JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — One thing that has gotten better over the course of the pandemic is internet speeds. Wyoming, in particular, has enjoyed some of the biggest increases over the past two years.
Millions of Americans have recently made the permanent shift to remote work and school, putting a heavy strain on internet bandwidth. While working from home wasn’t new going into 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a drastic uptick in remote work and studying for Americans due to workplaces and schools shutting down.
WhistleOut wanted to see how this has affected internet speeds across the country. They analyzed over 900,000 internet speed results nationwide to get some answers. The telecommunications giant performed the same data survey in 2020. They did it again this year.
- Average US internet speeds increased 40% during the pandemic, from 84.5 to 118.4 Mbps.
- This could be due to consumers upgrading their internet when working, studying, and gaming from home became the norm.
- It could also be due to some Internet Service Providers increasing overall internet speeds in response to the growing demand for faster, more reliable home internet.
- The states with the biggest increases in internet speeds were Alaska (170% increase), Idaho (78%), and Kentucky (71%).
- The only state with a decrease in internet speed was West Virginia (18% decrease).
Methodology
WhistleOut’s data analysts reviewed over 907,233 speed test results. They compared the average download speed in each U.S. state before the COVID-19 pandemic (12/1/19 – 3/15/20) against more recent data (5/1/21 – 8/17/21) to calculate the differences. To ensure accuracy, each IP address appeared only once and was then removed from cellular speed tests.
States with Biggest Increases in Internet Speeds 2021
- Alaska (170.2% increase in download speeds)
- Idaho (77.7%)
- Kentucky (70.6%)
- Iowa (64%)
- Wyoming (62.6%)
- Kansas (60.3%)
- Maine (59.7%)
- Montana (57.7%)
- Oklahoma (57.4%)
- South Carolina (56.1%)
There’s good news for internet speed demons: 2021 saw an average internet speed increase across the board in the U.S. However, some states experienced greater gains than others. Alaska leads the pack with an impressive 170% increase in average download speeds thanks to a state-sponsored push to bolster its internet infrastructure.
Additionally, Oklahoma and South Carolina stretched above 100Mbps, with Oklahoma’s 104.6Mbps average download speed and South Carolina reaching 111.7Mbps.
Internet Speeds Rise Across the Country
The national average internet speed shot up 40.1% from pre-pandemic to 2021. Before COVID-19, the United States averaged 84.5Mbps. Since then, speeds further rose to a respectable 118.4Mbps average.
WhistleOut research suggests that once working, studying, and gaming from home became the norm, a reliable home network became a top priority. Plus, today’s homes include more than just computers or phones connecting to the internet, but also gaming consoles, smart fridges, and other devices vying for a portion of the bandwidth.
While trying to support these home connectivity needs, middling download speeds started to become a nuisance. Ultimately, internet providers saw the demand for faster, more reliable home internet and are making that happen across the United States.
States with biggest increases in internet speeds 2020
- Wyoming (52% increase)
- Alaska (40% increase)
- Kentucky (37% increase)
- Kansas (36% increase)
- Missouri (31% increase)
Wyoming internet users benefited the most from higher broadband speeds in 2020 during the pandemic, with average download speeds increasing by a whopping 52%. This is likely a result of a statewide push by the Wyoming Broadband Council to improve internet connectivity and speeds to underserved rural populations.
