Rural Internet

Rural internet in New Mexico

4.8% of locations in New Mexico have no fixed broadband at 25/3 Mbps. The state median rural county sits at 6.6% unserved and 45.1% fiber coverage. Pick your county below for the specific picture.

26 of New Mexico's 33 counties are classed as rural by the USDA. Across the whole state the FCC records 41,508 locations with no fixed broadband, out of 856,810.

New Mexico at a glance

Bernalillo: not publishedCatron County, NM: 44%, 1,607 of 3,632 locationsChaves County, NM: 1.4%, 363 of 26,296 locationsCibola County, NM: 24%, 2,917 of 12,086 locationsColfax County, NM: 22%, 2,171 of 9,707 locationsCurry County, NM: 0.5%, 104 of 19,799 locationsDe Baca County, NM: 4.6%, 66 of 1,425 locationsDoña Ana: not publishedEddy County, NM: 0.8%, 218 of 26,064 locationsGrant County, NM: 8.4%, 1,293 of 15,354 locationsGuadalupe County, NM: 4.8%, 117 of 2,462 locationsHarding County, NM: 12%, 90 of 740 locationsHidalgo County, NM: 16%, 427 of 2,603 locationsLea County, NM: 2.3%, 646 of 28,203 locationsLincoln County, NM: 7.8%, 1,408 of 18,070 locationsLos Alamos County, NM: 0.4%, 30 of 7,360 locationsLuna County, NM: 8.0%, 956 of 11,906 locationsMcKinley County, NM: 8.1%, 1,859 of 23,070 locationsMora County, NM: 6.6%, 256 of 3,872 locationsOtero County, NM: 6.3%, 1,991 of 31,679 locationsQuay County, NM: 2.3%, 150 of 6,554 locationsRio Arriba County, NM: 8.7%, 1,814 of 20,737 locationsRoosevelt County, NM: 4.0%, 341 of 8,610 locationsSandoval: not publishedSan Juan: not publishedSan Miguel County, NM: 15%, 2,186 of 14,291 locationsSanta Fe: not publishedSierra County, NM: 7.5%, 598 of 8,000 locationsSocorro County, NM: 32%, 2,450 of 7,630 locationsTaos County, NM: 5.6%, 1,047 of 18,753 locationsTorrance: not publishedUnion County, NM: 12%, 314 of 2,579 locationsValencia: not published

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

  • 0.0% to 1.4%
  • 1.4% to 4.6%
  • 4.6% to 6.6%
  • 6.6% to 8.0%
  • 8.0% to 12%
  • 12% to 22%
  • 22% 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 New Mexico

Ranked by the share of locations with no fixed service at 25/3 Mbps or better.
CountyLocationsUnservedShare unservedFiber share
<a href="/new-mexico/catron-county-internet/">Catron County</a>3,6321,60744.2%12.9%
<a href="/new-mexico/socorro-county-internet/">Socorro County</a>7,6302,45032.1%42.9%
<a href="/new-mexico/cibola-county-internet/">Cibola County</a>12,0862,91724.1%59.4%
<a href="/new-mexico/colfax-county-internet/">Colfax County</a>9,7072,17122.4%45.1%
<a href="/new-mexico/hidalgo-county-internet/">Hidalgo County</a>2,60342716.4%13.2%
<a href="/new-mexico/san-miguel-county-internet/">San Miguel County</a>14,2912,18615.3%46.1%
<a href="/new-mexico/union-county-internet/">Union County</a>2,57931412.2%75.0%
<a href="/new-mexico/harding-county-internet/">Harding County</a>7409012.2%86.6%
<a href="/new-mexico/rio-arriba-county-internet/">Rio Arriba County</a>20,7371,8148.7%13.9%
<a href="/new-mexico/grant-county-internet/">Grant County</a>15,3541,2938.4%3.4%

Every rural county in New Mexico

What people actually measure in New Mexico

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 Communications133 Mbps46.4 Mbps to 322 Mbps11.8 Mbps15 ms64,031
CenturyLink Communications23.3 Mbps8.9 Mbps to 50.9 Mbps3.8 Mbps32 ms19,930
TDS TELECOM105 Mbps43.4 Mbps to 213 Mbps12.2 Mbps52 ms6,698
AT&T Enterprises36.7 Mbps16.3 Mbps to 77.8 Mbps3.7 Mbps48 ms5,342
CABLE ONE121 Mbps57.3 Mbps to 229 Mbps18.2 Mbps55 ms4,791
Windstream Communications32.4 Mbps10.7 Mbps to 111 Mbps10.2 Mbps28 ms4,455
Plateau Telecommunications93.2 Mbps32.1 Mbps to 221 Mbps72.3 Mbps32 ms4,032
Kit Carson Electric Cooperative50.5 Mbps19.5 Mbps to 86.2 Mbps32.7 Mbps43 ms1,924
NMSURF44.5 Mbps16.7 Mbps to 78.0 Mbps9.6 Mbps52 ms1,427
Sharktech46.9 Mbps23.5 Mbps to 101 Mbps5.5 Mbps1 ms1,160
Penasco Valley Telecommunications54.0 Mbps16.8 Mbps to 95.5 Mbps16.1 Mbps41 ms1,066
Unite Private Networks46.5 Mbps12.9 Mbps to 92.3 Mbps39.0 Mbps11 ms921
SWC TELESOLUTIONS23.9 Mbps12.7 Mbps to 60.9 Mbps7.2 Mbps34 ms796
Leaco Rural Telephone100 Mbps68.3 Mbps to 150 Mbps12.7 Mbps21 ms665

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 USA25.0 Mbps4.8 Mbps to 73.5 Mbps7.9 Mbps34 ms21,682

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.