A new assessment of the nation’s broadband profile from Compare Internet found that the digital divide between rural and urban areas is highest in Idaho, with a 53.9% gap. It is followed by New Mexico (a 48.8-point gap), Wyoming (a 47.5%-point gap), Colorado (a 45.1%-point gap) and California (a 44.3%-point gap).

The analysis of the digital divide made an important methodological decision by counting only fiber, cable, and DSL in its assessment. The rationale is that including wireless pushes virtually every state to 99% availability because these providers claim near ubiquity. The report aims to illustrate the real-world differences.

“The index demonstrates that a state’s geographic size or strong statewide averages do not guarantee uniform infrastructure,” Compare Internet Content Editor Caroline Lefelhoc said in the digial divide report.

“We deliberately focused on wired infrastructure because satellite coverage often obscures localized service gaps. Ultimately, the study shows that when vast geography meets limited physical networks, broadband deserts are inevitable, regardless of how the metrics are weighted.”

Nationally, 97.5% of urban folks have access to high-speed Internet. Rural residents are not as fortunate, with 76.5% having such access. The report found that fiber — which it calls the fastest and most future-proof technology — only reaches 55.8% of homes in the U.S.

The report called Alaska, New Mexico, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming “outright ‘Internet Deserts.’”

The report found that North Dakota is the best state in the country for high speed Internet with a score of 94.1 out of 100. It has a mere 1-point gap in the digital divide between urban and rural access. Alaska finished last on every metric measured: high-speed access, fiber, gigabit speed, and the urban-rural gap.

The report’s Internet Score is a 0-to-100 measure that includes the level of 100/20 Mbps (35% of the total), fiber access (25%), gigabit access at 1000/100 Mbps (20%), and urban–rural equity (20%). The raw data is processed and normalized using a complex methodology.