2.5% of locations in North Carolina have no fixed broadband at 25/3 Mbps. The state median rural county sits at 2.2% unserved and 59.9% fiber coverage. Pick your county below for the specific picture.
55 of North Carolina's 100 counties are classed as rural by the USDA. Across the whole state the FCC records 108,153 locations with no fixed broadband, out of 4,381,736.
North Carolina at a glance
Share of addresses with no fixed broadband at 25/3 Mbps
0.0% to 0.4%
0.4% to 1.7%
1.7% to 3.6%
3.6% to 5.7%
5.7% to 9.9%
9.9% to 16%
16% 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 North Carolina
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
Charter Communications
145 Mbps
54.4 Mbps to 305 Mbps
11.3 Mbps
26 ms
298,127
AT&T Enterprises
138 Mbps
38.8 Mbps to 333 Mbps
75.5 Mbps
24 ms
105,274
Verizon Business
30.3 Mbps
8.4 Mbps to 81.9 Mbps
4.4 Mbps
42 ms
75,465
Brightspeed
11.1 Mbps
4.0 Mbps to 46.6 Mbps
1.0 Mbps
40 ms
22,221
Windstream Communications
63.4 Mbps
18.3 Mbps to 208 Mbps
24.9 Mbps
29 ms
13,657
Optimum
123 Mbps
50.2 Mbps to 269 Mbps
19.1 Mbps
30 ms
12,977
North State Telephone
171 Mbps
57.8 Mbps to 348 Mbps
92.4 Mbps
26 ms
10,559
MCNC
50.7 Mbps
14.4 Mbps to 100 Mbps
55.9 Mbps
22 ms
10,194
Optimum Online
117 Mbps
38.9 Mbps to 215 Mbps
11.9 Mbps
32 ms
8,301
Focus Broadband
157 Mbps
64.6 Mbps to 285 Mbps
24.1 Mbps
32 ms
7,668
iboss
34.1 Mbps
14.0 Mbps to 73.2 Mbps
31.1 Mbps
19 ms
7,528
Metronet
206 Mbps
82.8 Mbps to 332 Mbps
149 Mbps
29 ms
5,504
Ting Fiber
199 Mbps
83.7 Mbps to 377 Mbps
163 Mbps
20 ms
4,984
Skyline Telephone
84.7 Mbps
40.5 Mbps to 145 Mbps
71.0 Mbps
32 ms
3,153
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.
Network
Median download
Middle half of tests
Median upload
Latency
Tests
T-Mobile USA
36.0 Mbps
8.1 Mbps to 114 Mbps
6.3 Mbps
47 ms
114,478
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