Rural Internet

Rural internet in Idaho

8.4% of locations in Idaho have no fixed broadband at 25/3 Mbps. The state median rural county sits at 8.9% unserved and 50.8% fiber coverage. Pick your county below for the specific picture.

30 of Idaho's 44 counties are classed as rural by the USDA. Across the whole state the FCC records 63,918 locations with no fixed broadband, out of 763,670.

Idaho at a glance

Ada: not publishedAdams County, ID: 23%, 701 of 3,064 locationsBannock: not publishedBear Lake County, ID: 16%, 819 of 5,062 locationsBenewah County, ID: 43%, 2,357 of 5,502 locationsBingham County, ID: 0.0%, 0 of 18,600 locationsBlaine County, ID: 6.3%, 821 of 12,973 locationsBoise: not publishedBonner County, ID: 45%, 12,425 of 27,819 locationsBonneville: not publishedBoundary County, ID: 4.2%, 274 of 6,478 locationsButte: not publishedCamas County, ID: 49%, 458 of 940 locationsCanyon: not publishedCaribou County, ID: 24%, 965 of 4,032 locationsCassia County, ID: 0.0%, 0 of 9,930 locationsClark County, ID: 0.0%, 0 of 525 locationsClearwater County, ID: 35%, 1,913 of 5,425 locationsCuster County, ID: 17%, 601 of 3,638 locationsElmore County, ID: 9.3%, 1,021 of 11,034 locationsFranklin: not publishedFremont County, ID: 0.0%, 0 of 10,210 locationsGem: not publishedGooding County, ID: 0.7%, 46 of 6,661 locationsIdaho County, ID: 53%, 5,852 of 11,124 locationsJefferson: not publishedJerome: not publishedKootenai: not publishedLatah County, ID: 21%, 2,847 of 13,879 locationsLemhi County, ID: 0.0%, 0 of 5,163 locationsLewis County, ID: 53%, 1,275 of 2,410 locationsLincoln County, ID: 17%, 375 of 2,146 locationsMadison County, ID: 0.0%, 0 of 10,164 locationsMinidoka County, ID: 0.0%, 0 of 9,067 locationsNez Perce: not publishedOneida County, ID: 7.3%, 189 of 2,581 locationsOwyhee: not publishedPayette County, ID: 5.7%, 597 of 10,509 locationsPower County, ID: 0.0%, 0 of 3,399 locationsShoshone County, ID: 22%, 1,773 of 7,913 locationsTeton County, ID: 4.7%, 316 of 6,722 locationsTwin Falls: not publishedValley County, ID: 33%, 4,384 of 13,158 locationsWashington County, ID: 9.4%, 481 of 5,126 locations

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

  • 0.0% to 0.0%
  • 0.0% to 0.7%
  • 0.7% to 6.3%
  • 6.3% to 17%
  • 17% to 23%
  • 23% to 43%
  • 43% 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 Idaho

Ranked by the share of locations with no fixed service at 25/3 Mbps or better.
CountyLocationsUnservedShare unservedFiber share
<a href="/idaho/lewis-county-internet/">Lewis County</a>2,4101,27552.9%0.2%
<a href="/idaho/idaho-county-internet/">Idaho County</a>11,1245,85252.6%4.1%
<a href="/idaho/camas-county-internet/">Camas County</a>94045848.7%32.4%
<a href="/idaho/bonner-county-internet/">Bonner County</a>27,81912,42544.7%27.1%
<a href="/idaho/benewah-county-internet/">Benewah County</a>5,5022,35742.8%29.3%
<a href="/idaho/clearwater-county-internet/">Clearwater County</a>5,4251,91335.3%32.6%
<a href="/idaho/valley-county-internet/">Valley County</a>13,1584,38433.3%16.7%
<a href="/idaho/caribou-county-internet/">Caribou County</a>4,03296523.9%28.4%
<a href="/idaho/adams-county-internet/">Adams County</a>3,06470122.9%55.5%
<a href="/idaho/shoshone-county-internet/">Shoshone County</a>7,9131,77322.4%53.9%

Every rural county in Idaho

What people actually measure in Idaho

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
CABLE ONE120 Mbps53.9 Mbps to 209 Mbps18.0 Mbps67 ms44,149
CenturyLink Communications42.9 Mbps14.3 Mbps to 97.6 Mbps9.8 Mbps45 ms22,679
Charter Communications116 Mbps54.3 Mbps to 202 Mbps11.1 Mbps60 ms7,184
Wholesail networks47.3 Mbps9.1 Mbps to 157 Mbps25.8 Mbps15 ms6,374
TDS TELECOM173 Mbps76.9 Mbps to 254 Mbps125 Mbps12 ms4,602
Direct Communications Rockland71.9 Mbps21.3 Mbps to 109 Mbps40.5 Mbps25 ms4,087
FyberCom43.7 Mbps17.5 Mbps to 83.5 Mbps16.6 Mbps41 ms3,736
Cox Communications132 Mbps68.8 Mbps to 187 Mbps11.9 Mbps50 ms3,383
Silver Star Communications72.0 Mbps23.6 Mbps to 115 Mbps32.6 Mbps58 ms3,015
Verizon Business35.8 Mbps10.0 Mbps to 96.5 Mbps6.2 Mbps50 ms2,425
Anthem Broadband11.5 Mbps5.5 Mbps to 20.8 Mbps1.9 Mbps57 ms2,153
Syringa Networks47.2 Mbps10.3 Mbps to 92.1 Mbps16.9 Mbps44 ms1,864
Project Mutual Telephone Cooperative Association44.0 Mbps11.7 Mbps to 92.2 Mbps18.8 Mbps31 ms1,257
Zito Media, L.P101 Mbps46.5 Mbps to 178 Mbps6.9 Mbps51 ms1,253

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 USA36.3 Mbps9.0 Mbps to 93.5 Mbps5.7 Mbps66 ms33,289

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.