By the first quarter of 2017, the average internet speed around the globe was only 7.2 Megabits per second (Mbps), according to Akamai's State of the Internet/Connectivity Report. Yet at least 45 percent of those with broadband were jumping above 10Mbps.

That seems to be the trend in the US for once. As we put together the Fastest ISPs of 2017, we noticed that speeds didn't get much of a hike from 2016. This year, the trend appears to be up, up, and away, with lots of ISPs breaking speed records.

It's a weird, happy time for ISPs. At least as far as oversight (or the lack thereof) is concerned. No one seems to care when they buy each other out, so mergers and acquisitions are the norm. Meanwhile, net neutrality is dead, effective June 11. That's good for ISPs, but not necessarily great for customers.

But even as US ISPs rack up the corporate wins, they're at least upping speeds and that's a huge plus.

In March, Comcast—the largest cable provider in the US with a presence in 40 states plus the District of Columbia—boosted its Xfinity-branded broadband connections in 14 states in the Northeast. Verizon's still pushing Fios fiber-to-the-home with incentives like free games and Xbox Live Gold accounts.

Of course, wireless speeds keep getting better as well—with 5G on the horizon—but mobile connections can't come close as yet to the speed of a cable line or fiber line to a home or office.

Those are just the big names. Small, nimble community ISPs offer fiber more and more, some with speeds so astronomical they put even countries where the bits flows like water to shame. Those increases are pushing up the national average. In May 2018, the US had an average download speed of 92.93 Mbps for fixed broadband (aka, an ISP that isn't a mobile provider), according to the SpeedTest Global Index. That is up from 68.35Mbps last year, and well above the current global average of 45.48Mbps. But it only puts the US at No. 9 globally; Singapore is No. 1 at 170.99Mbps.

In the US, there's also the issue of competition; most broadband providers tend to enjoy a bit of a local monopoly, depending on where you live. Which US ISP should you be seeking out? Read on to see what tests from your fellow PCMag.com readers reveal.

How We Rate ISP Speeds

When we are talking about the "speed" of an ISP, we're actually talking about the throughput—the maximum amount of bits you can get on the last mile of the connection to your home or office.

Just because an ISP says you're rated to get 100Mbps download speeds (generally with a corresponding low upload speed like 10Mbps) doesn't mean you'll ever actually get that. In fact, it's impossible with all the overhead on the connection. But a speed testing tool can show you just how close you get.

For the Fastest ISPs story you're reading now, the data used comes from our PCMag Speed Test. It's our way of keeping it in the family. The results of your tests of download and upload throughput (as well as other things like jitter on the connection) are recorded along with the location of the test. Using the IP address provided by your ISP, the name of the ISP is recorded as well.

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We use download and upload speeds to calculate the PCMag Speed Index. That's a weighted score that uses 80 percent of the download speed and 20 percent of the upload speed. Using the PCMag Speed Index (or PSI, as no one here calls it), we can quickly rank ISPs as the "fastest" (or not). Read the full methodology below for more.

We rank the top 10 (or fewer, depending on available results) in multiple categories and locations. The winners are, in general, fiber and cable providers since they offer the fastest wired connections (aka "fixed broadband.") Copper-line DSL connections and satellite internet services typically don't make the cut—they're just not fast enough to compete. Same with most wireless providers—if you're curious who has the fastest mobile network, we recommend you read our Fastest Mobile Networks results. (That said, there are some "fixed wireless" services out there that do compete, but not many and generally not for consumers.)

Here's the yearly caveat for those who will be very upset not to see their beloved local provider of incredibly fast internet in the results. To keep this as statistically valid as possible, we require a minimum of 100 tests per category. Thus, even with a few hundred thousand tests, with hundreds of ISPs in the country, the results mostly depict the work of major brand-name ISPs with a massive customer base. It's not fair to compare a local fiber company with 500 customers (and only two tests in our results) against a cable behemoth with thousands of tests.

