Rural Internet

Rural internet in Washington

7.7% of locations in Washington have no fixed broadband at 25/3 Mbps. The state median rural county sits at 14.4% unserved and 30.6% fiber coverage. Pick your county below for the specific picture.

20 of Washington's 39 counties are classed as rural by the USDA. Across the whole state the FCC records 197,576 locations with no fixed broadband, out of 2,573,439.

Washington at a glance

Adams County, WA: 17%, 1,250 of 7,409 locationsAsotin: not publishedBenton: not publishedChelan: not publishedClallam County, WA: 38%, 13,869 of 36,809 locationsClark: not publishedColumbia County, WA: 25%, 649 of 2,579 locationsCowlitz: not publishedDouglas: not publishedFerry County, WA: 58%, 2,649 of 4,573 locationsFranklin: not publishedGarfield County, WA: 34%, 489 of 1,438 locationsGrant County, WA: 0.2%, 75 of 38,963 locationsGrays Harbor County, WA: 10%, 3,817 of 36,982 locationsIsland County, WA: 19%, 7,419 of 39,503 locationsJefferson County, WA: 37%, 6,928 of 18,814 locationsKing: not publishedKitsap: not publishedKittitas County, WA: 18%, 4,339 of 23,481 locationsKlickitat County, WA: 43%, 5,072 of 11,851 locationsLewis County, WA: 31%, 11,620 of 37,213 locationsLincoln County, WA: 53%, 4,114 of 7,736 locationsMason County, WA: 23%, 8,000 of 34,902 locationsOkanogan County, WA: 48%, 11,430 of 23,591 locationsPacific County, WA: 8.9%, 1,495 of 16,875 locationsPend Oreille County, WA: 13%, 1,162 of 8,837 locationsPierce: not publishedSan Juan County, WA: 47%, 5,596 of 12,002 locationsSkagit: not publishedSkamania: not publishedSnohomish: not publishedSpokane: not publishedStevens: not publishedThurston: not publishedWahkiakum County, WA: 17%, 431 of 2,534 locationsWalla Walla: not publishedWhatcom: not publishedWhitman County, WA: 17%, 2,682 of 16,018 locationsYakima: not published

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

  • 0.0% to 10%
  • 10% to 17%
  • 17% to 19%
  • 19% to 31%
  • 31% to 38%
  • 38% to 48%
  • 48% 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 Washington

Ranked by the share of locations with no fixed service at 25/3 Mbps or better.
CountyLocationsUnservedShare unservedFiber share
<a href="/washington/ferry-county-internet/">Ferry County</a>4,5732,64957.9%12.2%
<a href="/washington/lincoln-county-internet/">Lincoln County</a>7,7364,11453.2%27.8%
<a href="/washington/okanogan-county-internet/">Okanogan County</a>23,59111,43048.5%13.7%
<a href="/washington/san-juan-county-internet/">San Juan County</a>12,0025,59646.6%32.2%
<a href="/washington/klickitat-county-internet/">Klickitat County</a>11,8515,07242.8%13.7%
<a href="/washington/clallam-county-internet/">Clallam County</a>36,80913,86937.7%8.4%
<a href="/washington/jefferson-county-internet/">Jefferson County</a>18,8146,92836.8%9.7%
<a href="/washington/garfield-county-internet/">Garfield County</a>1,43848934.0%62.2%
<a href="/washington/lewis-county-internet/">Lewis County</a>37,21311,62031.2%18.6%
<a href="/washington/columbia-county-internet/">Columbia County</a>2,57964925.2%62.2%

Every rural county in Washington

What people actually measure in Washington

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 Communications136 Mbps49.7 Mbps to 315 Mbps16.1 Mbps8 ms405,920
Space Exploration Technologies47.4 Mbps16.3 Mbps to 92.7 Mbps6.3 Mbps25 ms73,158
CenturyLink Communications59.3 Mbps11.3 Mbps to 211 Mbps25.9 Mbps6 ms62,842
Verizon Business32.6 Mbps8.2 Mbps to 90.5 Mbps4.5 Mbps38 ms52,867
Wholesail networks101 Mbps31.0 Mbps to 250 Mbps91.2 Mbps5 ms50,831
Charter Communications121 Mbps46.8 Mbps to 243 Mbps10.7 Mbps21 ms31,676
Wave Broadband106 Mbps47.0 Mbps to 233 Mbps11.8 Mbps8 ms28,937
AT&T Enterprises53.0 Mbps21.6 Mbps to 113 Mbps4.2 Mbps4 ms17,383
SECFIREWALLAS F.N.S. HOLDINGS67.2 Mbps25.7 Mbps to 142 Mbps11.9 Mbps0 ms11,473
Ziply Fiber83.5 Mbps35.6 Mbps to 94.5 Mbps76.0 Mbps7 ms5,692
Washington State K-20 Telecommunications Network94.3 Mbps44.7 Mbps to 179 Mbps97.1 Mbps5 ms4,063
CDNEXT Datacamp58.9 Mbps26.6 Mbps to 131 Mbps9.6 Mbps8 ms3,698
Performive43.5 Mbps13.7 Mbps to 99.5 Mbps11.3 Mbps44 ms3,665
Northwest Open Access Network25.2 Mbps9.6 Mbps to 91.2 Mbps8.7 Mbps17 ms2,788

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 USA41.8 Mbps8.3 Mbps to 113 Mbps4.7 Mbps63 ms78,484

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.