2.3% of locations in Iowa have no fixed broadband at 25/3 Mbps. The state median rural county sits at 1.7% unserved and 74.4% fiber coverage. Pick your county below for the specific picture.
77 of Iowa's 99 counties are classed as rural by the USDA. Across the whole state the FCC records 30,753 locations with no fixed broadband, out of 1,360,752.
Iowa at a glance
Share of addresses with no fixed broadband at 25/3 Mbps
0.0% to 0.4%
0.4% to 0.8%
0.8% to 1.5%
1.5% to 2.2%
2.2% to 4.7%
4.7% to 11%
11% 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 Iowa
Ranked by the share of locations with no fixed service at 25/3 Mbps or better.
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.
Network
Median download
Middle half of tests
Median upload
Latency
Tests
Mediacom Communications
113 Mbps
57.0 Mbps to 282 Mbps
24.4 Mbps
24 ms
58,533
CenturyLink Communications
36.7 Mbps
10.5 Mbps to 93.8 Mbps
7.1 Mbps
29 ms
17,538
Metronet
178 Mbps
73.8 Mbps to 338 Mbps
124 Mbps
24 ms
16,112
Aureon Network Services
78.4 Mbps
29.3 Mbps to 115 Mbps
47.4 Mbps
23 ms
11,340
ImOn Communications
90.8 Mbps
33.9 Mbps to 183 Mbps
42.9 Mbps
16 ms
8,635
Windstream Communications
37.6 Mbps
12.2 Mbps to 81.3 Mbps
10.7 Mbps
36 ms
8,336
Verizon Business
36.1 Mbps
9.9 Mbps to 96.6 Mbps
7.5 Mbps
45 ms
4,642
CABLE ONE
122 Mbps
55.1 Mbps to 203 Mbps
22.4 Mbps
64 ms
3,325
South Slope Cooperative Telephone
61.6 Mbps
33.5 Mbps to 184 Mbps
44.6 Mbps
21 ms
3,202
ICS Advanced Technologies
85.4 Mbps
30.4 Mbps to 184 Mbps
57.0 Mbps
24 ms
3,083
Premier Communications
66.2 Mbps
30.0 Mbps to 102 Mbps
9.9 Mbps
31 ms
2,662
Cox Communications
118 Mbps
44.4 Mbps to 296 Mbps
11.7 Mbps
25 ms
2,640
Eastern Iowa IP
78.7 Mbps
41.0 Mbps to 101 Mbps
49.3 Mbps
24 ms
1,637
COMELEC SERVICES
35.8 Mbps
19.2 Mbps to 45.1 Mbps
13.1 Mbps
25 ms
1,505
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.
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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