That minimum 100 is also why you may notice that the top performing ISP in the country isn't necessarily the best in every location where it can be found, and sometimes may not even show up in the results for that location—we need 100 for the ISP and the location. (That said, if you've got a kick-ass local ISP, let everyone know in the comments below. Maybe they'll pick up a customer.)

The Fastest ISPs in the US

We like to break this into two sub-categories because, let's face it, most of us want to see just how well (or badly) a big-name ISP is doing, speed-wise. Thus, we start with the "major" ISPs, those with a customer base typically in multiple locations and very large cities. To be considered major, this is the one chart in the story where we require 1,000 tests—plus we also take into consideration providers that are available across multiple states.

Last year there was a bit of an upset—for the first time in seven years, Verizon Fios (200 Mbps - $39.99 Per Month at Verizon Fios) didn't take home the trophy for fastest major ISP. Fios did okay, earning a PCMag Speed Index (PSI!) of 48.3, but that was only good enough for third place.

What a difference a year makes. Fios is not only back on top for 2018, it's on top with a nationwide PSI of 138.7. That's almost three times the index it earned last year, even well ahead of last year's winner. It's a nice, healthy initial indicator that the speeds for US broadband are not only on the rise, but rising astronomically. At least for now.

Compare the numbers from last year's top 10 and this year's: every company on both lists saw a dramatic increase with one exception. Last year's big winner, Hotwire Communications, fell a bit from its once-lofty 91.3 heights to a PSI of 90.8 this year. Not much of a drop, and that's still a fantastic score, but it was only enough to give Hotwire the fourth place slot.

One of the biggest gainers in speed for 2018: RCN. It wasn't even in the top 10 of Major ISPs last year—it didn't have enough tests to make 1,000 back then—but it was in the list of ISPs with at least 100, and there it was still just at an index score of 70.8. This year, it jumps up to 129.8.

Last year, Suddenlink Communications was in second place with a 49.1; this year it's in third despite more than doubling its score to 102.5. Also doubling (or more) its scores year to year: Optimum (from 39.6 to 81.8) and AT&T Fiber (27.0 to 77.4). The rest of the top 10 are all up as well, albeit more modestly. WOW and Spectrum both dropped off the top 10 list of major ISPs, but both also had increased scores (WOW more than double).

Separately, let's nail down the true title of the Fastest ISP in the land, regardless of its reach (again, albeit with the caveat that we needed 100 tests). This means ISPs in the results that go beyond the household names we know and tolerate—though many remain in the mix, including the top two majors above (Verizon Fios and RCN), which land at slots 6 and 7 here.

The last couple of years it was clear that if you lived in an area with Google Fiber, you'd be a fool not to tap into its fiber goodness. The scores were astronomical—last year it had a PCMag Speed Index of 324.5—with practically symmetrical upload and download speeds. This year, however, as it struggles to expand, Google Fiber's numbers dipped by almost one-third to a PSI of 237.0, which is only good enough for second place.

Who could beat Google at its own game? Nextlight, that's who. If you don't know Nextlight, that's because you're not in or around Longmont, Colorado—Nextlight is the local gigabit ISP there, run by the local electrical utility. We don't call this a "major" since it's only in one city, but there's no denying small local players like this are the best hope we all have for seeing major gains in connectivity speed. Nextlight's PCMag Speed Index of 278.4 was a clear winner.

Check the third bar in this chart: the Bay Area's Sonic earns a PSI of 206.8, which is just what the locals there want, and a fantastic increase from the devilish 66.6 it had last year. In fourth is EPB Fiber Optics, the local utility that made Chattanooga, Tennessee, one of the first gigabit cities in the US, with 149.7, up a bit from last year's 136.1, when it came in second.

In fifth at 142.4 is a newbie, Nebraska-based fiber provider Allo Communications. The only other non-major company that made the top 10 last year was Texas-based Grande Communications, which slips from fifth to 10th place this year, despite an increased rating to 109.1. That's how hot the competition is.

