Kansas recorded the fastest median mobile download speed of any U.S. state in Q1 2026, clocking 242.56 Mbps according to Ookla's United States Speedtest Connectivity Report H1 2026. Delaware, meanwhile, held the top fixed broadband position for the second straight reporting period with a median download speed of 193.87 Mbps.
Mobile Speed Rankings: Kansas Pulls Away
Kansas sits alone at the top of the mobile speed table. North Dakota ranked second, and Utah came in third, both posting strong numbers driven by carrier investment in mid-band 5G spectrum across low-density markets.
The pattern here is not accidental. Carriers can deploy mid-band 5G more efficiently in states with smaller urban cores and less spectrum congestion. Less competition for the same towers means faster real-world speeds for individual users.
States like California and New York, despite hosting the country's largest cities and most advanced tech infrastructure, did not crack the top tier for mobile medians. Dense urban environments create congestion that raw infrastructure investment cannot always overcome.
Fixed Broadband Rankings: Delaware Stays on Top
Delaware's 193.87 Mbps median fixed download speed keeps it at number one for fixed broadband. The state's small geographic footprint lets ISPs achieve near-complete fiber coverage without the capital outlay required in larger states.
New Jersey and Maryland consistently rank near the top of fixed broadband tables as well, a pattern tied to the Northeast corridor's dense fiber buildout and high median household incomes that drive demand for gigabit-tier plans.
States in the rural South and Mountain West tend to cluster at the bottom of fixed broadband rankings. Mississippi, Arkansas, and Montana have made progress under federal broadband funding programs, but the gap with Delaware-tier states remains significant heading into mid-2026.
Why Internet Speed Should Factor Into Where You Live
For remote workers, freelancers, and small business owners, internet speed is a direct income variable. A connection that buffers during video calls or throttles during large file uploads costs real money and client relationships.
The calculation gets more interesting when you stack internet quality against taxes and cost of living. Kansas, the fastest mobile state in Q1 2026, has a top individual income tax rate of 5.7% and a cost of living index well below the national average. Delaware, the fixed broadband leader, has no sales tax, which meaningfully offsets its 6.6% income tax rate for many households. If you are already thinking through the full financial picture of a potential move, our state comparison calculator lets you run the numbers side by side.
This is the kind of multi-variable analysis that matters. Internet speed alone does not make a state worth moving to, but it is a concrete quality-of-life factor that often gets ignored until someone is stuck on a 25 Mbps DSL connection trying to run a Zoom call. For retirees specifically, fast and reliable connectivity is increasingly central to telehealth access, which makes it worth weighing alongside other relocation factors covered in our Best States for Retirees to Avoid Taxes guide.
Ookla vs. Google Speed Test: Which One to Trust
Ookla's Speedtest is the industry standard for state and national comparisons because it uses a consistent methodology across hundreds of millions of tests. Google's speed test, built into search results, measures the connection between your device and Google's servers specifically, not your general internet performance.
For research purposes, Ookla data is more useful. Its median figures filter out extreme outliers better than mean averages, which means one gigabit fiber subscriber in a rural county does not artificially inflate an entire state's ranking. When comparing states or ISPs, always look at median speeds, not advertised maximums.
The Speedtest Global Index also publishes country-level comparisons monthly. As of the most recent available data, the United States ranks well for mobile speeds globally but trails several Asian and Scandinavian countries on fixed broadband medians, a gap that federal infrastructure spending is aimed at closing over the next several years.
Key Takeaways
- Kansas led all U.S. states for median mobile download speed in Q1 2026 at 242.56 Mbps, followed by North Dakota and Utah.
- Delaware posted the fastest median fixed broadband download speed at 193.87 Mbps, holding the top spot for the second consecutive reporting period.
- Internet speed correlates with state geography and density more than raw infrastructure spending, which is why several low-cost, low-density states outperform coastal metros on real-world connection tests.
Sources
- Live or Die Here state tax calculator
- Live or Die Here, Delaware: taxes, laws and costs
- Live or Die Here, Kansas: taxes, laws and costs
- Live or Die Here, North Dakota: taxes, laws and costs
- Live or Die Here, Utah: taxes, laws and costs
Where to confirm these figures
These are the official and primary publishers for the topics in this guide. Check a figure against them before you act on it; laws and rates change, and their current page wins over ours.