Rural Internet

Rural internet in California

1.7% of locations in California have no fixed broadband at 25/3 Mbps. The state median rural county sits at 3.3% unserved and 30.6% fiber coverage. Pick your county below for the specific picture.

21 of California's 58 counties are classed as rural by the USDA. Across the whole state the FCC records 173,482 locations with no fixed broadband, out of 10,249,762.

California at a glance

Alameda: not publishedAlpine County, CA: 71%, 872 of 1,224 locationsAmador County, CA: 7.2%, 1,321 of 18,372 locationsButte: not publishedCalaveras County, CA: 9.9%, 2,737 of 27,699 locationsColusa County, CA: 16%, 1,299 of 8,343 locationsContra Costa: not publishedDel Norte County, CA: 8.1%, 857 of 10,555 locationsEl Dorado: not publishedFresno: not publishedGlenn County, CA: 2.6%, 282 of 10,741 locationsHumboldt County, CA: 3.0%, 1,549 of 52,320 locationsImperial: not publishedInyo County, CA: 16%, 1,436 of 8,734 locationsKern: not publishedKings: not publishedLake County, CA: 3.8%, 1,289 of 33,865 locationsLassen County, CA: 35%, 4,076 of 11,740 locationsLos Angeles: not publishedMadera: not publishedMarin: not publishedMariposa County, CA: 55%, 5,358 of 9,736 locationsMendocino County, CA: 7.2%, 2,650 of 36,955 locationsMerced: not publishedModoc County, CA: 49%, 2,682 of 5,447 locationsMono County, CA: 16%, 1,291 of 7,841 locationsMonterey: not publishedNapa: not publishedNevada County, CA: 4.7%, 2,346 of 49,617 locationsOrange: not publishedPlacer: not publishedPlumas County, CA: 29%, 4,237 of 14,766 locationsRiverside: not publishedSacramento: not publishedSan Benito: not publishedSan Bernardino: not publishedSan Diego: not publishedSan Francisco: not publishedSan Joaquin: not publishedSan Luis Obispo: not publishedSan Mateo: not publishedSanta Barbara: not publishedSanta Clara: not publishedSanta Cruz: not publishedShasta: not publishedSierra County, CA: 60%, 1,251 of 2,093 locationsSiskiyou County, CA: 11%, 2,595 of 23,403 locationsSolano: not publishedSonoma: not publishedStanislaus: not publishedSutter: not publishedTehama County, CA: 7.4%, 1,916 of 25,734 locationsTrinity County, CA: 51%, 3,993 of 7,759 locationsTulare: not publishedTuolumne County, CA: 7.8%, 2,344 of 30,028 locationsVentura: not publishedYolo: not publishedYuba: not published

Share of addresses with no fixed broadband at 25/3 Mbps

  • 0.0% to 4.7%
  • 4.7% to 7.4%
  • 7.4% to 9.9%
  • 9.9% to 16%
  • 16% to 35%
  • 35% to 55%
  • 55% and above
  • not published

Darker means a larger share of addresses with no fixed broadband. Select any county to open it.

The ten hardest-served rural counties in California

Ranked by the share of locations with no fixed service at 25/3 Mbps or better.
CountyLocationsUnservedShare unservedFiber share
<a href="/california/alpine-county-internet/">Alpine County</a>1,22487271.2%20.4%
<a href="/california/sierra-county-internet/">Sierra County</a>2,0931,25159.8%27.4%
<a href="/california/mariposa-county-internet/">Mariposa County</a>9,7365,35855.0%7.5%
<a href="/california/trinity-county-internet/">Trinity County</a>7,7593,99351.5%13.3%
<a href="/california/modoc-county-internet/">Modoc County</a>5,4472,68249.2%25.8%
<a href="/california/lassen-county-internet/">Lassen County</a>11,7404,07634.7%49.9%
<a href="/california/plumas-county-internet/">Plumas County</a>14,7664,23728.7%34.6%
<a href="/california/mono-county-internet/">Mono County</a>7,8411,29116.5%33.9%
<a href="/california/inyo-county-internet/">Inyo County</a>8,7341,43616.4%38.9%
<a href="/california/colusa-county-internet/">Colusa County</a>8,3431,29915.6%52.5%