WINNERS: The Fastest ISPs in the United States

MAJOR ISPs

Verizon Fios

Last year was the only time in eight years that Fios, the fiber-to-the-home service offered by Verizon in multiple states, wasn't in the top spot for fastest major ISP. It's back this year, with a speedy vengeance, jumping up in symmetrical up-and-down speeds that gave it the clear edge over all the competition. It's not hard to see why Fios—which is also a consistent winner for its service and support in our Readers' Choice awards—is so popular.

ALL ISPs

Nextlight

It would take a concentrated effort to unseat Google Fiber in this spot. That's exactly what you get with the gigabit (that's 1,000 megabits per second) all-fiber offering from Nextlight out of Colorado. It's a service of the City of Longmont Power & Communications, which knows that internet access should be a utility. At least, all those who can get it. If you are choosing where to live in the US based entirely on internet speed, consider buying or renting in Longmont.

Fastest Internet Providers by Region

In the US of A, there are no true nation-wide fixed-broadband ISPs—Comcast is the closest, and even it only hits four-fifths of the 50 states. Sure, satellite service might work, but not if you're really looking for a fast, or even tolerable ISP. Wireless networks like those of the major mobile carriers (Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint) come closest in coverage, but aren't there speed-wise. So let's take a look at the fastest wireline ISPs you would want, region by region, in the lower 48.

North Central

Includes: IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, and WI

The central, northern states of the US are bolstered by Google Fiber's presence in multiple areas (though not as many as one would hope). Also sad is that Google Fiber's PCMag Speed Index has dropped from year to year, down from 287.4 last year to 210.9. Not a trend we like to see. Generally we also get a nice showing in this area from Midcontinent Communications (aka Midco), and it did indeed increase from last year's second place 75.8 to a PSI of 105.1 this year. But that number landed it in fourth. Ahead of it in that region is Allo out of Nebraska, and MetroNet, a fiber provider found mainly in Illinois and Indiana, plus an office in Lexington, KY.

Northeast

Includes: CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA, VT, and WV

Fios speeds tend to fluctuate wildly from region to region, even if it's uniformly good enough to win the whole nation. The Northeast is a good example—it's probably where Fios and RCN have their strongest services spread out, but Fios last year dropped to fourth place there behind not just RCN in first with an index of 90.8, but also behind Comcast Xfinity and the even smaller Armstrong Cable. In 2018, however, things are very different. RCN and Fios are practically tied, both with startling increases in speed (RCN at 139.0, Fios at 138.7). The aforementioned Xfinity increased from 50.1 to 71.9, but still could only manage to get fifth. Instead, the companies to keep an eye on for speed increase are the two leaders, plus third-place Optimum and fourth-place Suddenlink.

Northwest

Includes: CO, ID, MT, OR, UT, WA, and WY

If you want a major ISP—one with a big name and big backing—Comcast Xfinity is what you pick if you live in the Northwestern states stretching from Colorado to Washington. It's been our consistent winner in this area for years, and last year had a PCMag Speed Index of 48.3. This year, Xfinity jumped up to an excellent 81.9. However, more customers for more localized providers mean some results show up in these regions that skew Xfinity out of the top slot. No one will be surprised to see Nextlight's appearance here—it's almost impossible to beat that 278.4 PSI. Secondary slot goes to DirectLink, which is a local provider concentrated in the Denver area. What's really unique and interesting about DirectLink: it's a fixed wireless provider, so customers need to be in the line of site of DirectLink's antenna towers for it to work. But apparently when it does, the speeds are out of sight.

South Central

Includes: AR, LA, MS, OK, and TX

Several ISPs vie for the top slots in this region, many with a small but speedy reach. Google Fiber remains the top player with its Austin, Texas-based install, even if the service's speed has dropped (the PSI went from a record-breaking 467.1 to a still stunning 318.8). The other smaller player is Grande Communications of Central Texas, which increased in speed but still dropped from second to fourth place. That's because the speed increases by companies like AT&T Fiber (formerly AT&T U-verse) were great—AT&T barely made the cut last year, and now it's in second with a rating of 142.7. Suddenlink stayed in third, despite more than doubling its PSI.

