Rural Internet

Rural internet in New York

1.5% of locations in New York have no fixed broadband at 25/3 Mbps. The state median rural county sits at 2.7% unserved and 59.3% fiber coverage. Pick your county below for the specific picture.

25 of New York's 62 counties are classed as rural by the USDA. Across the whole state the FCC records 70,270 locations with no fixed broadband, out of 4,700,189.

New York at a glance

Albany: not publishedAllegany County, NY: 5.6%, 1,332 of 23,593 locationsBronx: not publishedBroome: not publishedCattaraugus County, NY: 9.9%, 3,754 of 37,983 locationsCayuga County, NY: 7.0%, 2,297 of 32,983 locationsChautauqua County, NY: 4.3%, 2,622 of 61,535 locationsChemung: not publishedChenango County, NY: 12%, 2,816 of 23,262 locationsClinton County, NY: 2.1%, 689 of 32,123 locationsColumbia County, NY: 4.2%, 1,301 of 30,717 locationsCortland County, NY: 4.2%, 753 of 17,793 locationsDelaware County, NY: 5.6%, 1,622 of 28,853 locationsDutchess: not publishedErie: not publishedEssex County, NY: 8.5%, 1,998 of 23,405 locationsFranklin County, NY: 15%, 3,555 of 23,740 locationsFulton County, NY: 4.2%, 1,082 of 25,468 locationsGenesee County, NY: 2.0%, 469 of 23,207 locationsGreene County, NY: 1.5%, 405 of 26,694 locationsHamilton County, NY: 22%, 1,677 of 7,583 locationsHerkimer: not publishedJefferson: not publishedKings: not publishedLewis County, NY: 12%, 1,835 of 15,131 locationsLivingston: not publishedMadison: not publishedMonroe: not publishedMontgomery County, NY: 8.5%, 1,662 of 19,509 locationsNassau: not publishedNew York: not publishedNiagara: not publishedOneida: not publishedOnondaga: not publishedOntario: not publishedOrange: not publishedOrleans: not publishedOswego: not publishedOtsego County, NY: 11%, 3,170 of 28,869 locationsPutnam: not publishedQueens: not publishedRensselaer: not publishedRichmond: not publishedRockland: not publishedSt. Lawrence County, NY: 6.5%, 3,137 of 48,473 locationsSaratoga: not publishedSchenectady: not publishedSchoharie: not publishedSchuyler County, NY: 7.0%, 694 of 9,938 locationsSeneca County, NY: 2.4%, 361 of 14,984 locationsSteuben County, NY: 5.5%, 2,472 of 44,767 locationsSuffolk: not publishedSullivan County, NY: 3.7%, 1,762 of 47,695 locationsTioga: not publishedTompkins: not publishedUlster: not publishedWarren: not publishedWashington: not publishedWayne: not publishedWestchester: not publishedWyoming County, NY: 10%, 1,809 of 18,018 locationsYates County, NY: 6.3%, 822 of 13,049 locations

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

  • 0.0% to 2.4%
  • 2.4% to 4.2%
  • 4.2% to 5.6%
  • 5.6% to 7.0%
  • 7.0% to 8.5%
  • 8.5% to 12%
  • 12% 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 York

Ranked by the share of locations with no fixed service at 25/3 Mbps or better.
CountyLocationsUnservedShare unservedFiber share
<a href="/new-york/hamilton-county-internet/">Hamilton County</a>7,5831,67722.1%67.6%
<a href="/new-york/franklin-county-internet/">Franklin County</a>23,7403,55515.0%33.3%
<a href="/new-york/lewis-county-internet/">Lewis County</a>15,1311,83512.1%36.7%
<a href="/new-york/chenango-county-internet/">Chenango County</a>23,2622,81612.1%26.8%
<a href="/new-york/otsego-county-internet/">Otsego County</a>28,8693,17011.0%31.6%
<a href="/new-york/wyoming-county-internet/">Wyoming County</a>18,0181,80910.0%40.0%
<a href="/new-york/cattaraugus-county-internet/">Cattaraugus County</a>37,9833,7549.9%46.8%
<a href="/new-york/essex-county-internet/">Essex County</a>23,4051,9988.5%47.0%
<a href="/new-york/montgomery-county-internet/">Montgomery County</a>19,5091,6628.5%32.3%
<a href="/new-york/schuyler-county-internet/">Schuyler County</a>9,9386947.0%68.4%

Every rural county in New York

What people actually measure in New York

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
Verizon Business203 Mbps66.0 Mbps to 378 Mbps93.5 Mbps5 ms383,204
Cablevision Systems169 Mbps61.9 Mbps to 302 Mbps24.9 Mbps8 ms267,145
Charter Communications142 Mbps50.5 Mbps to 306 Mbps11.5 Mbps8 ms218,047
ZSCALER74.0 Mbps24.7 Mbps to 151 Mbps21.8 Mbps1 ms41,574
AT&T Enterprises57.9 Mbps23.1 Mbps to 120 Mbps4.8 Mbps24 ms33,374
Clouvider Clouvider93.7 Mbps38.8 Mbps to 209 Mbps10.2 Mbps1 ms18,956
RCN140 Mbps33.5 Mbps to 342 Mbps24.3 Mbps7 ms13,631
Greenlight Networks184 Mbps63.5 Mbps to 350 Mbps119 Mbps26 ms8,966
Frontier Communications of America28.9 Mbps6.1 Mbps to 212 Mbps13.1 Mbps26 ms7,782
Crown Castle Fiber93.0 Mbps35.2 Mbps to 209 Mbps81.4 Mbps4 ms7,530
Empire Access183 Mbps69.5 Mbps to 341 Mbps66.3 Mbps28 ms5,210
Proskauer Rose128 Mbps47.5 Mbps to 432 Mbps72.9 Mbps2 ms4,506
Comcast Cable Communications111 Mbps40.1 Mbps to 261 Mbps22.4 Mbps16 ms4,428
Pilot Fiber124 Mbps73.9 Mbps to 385 Mbps114 Mbps2 ms4,284

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 USA45.2 Mbps9.5 Mbps to 124 Mbps8.9 Mbps21 ms126,483

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.