Every rural county in California

What people actually measure in California

Median of real speed tests run on each network during 2024, from M-Lab. This is measured performance, not an advertised plan speed, and not a customer review. The middle-half column shows how consistent a network is: a wide spread means your experience depends heavily on where and when.
NetworkMedian downloadMiddle half of testsMedian uploadLatencyTests
Comcast Cable Communications124 Mbps46.4 Mbps to 308 Mbps15.9 Mbps11 ms1,071,162
Charter Communications170 Mbps57.2 Mbps to 332 Mbps11.6 Mbps11 ms822,147
AT&T Enterprises84.9 Mbps25.5 Mbps to 298 Mbps34.7 Mbps7 ms708,950
Verizon Business36.2 Mbps8.9 Mbps to 100 Mbps5.0 Mbps23 ms327,928
Cox Communications141 Mbps48.1 Mbps to 320 Mbps27.4 Mbps9 ms241,463
Frontier Communications of America167 Mbps56.2 Mbps to 414 Mbps99.8 Mbps6 ms216,384
Sonic Telecom150 Mbps47.4 Mbps to 359 Mbps101 Mbps8 ms87,912
ZSCALER71.0 Mbps21.9 Mbps to 160 Mbps20.3 Mbps1 ms55,409
Wave Broadband112 Mbps45.4 Mbps to 288 Mbps11.5 Mbps11 ms24,830
Optimum101 Mbps37.5 Mbps to 229 Mbps14.6 Mbps14 ms16,447
Fidium92.4 Mbps28.9 Mbps to 282 Mbps73.9 Mbps9 ms16,038
CENIC84.1 Mbps24.4 Mbps to 184 Mbps74.5 Mbps5 ms13,724
Performive40.0 Mbps17.8 Mbps to 84.9 Mbps13.5 Mbps11 ms12,342
Webpass211 Mbps63.3 Mbps to 413 Mbps157 Mbps4 ms11,587

Cellular networks, measured

The same measurement for the mobile networks behind 5G home internet. These tests come from phones as well as home gateways, so treat them as an indication of network health in the state rather than a home-internet plan speed.
NetworkMedian downloadMiddle half of testsMedian uploadLatencyTests
T-Mobile USA32.8 Mbps6.8 Mbps to 105 Mbps4.6 Mbps34 ms457,155

Latency is the number that decides whether video calls and gaming feel right, and it is where satellite differs most from everything else. Measured data is statewide: below county level there are usually too few tests to report an honest number.

Disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up for a service or buy equipment through one, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes which options we list or the order we rank them in, and we do not accept payment for a better placement.

Options that work statewide

Satellite

Starlink

Low-earth-orbit satellite. Latency is low enough for video calls and most gaming, unlike older satellite services.

Best for
Anywhere with a clear view of the sky and no wired option
Watch out
Hardware costs money up front, and heavy tree cover or a north-facing obstruction will cost you throughput

See Starlink

5G home internet

T-Mobile Home Internet

Home internet over T-Mobile’s cellular network. A gateway box you plug in yourself; no truck roll, no dish.

Best for
Rural addresses that still get a usable T-Mobile signal, often near a highway or a town
Watch out
Availability is decided address by address, not by town. Speed varies with how busy the local tower is.

See T-Mobile Home Internet

5G home internet

Verizon Home Internet

The same idea on Verizon’s network, offered as 5G Home or LTE Home depending on what reaches your address.

Best for
Addresses with Verizon coverage where T-Mobile is weak
Watch out
LTE Home and 5G Home behave very differently. Confirm which one your address actually qualifies for.

See Verizon Home Internet

Fixed wireless

A local fixed-wireless provider

A regional operator beaming service from a tower or ridge to an antenna on your roof. In much of rural America this is the fastest thing available.

Best for
Counties where the FCC data shows large licensed fixed-wireless coverage, which this page tells you
Watch out
Needs line of sight. Quality varies enormously between operators; ask neighbours, not the sales page.

Sources

Page last updated 2026-09-01. The date moves when the underlying data moves, not when the site is rebuilt.