Southeast

Includes: AL, FL, GA, NC, SC, and TN

Last year, EPB in Chattanooga was a clear winner with a PCMag Speed Index of 136.1, well ahead of the competition. But something happened in the Southeast to change that in the last year: Google Fiber really took hold in a couple of spots in North Carolina and a tiny bit in Atlanta (though the reports from Atlanta's GF install don't sound so great). Thus, despite EPB's increase to 152.4 (which still isn't even as high as we saw back in 2016), it comes in second to Google Fiber's 234.5.

Southwest

Includes: AZ, NM, NV, and CA

Time to give it up to Sonic. The gigabit fiber provider tripled its speed from last year's 66.6 to 207.1, a number no other provider in the Southwest can hope to compete with. Last year, Cable ONE at least almost tied Sonic—this year it dropped to seventh place with a 59.6. The other nice showing is from West Coast fiber provider Wave Broadband, which shot from 43.8 in 2017 to this year's runner-up with a PSI of 89.6. Wave is a sibling company to RCN and Grande—all have the same parent investment company, TPG Capital, but are operated separately. For now.

Related Fastest Mobile Networks 2018

Hawaii and Alaska

Curious what's happening in the two states not connected to the regions above? In Alaska, there's only one provider with enough tests to be included, and that's GCI Communications, based in Anchorage. Last year it had a 47.8 PCMag Speed Index, but managed to increase that to a very nice 97.5 for 2018.

Over in Hawaii there are only two ISPs that make the cut. One is Spectrum with a winning 67.6 PSI (up from 39.0); the other is Hawaiian Telecom at 58.7 (waaay up from last year's 11.5).

US States with the Fastest Internet

Everyone wants to know how their locations stack up against everyone else. While we probably can't narrow it down to your exact spot (maybe, see below), we can certainly give you an idea of the states with the fastest average speeds.

In the last few years, the Dakotas and Texas have duked it out primarily, thanks to the presence of some very fast ISPs in those territories (Midco in former, Google Fiber/AT&T Fiber/Grande in the latter). This year, they must resign themselves to also-ran status. That's thanks to the stunning performance of ISPs found in one East Coast state: Maryland. It's mainly a Verizon Fios state, bolstered by a lot of local providers keeping the average up (Fios alone hit 239.1 there).

The District of Columbia also went up in its overall score from last year's 46.6 to 87.2, putting it as the fifth "state" for speed. Again, that's primarily thanks to Fios performance in the district.

US Cities with the Fastest Internet

Longmont, Colorado—home of the Nextlight gigabit fiber broadband utility—was the clear winner last year with a PCMag Speed Index of 173.4. But while Nextlight by itself captures lots of awards above, when we drill down into the top cities, you can see where a few massive pipes to the internet can change everything. Enough that Longmont's placement this year in the top 10 is only No. 9.

Longmont, it turns out, is the only city that made the top 10 cities in 2017 and 2018. The nine others are newbies. But the top five all have a couple of specific ISPs to thank for their well-above-average scores. Potomac and Chevy Chase, MD, as well as Woodbridge, VA, are all Verizon Fios towns; New Albany, IN and Lubbock, TX, are full of homes using the resurgent AT&T Fiber. Not until we get to Machaca, TX, is it a city that owes its throughput fortunes to Google Fiber.

The rest of the top 10 can thank Suddenlink (Wolfforth, TX) and Comcast Xfinity (Summerdale, PA and Puyallup, WA). It's worth noting that every single one of these cities' PCMag Speed Index numbers are above the highest city index we saw last year.

What about the top ISPs in major cities, and how do they fare? These are the top ISPs in the big cities where we got at least 100 tests from the ISP in question.

