Rural Internet

Rural internet in Nebraska

2.5% of locations in Nebraska have no fixed broadband at 25/3 Mbps. The state median rural county sits at 4.0% unserved and 71.9% fiber coverage. Pick your county below for the specific picture.

82 of Nebraska's 93 counties are classed as rural by the USDA. Across the whole state the FCC records 20,022 locations with no fixed broadband, out of 792,345.

Nebraska at a glance

Adams County, NE: 0.3%, 46 of 13,571 locationsAntelope County, NE: 19%, 816 of 4,220 locationsArthur County, NE: 0.0%, 0 of 278 locationsBanner County, NE: 53%, 250 of 470 locationsBlaine County, NE: 8.4%, 31 of 370 locationsBoone County, NE: 9.3%, 309 of 3,313 locationsBox Butte County, NE: 0.5%, 29 of 5,338 locationsBoyd County, NE: 0.0%, 0 of 1,734 locationsBrown County, NE: 8.3%, 179 of 2,161 locationsBuffalo County, NE: 2.8%, 516 of 18,745 locationsBurt County, NE: 2.1%, 91 of 4,337 locationsButler County, NE: 2.8%, 138 of 5,005 locationsCass: not publishedCedar County, NE: 4.0%, 192 of 4,834 locationsChase County, NE: 12%, 300 of 2,408 locationsCherry County, NE: 12%, 416 of 3,561 locationsCheyenne County, NE: 7.8%, 413 of 5,316 locationsClay County, NE: 0.5%, 21 of 3,890 locationsColfax County, NE: 2.9%, 136 of 4,719 locationsCuming County, NE: 6.6%, 318 of 4,846 locationsCuster County, NE: 9.1%, 596 of 6,529 locationsDakota: not publishedDawes County, NE: 9.0%, 381 of 4,221 locationsDawson County, NE: 1.7%, 180 of 10,883 locationsDeuel County, NE: 8.3%, 108 of 1,304 locationsDixon County, NE: 6.0%, 189 of 3,156 locationsDodge County, NE: 2.2%, 361 of 16,585 locationsDouglas: not publishedDundy County, NE: 1.8%, 24 of 1,324 locationsFillmore County, NE: 0.2%, 7 of 3,697 locationsFranklin County, NE: 12%, 278 of 2,238 locationsFrontier County, NE: 5.9%, 101 of 1,700 locationsFurnas County, NE: 2.0%, 63 of 3,221 locationsGage County, NE: 2.2%, 248 of 11,151 locationsGarden County, NE: 12%, 194 of 1,576 locationsGarfield County, NE: 0.8%, 10 of 1,223 locationsGosper County, NE: 2.5%, 35 of 1,427 locationsGrant County, NE: 6.9%, 32 of 461 locationsGreeley County, NE: 14%, 219 of 1,527 locationsHall: not publishedHamilton County, NE: 0.2%, 9 of 4,941 locationsHarlan County, NE: 4.1%, 120 of 2,922 locationsHayes County, NE: 50%, 316 of 630 locationsHitchcock County, NE: 24%, 489 of 2,005 locationsHolt County, NE: 8.9%, 581 of 6,502 locationsHooker County, NE: 4.0%, 20 of 501 locationsHoward: not publishedJefferson County, NE: 2.4%, 108 of 4,416 locationsJohnson County, NE: 6.1%, 174 of 2,854 locationsKearney County, NE: 6.8%, 241 of 3,529 locationsKeith County, NE: 2.5%, 144 of 5,846 locationsKeya Paha County, NE: 0.4%, 3 of 701 locationsKimball County, NE: 10%, 250 of 2,432 locationsKnox County, NE: 18%, 1,008 of 5,647 locationsLancaster: not publishedLincoln County, NE: 2.8%, 451 of 16,347 locationsLogan County, NE: 14%, 63 of 440 locationsLoup County, NE: 0.9%, 5 of 534 locationsMcPherson County, NE: 39%, 108 of 276 locationsMadison County, NE: 3.2%, 465 of 14,573 locationsMerrick: not publishedMorrill County, NE: 8.9%, 259 of 2,904 locationsNance County, NE: 18%, 380 of 2,155 locationsNemaha County, NE: 5.8%, 234 of 4,002 locationsNuckolls County, NE: 7.7%, 232 of 2,995 locationsOtoe County, NE: 4.4%, 346 of 7,878 locationsPawnee County, NE: 8.8%, 179 of 2,042 locationsPerkins County, NE: 22%, 384 of 1,729 locationsPhelps County, NE: 0.3%, 15 of 4,697 locationsPierce County, NE: 3.8%, 150 of 3,986 locationsPlatte County, NE: 1.0%, 140 of 14,498 locationsPolk County, NE: 2.8%, 94 of 3,358 locationsRed Willow County, NE: 2.9%, 161 of 5,566 locationsRichardson County, NE: 2.2%, 109 of 5,059 locationsRock County, NE: 0.0%, 0 of 1,144 locationsSaline County, NE: 1.0%, 63 of 6,516 locationsSarpy: not publishedSaunders: not publishedScotts Bluff County, NE: 1.4%, 238 of 16,853 locationsSeward: not publishedSheridan County, NE: 15%, 517 of 3,366 locationsSherman County, NE: 6.0%, 130 of 2,182 locationsSioux County, NE: 42%, 419 of 1,000 locationsStanton County, NE: 9.3%, 269 of 2,904 locationsThayer County, NE: 7.3%, 253 of 3,464 locationsThomas County, NE: 3.2%, 16 of 499 locationsThurston County, NE: 4.3%, 119 of 2,748 locationsValley County, NE: 10%, 268 of 2,561 locationsWashington: not publishedWayne County, NE: 5.3%, 207 of 3,921 locationsWebster County, NE: 8.6%, 201 of 2,329 locationsWheeler County, NE: 16%, 113 of 687 locationsYork County, NE: 0.6%, 43 of 6,952 locations

