Median broadband download speeds in the United States rose about 5% over the past year, according to a report from HighSpeedInternet.com. However, the gains did little to close a persistent divide between well-connected and underserved areas.

The report, based on more than 4.7 million speed tests run through the company’s testing tool between July 2025 and July 2026, found that median broadband download speeds increased to 131.94 Mbps from 125.35 Mbps, a 5.26% gain.

Median speeds improved in 38 states and fell in 13. The company attributed the uneven results partly to the growth of 5G fixed wireless service, which it said typically runs slower than cable or fiber connections.

Delaware recorded the fastest median broadband speed among states at 193.87 Mbps, while Alaska ranked last at 73.42 Mbps. Alaska still posted one of the largest year-over-year improvements at 42.81%, behind only West Virginia, which saw a 51.64% jump to 129.97 Mbps.

The report also found that half of the lowest-ranked states for speed are among the top 10 in per-capita funding under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, though the company said none of the most-improved states had yet completed a BEAD-funded project.

A separate analysis from Faro — a company that assesses AI readiness — measured county-level performance and reported wider disparities. Drawing on Speedtest by Ookla data covering 3,144 counties in the first quarter of 2026, Faro said broadband speeds averaged 374.1 Mbps nationally.

Since its figures reflect average speeds rather than the median measurements used by HighSpeedInternet.com, the two reports are not directly comparable.

Faro reported that the gap between the fastest and slowest county was 7.1 times, compared with 1.52 times between the fastest and slowest states. In Arizona, Faro said, the difference between urban and rural counties reached 171.5 Mbps, a wider spread than the one separating the fastest and slowest states. Counties outside urban areas comprised 55.3% of those measured but accounted for 96% of the 25 slowest.

Faro founder and CEO Richard Rubenstein said the data showed how inconsistent broadband speeds were at the county level regardless of state, noting that two households in the same state could experience very different service.