Austin (TX): Spectrum—77.8 (last year it was Google Fiber with a whopping 516.8 but we didn't get enough tests this year)

(TX): Spectrum—77.8 (last year it was Google Fiber with a whopping 516.8 but we didn't get enough tests this year) Chicago : RCN—101.7

: RCN—101.7 Dallas : AT&T Fiber—166.7

: AT&T Fiber—166.7 Denver : Comcast Xfinity—84.8 (up from 53.4 last year)

: Comcast Xfinity—84.8 (up from 53.4 last year) Houston : Comcast Xfinity—93.9 (up from 43.7 last year)

: Comcast Xfinity—93.9 (up from 43.7 last year) Los Angeles : Spectrum—66.1

: Spectrum—66.1 New York City : RCN—464.7 (up from 253.3 last year)

: RCN—464.7 (up from 253.3 last year) Philadelphia : Verizon Fios—180.7

: Verizon Fios—180.7 San Antonio : Spectrum—99.1 (up from 81.1 last year)

: Spectrum—99.1 (up from 81.1 last year) San Diego : AT&T Internet—68.1

: AT&T Internet—68.1 San Francisco : Sonic.net—314.4

: Sonic.net—314.4 San Jose : Comcast Xfinity—81.8 (up from 51.6 last year)

: Comcast Xfinity—81.8 (up from 51.6 last year) Washington, DC: Verizon Fios—350.5 (way up from 53.4 last year)

Fastest Business Internet Provider

If you're not sure which ISP is right for your business, at least when it comes to throughput, let's make it clear: it's Verizon. Verizon was on top last year with a 71.8; this year, the standard Verizon Enterprise and Verizon Fios for Business took the top slots, each with scores that improved on 2017.

It probably doesn't hurt that Verizon bought out XO Communications, which last year was the second place business ISP for speed. Even the Fios brand doesn't do as well as the leased-line Enterprise side. No. 3 was a surprise newbie to our list—Spectrum Business with a PSI of 75.6.

WINNERS: The Fastest Business ISP in USA

Verizon Enterprise

Outpacing the speed of even the fiber-to-the-home Fios Business, Verizon's Enterprise ISP division has clearly become the choice broadband provider for offices. The speed improvements it's making year to year rival that of the smaller and quicker to change local ISPs, a move that bodes well for big businesses that need to stay competitive.

Methodology

The results in this article were taken from 346,431 individual tests completed by PCMag readers the world over from May 23, 2017, to June 5, 2018, using the PCMag Speed Test. We narrowed results down to 259,981 tests taken in the United States alone.

The PCMag Speed Test collected download and upload speeds for each test, measured in kilobits per second (kbps). We used those results to calculate the Megabits per second (Mbps) by dividing each test result by 1,000. From there, an index score is calculated for a better one-to-one comparison, where downloads count for 80 percent and uploads 20 percent. For an ISP or location (or an ISP in a specific location) to be included in results, we required a minimum of 100 tests except where indicated.

On the back end, the Speed Test performs a "fill the pipe" test. Rather than testing the upload and download speed of a single file, it uses multiple broadband threads (the broadband applications that can be used by a browser) to measure the total capacity of the "pipe." This leads to numbers higher than some other Internet speed tests out there, sometimes even higher than the rate of broadband speed you are paying for.

Previous iterations of the Speed Test required a Web browser running Adobe Flash and JavaScript to work. The latest version, implemented on PCMag.com in April 2017, supports HTML 5 and thus works on mobile browsers. The embedded test you see on this page is limited to only a few US server sites so it can work on our pages that support the HTTPS protocol. However, our international-user friendly PCMag Speed Test works on any browser and is not HTTPS specific.

As such, some results for wireless carriers do appear in this story, but speed-wise they are generally outclassed today by modern wired connections like cable and fiber. For more advanced testing of the nation's major wireless carriers, we do our own city-to-city driving tests for the Fastest Mobile Networks.

Test your own Internet speed right now and you'll be contributing to next year's Fastest ISPs results.

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