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Ranking U.S. States with the Best Internet Value

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Ranking U.S. States with the Best Internet Value

Internet access has increased over the years, but both internet speed and affordability can vary considerably around the world, and even within the U.S. itself.

This interactive data visualization by Surfshark examines which states have the best internet value on average, and which have the worst. It uses data compiled for the company’s 2022 Internet Value Index.

Calculating Value

How do you measure the “best” internet value?

Surfshark’s Internet Value Index scores U.S. states on both broadband and mobile internet, measuring the ratio of speed to affordability, with each factor defined as follows:

  • Internet Speed: The average download speeds between Q3 of 2021 and Q2 of 2022.
  • Internet Affordability: The average monthly price of a standard internet or data package divided by the average hourly net wage in each state.

Each state’s index value is calculated by dividing speed by affordability for both broadband and mobile internet, then normalizing over the maximum value of 1.0.

Which States Have the Best Internet Value?

Surfshark’s study revealed large disparities between rural and urban states, highlighting the country’s digital divide. Here’s their full list of 50 U.S. states and internet index rankings in 2022.

StateInternet Value RankBroadband Value RankMobile Value RankRegion
New Jersey112Northeast
Massachusetts223Northeast
New York341Northeast
Rhode Island474Northeast
Washington596West
Maryland6127South
Delaware7108South
Connecticut8510Northeast
Illinois9119Midwest
California10811West
Hawaii11322West
Minnesota12265Midwest
Pennsylvania131412Northeast
Texas14627South
Utah152013West
Colorado162514West
Ohio171716Midwest
Arizona181817West
Michigan192715Midwest
North Carolina201329South
Oregon212219West
New Hampshire221531Northeast
Indiana232424Midwest
Georgia241928South
South Carolina251633South
Tennessee262130South
North Dakota272921Midwest
Nevada283320West
Florida293025South
Missouri303523Midwest
Kansas312826Midwest
Virginia324418South
Wisconsin333434Midwest
Kentucky343136South
Nebraska352347Midwest
South Dakota364032Midwest
Alabama373241South
Maine383639Northeast
Oklahoma393842South
Louisiana403745South
Idaho414237West
Iowa424144Midwest
Alaska434835West
New Mexico444538West
Vermont454343Northeast
West Virginia463949South
Montana475040West
Arkansas484748South
Wyoming494946West
Mississippi504650South

New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York deliver the best value for internet services. Workers in all three states received fixed broadband speeds above 37 Mbps per hour of work at the average net state wage, and mobile speeds of 5 Mbps or more.

On the other end of the index, Mississippi, Wyoming, and Arkansas had some of the worst value services. Using the same ratio, workers got download speeds of 16 Mbps and below per hour of work for broadband, and mobile speeds of 2 Mbps or lower.

Regional disparity is quite clear, with five of the top 10 states being located in the Northeast. Eight of the bottom 10 states, meanwhile, were in the West and South.

Interestingly, the Midwest was the second best region for internet value, but still ranked below the country’s average score. This further highlights the disproportionate value earned by higher-income and heavily-populated states over others.

Internet For All?

Internet affordability (or lack thereof) can have economic consequences, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

An IMF study details how high-speed internet has become critical for socioeconomic inclusion for work, education, and access to services.

As more workplaces and schools expect tasks to get done in a remote environment, it’s expected that affordable, high-quality internet will become even more critical going forward.

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This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Maps

Mapped: How Much Does it Take to be the Top 1% in Each U.S. State?

An annual income anywhere between $360,000-$950,000 can grant entry into the top 1%—depending on where you live in America.

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A cropped map of the U.S. listing the annual income needed to be in the top 1% in each state.

How Much Does it Take to be the Top 1% in Each U.S. State?

There’s an old saying: everyone thinks that they’re middle-class.

But how many people think, or know, that they really belong to the top 1% in the country?

Data from personal finance advisory services company, SmartAsset, reveals the annual income threshold at which a household can be considered part of the top 1% in their state.

Some states demand a much higher yearly earnings from their residents to be a part of the rarefied league, but which ones are they, and how much does one need to earn to make it to the very top echelon of income?

