This State Has The Fastest Internet

If you're tired of your slow and spotty Internet connection, maybe you should consider moving to a new state. Broadview Networks released a study on the varying Internet speeds across America, and that states the rank near the top may come as a surprise: Virginia has the fastest Internet speed in the nation, so all of you who live in the Old Dominion can continue to Google easily.

Broadview Networks gathered its findings with help from Akami's "State of the Internet" report, which looked at Internet connections across the globe. With using that data, the communications company was able to denote which states had the fastest and lowest Internet speeds by measuring megabits per second, or mbps. According to Broadview Networks, the more populated states, such as those in the crowded Northeast, had faster Internet speeds on average than less populated states in the South and the Midwest.

Although Virginia came out on top with an Internet speed of 13.7 mbps, Delaware was not too far behind at 13.1 mbps. Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C. rounded out the top five, while New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Michigan and California ranked within the top 20.

As for the bottom of the list? Well, Alaska has the slowest Internet speed in America, at 7 mbps. Arkansas, Kentucky, Montana and West Virginia round out the top five slowest Internet connections.

In the map from Broadview Networks (pictured below), the dark shade of green represents the fastest Internet speeds, while red depicts the slowest. The lighter shades of green denote slower speeds, but definitely not as slow as the oranges and yellows.

Although Alaska and a few Southern states may be lagging behind, there is some good news: All but two U.S. states have improved their Internet speeds over the last year. Surprisingly, Virginia's rate declined in the last year, as well as Louisiana, which came in at No. 42.

What's also interesting to note about Akami's "State of the Internet" report, which included global rankings and assessments, is that the average U.S. Internet speed lags behind many developed nations. While the United States has the fastest average Internet connection in the Americas — with Canada coming in at a close second — its mbps ranks 12th in the world. The United States has a 10.5 mbps Internet connection, which is pretty good compared to Argentina's 3.2 mbps, but is nowhere near South Korea's 23.6 mbps. Of course, no one really comes close to South Korea's astronomic Internet speed.

Image: Broadview Networks