.S. cities, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census, at least 30% of all households still lacked a wireline broadband connection in 2018.

They are NDIA’s Worst Connected Cities of 2018.

The 2018 American Community Survey One Year Estimates (ACS), released by the U.S. Census in September 2019, include 2018 household Internet access data for 623 U.S. cities and “Census designated places” with populations of 65,000 or more. 

NDIA has ranked all 623 of these communities by:

  • the percentage of households without “wireline” broadband subscriptions (“Broadband such as cable, fiber optic or DSL”), as well as
  • the percentage of each community’s households that lacked broadband Internet subscriptions of any type, including mobile data plans.

The results can be seen in the table and map below.

Note that this data is not an indication of the availability of home broadband service, but rather of the extent to which households are actually connected to it.

All data is from Table B28002, “PRESENCE AND TYPES OF INTERNET SUBSCRIPTIONS IN HOUSEHOLD”, in the 2018 American Community Survey One Year Estimates.

Red and yellow markers show cities with 65,000+ residents where at least 30% of all households were without cable, DSL or fiber Internet subscriptions in 2018.

In the cities with red markers, at least one in five households lacked broadband subscriptions of any type, including cellular data plans.

Source: 2018 American Community Survey One Year Estimates, Table B28002