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

  • 0.0% to 0.8%
  • 0.8% to 2.4%
  • 2.4% to 4.0%
  • 4.0% to 6.6%
  • 6.6% to 8.9%
  • 8.9% to 14%
  • 14% 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 Nebraska

Ranked by the share of locations with no fixed service at 25/3 Mbps or better.
CountyLocationsUnservedShare unservedFiber share
<a href="/nebraska/banner-county-internet/">Banner County</a>47025053.2%11.5%
<a href="/nebraska/hayes-county-internet/">Hayes County</a>63031650.2%38.1%
<a href="/nebraska/sioux-county-internet/">Sioux County</a>1,00041941.9%11.6%
<a href="/nebraska/mcpherson-county-internet/">McPherson County</a>27610839.1%34.8%
<a href="/nebraska/hitchcock-county-internet/">Hitchcock County</a>2,00548924.4%6.9%
<a href="/nebraska/perkins-county-internet/">Perkins County</a>1,72938422.2%24.3%
<a href="/nebraska/antelope-county-internet/">Antelope County</a>4,22081619.3%77.3%
<a href="/nebraska/knox-county-internet/">Knox County</a>5,6471,00817.9%67.3%
<a href="/nebraska/nance-county-internet/">Nance County</a>2,15538017.6%11.3%
<a href="/nebraska/wheeler-county-internet/">Wheeler County</a>68711316.4%81.5%

Every rural county in Nebraska

What people actually measure in Nebraska

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
Cox Communications136 Mbps49.3 Mbps to 303 Mbps22.3 Mbps25 ms36,268
Verizon Business33.2 Mbps9.7 Mbps to 100 Mbps8.6 Mbps43 ms26,412
Allo Communications166 Mbps60.8 Mbps to 385 Mbps105 Mbps27 ms12,542
CenturyLink Communications83.1 Mbps22.0 Mbps to 242 Mbps42.8 Mbps25 ms12,393
Charter Communications108 Mbps53.8 Mbps to 213 Mbps10.4 Mbps47 ms7,198
Great Plains Communications101 Mbps47.3 Mbps to 197 Mbps36.9 Mbps32 ms6,947
Windstream Communications60.9 Mbps18.9 Mbps to 147 Mbps23.0 Mbps30 ms5,795
Nextlink Broadband23.9 Mbps12.3 Mbps to 50.0 Mbps4.3 Mbps33 ms2,469
HUNTEL.NET81.3 Mbps21.7 Mbps to 205 Mbps25.7 Mbps25 ms2,213
Network Nebraska88.1 Mbps43.5 Mbps to 164 Mbps90.2 Mbps27 ms1,570
VISTABEAM23.7 Mbps13.0 Mbps to 40.4 Mbps8.9 Mbps1 ms1,061
AT&T Enterprises43.9 Mbps20.7 Mbps to 85.7 Mbps4.0 Mbps35 ms913
Nedelco59.2 Mbps23.5 Mbps to 160 Mbps21.7 Mbps30 ms900
Unite Private Networks46.4 Mbps16.6 Mbps to 105 Mbps40.1 Mbps31 ms839

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
Prairie Hills Wireless39.7 Mbps24.2 Mbps to 49.7 Mbps30.9 Mbps49 ms349

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.