Ranking U.S. States By Income to Be in the Top 1%

At the top of the list, a household in Connecticut needs to earn nearly $953,000 annually to be part of the one-percenters. This is the highest minimum threshold across the country.

In the same region, Massachusetts requires a minimum annual earnings of $903,401 from its top 1% residents.

Here’s the list of all 50 U.S. states along with the annual income needed to be in the 1%.

RankStateTop 1% Income
Threshold
Top 1% Tax Rate
(% of annual income)
1Connecticut$952,90228.40%
2Massachusetts$903,40127.15%
3California$844,26626.95%
4New Jersey$817,34628.01%
5Washington$804,85325.99%
6New York$776,66228.29%
7Colorado$709,09225.86%
8Florida$694,98725.82%
9Illinois$660,81026.35%
10New Hampshire$659,03726.25%
11Wyoming$656,11824.79%
12Virginia$643,84826.11%
N/ANational Average$652,657N/A
13Maryland$633,33325.94%
14Texas$631,84925.83%
15Utah$630,54423.77%
16Minnesota$626,45125.53%
17Nevada$603,75125.19%
18South Dakota$590,37322.99%
19Pennsylvania$588,70224.95%
20North Dakota$585,55624.76%
21Georgia$585,39725.06%
22Oregon$571,81324.66%
23Arizona$564,03125.22%
24Idaho$560,04023.17%
25North Carolina$559,76225.31%
26Montana$559,65624.46%
27Kansas$554,91225.03%
28Rhode Island$548,53125.26%
29Tennessee$548,32925.12%
30Alaska$542,82425.38%
31Nebraska$535,65124.10%
32Delaware$529,92825.37%
33Vermont$518,03923.63%
34Wisconsin$517,32124.90%
35South Carolina$508,42724.40%
36Michigan$504,67125.01%
37Maine$502,60524.04%
38Missouri$500,62624.93%
39Ohio$500,25325.09%
40Hawaii$495,26324.12%
41Iowa$483,98524.09%
42Indiana$473,68524.55%
43Alabama$470,34123.82%
44Oklahoma$460,17223.68%
45Louisiana$458,26924.80%
46Arkansas$450,70021.11%
47Kentucky$445,29424.14%
48New Mexico$411,39523.35%
49Mississippi$381,91923.04%
50West Virginia$367,58223.26%
N/ANational Median
Household Income
$75,000N/A

California ($844,266), New Jersey ($817,346), and Washington ($804,853) round out the top five states with the highest minimum thresholds to make it to their exclusive rich club.

On the other end of the spectrum, the top one-percenters in West Virginia make a minimum of $367,582 a year, the lowest of all the states, and about one-third of the threshold in Connecticut. And just down southwest of the Mountain State, Mississippi’s one-percenters need to make at least $381,919 a year to qualify for the 1%.

A quick glance at the map above also reveals some regional insights.

The Northeast and West Coast, with their large urban and economic hubs, have higher income entry requirements for the top 1% than states in the American South.

This also correlates to the median income by state, a measure showing Massachusetts households make nearly $90,000 a year, compared to Mississippians who take home $49,000 annually.

How Much Do the Top 1% Pay in Taxes?

Meanwhile, if one does make it to the top 1% in states like Connecticut and Massachusetts, expect to pay more in taxes than other states, according to SmartAsset’s analysis.

A chart showing how states with the top highest and lowest average tax rates for their top 1% residents.

The one-percenters in the top five states pay, on average, between 26–28% of their income in tax, compared to those in the bottom five who pay between 21–23%.

And this pattern exists through the dataset, with higher top 1% income thresholds correlating with higher average tax rates for the wealthy.

State RanksMedian Tax Rate
Top 1026.65%
20-3025.09%
30-4024.65%
10-2025.07%
40-5023.75%

These higher tax rates point to attempts to reign in the increasing wealth disparity in the nation where the top 1% hold more than one-third of the country’s wealth, up from 27% in 1989.

Where Does This Data Come From?

Source: SmartAsset’s America’s Top 1% Is Different in Each State uses data from 2020 individual tax filings from the IRS, adjusted to 2023 dollars using the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index.

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