Why are internet speeds so slow in the Midwest? 

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Key findings

• The Midwest has the slowest internet speeds of any region in the country — 94 Mbps download and 30 Mbps upload.
• North Dakota residents receive the fastest speeds of any state in the region at 118/51 Mbps.
• Suburbs of cities like Cincinnati, Kansas City, Milwaukee and Detroit often get around 200 Mbps download speeds.
• Milwaukee has the fastest speeds of any major city in the region at 104/37 Mbps.
• The average starting price for broadband plans in the Midwest is $42.71/mo.

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Our study of over 200,000 speed tests revealed that internet users in the Midwest receive the slowest speeds of any region in the country. In fact, there is a significant gap between the Midwest and every other region.

One reason for the Midwest’s slow internet speeds is its large rural population. To compare state populations, we used FiveThirtyEight’s Urbanization Index, which calculates the average number of people living within a five-mile radius of a given resident. Illinois was the only state in the Midwest that made the top 20 by this metric. The average state ranking was 29th for the Midwest, compared to 18th for the Northeast, 23rd for the West, and 28th for the South. 
Issues with rural internet have been well-documented. Rural areas have older populations, lower median incomes, and fewer high-speed internet options like fiber and cable — all of which adds up to slower speeds.

Suburban residents enjoy the fastest internet speeds in the Midwest

• Suburbs of cities like Cincinnati, Kansas City, Milwaukee and Detroit populate the top 10 for both download and upload speeds.

• Ellettsville, IN, has the second highest download and upload speeds in the region. 99% of the Bloomington suburb has access to 100/20 Mbps speeds, with Xfinity available to 98% of the city.

• Across the country, 79% of residents in suburban areas have a home broadband subscription, compared to 77% in urban areas and 72% in rural areas.  

Rural residents experience the slowest speeds

• Cedar Rapids, IA, is by far the largest city that gets such slow speeds. While high-speed cable plans from Mediacom are available to 99% of residents, the average Cedar Rapids household receives just 43/24 Mbps speeds.

• Rural towns make up most of the top 10 for download and upload speeds. In most areas, slower satellite and fixed wireless connections are the only options available. 
• Bellevue, MI, has the slowest average speeds in the Midwest. At 19/6 Mbps, its speeds wouldn’t meet the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) minimum for broadband. There are no cable or fiber providers in the area, with most residents relying on DSL internet from AT&T.

Milwaukee has the fastest speeds of any major city in the Midwest

• Even though people in cities usually have plenty of choices for internet, internet speeds are slower than in suburbs. One reason is that lower median household incomes result in urban residents choosing slower plans or foregoing home internet altogether. 
• While Milwaukee’s speeds top the big cities in the Midwest, they’re still slower than cities in other regions. Residents in New York City, for example, receive 177/61 Mbps on average. 
• Detroit had the slowest speeds of any city in the Midwest. While gig speeds are available through AT&T and Xfinity in much of the city, average download speeds are only 76 Mbps.

Internet prices are average in the Midwest

The average starting price for broadband in the Midwest is $42.71/mo. — right around the national average of $42.44/mo. — but there is a lot of variance within that. Illinois, the most densely populated state in the region, has the cheapest starting prices. South Dakota, the most rural state in the Midwest, pays about $14 more each month.

The bottom line

With a large rural population, the Midwest has the slowest internet speeds of any region in the U.S. While suburbs of areas like Cincinnati, Kansas City and Milwaukee enjoy speeds on par with any area in the country, the same can’t be said for the Midwest’s cities and rural areas. For more broadband data, visit Allconnect’s Research Hub.