Wyoming comes in at number 46 on our list of the best overall broadband ecosystems. The cowboy state has a statewide average speed of 51.3 Mbps as well as 100 internet service providers available to its residents. Coverage is spread evenly across all 23 of Wyoming’s counties with the exception of Niobrara, which only offers 25 Mbps speeds to 4.3% of its residents.
The Digital Divide in Wyoming
We believe accessibility is an important factor to examine when calculating a state’s digital divide. That being said, 79.9% of Wyoming residents have access to a wired 25 Mbps broadband connection, meaning there are still 111,000 people in Wyoming without access to a wired connection capable of the same speed. In addition, there are 116,000 people that only have access to a single wired provider and another 48,000 without access to one at all.
Affordability is also a crucial aspect to consider when analyzing Wyoming’s digital divide. Our latest affordability data shows that as of Q4 of 2019, only 19.6% of Wyoming’s population had access to a wired internet plan that costs less than $60/month. This isn’t a staggeringly high percentage, but to put it into perspective, only 15.4% of Washington’s population (which is 30 spots higher up on the list) has access to plans in the same price range.
Best-Connected Cities
Green River is the best-connected city in Wyoming followed by Rock Springs, Evanston, Dubois, and Jackson. These cities have 100% broadband coverage as well as an excellent selection of internet providers.
Worst-Connected Cities
On the other hand, Natrona, Lonetree, Garrett, Wyarno, and Bondurant have the worst overall broadband ecosystems in the state. These towns lack availability to a wired connection and have average download speeds of 21 Mbps or less.
See how Wyoming stacks up against the rest of the nation here.
Governmental Initiatives
With the assistance of various federal grants, the state of Wyoming has been able to increase its percentage of those with access to a wired connection of at least 10 Mbps from 74.2% to 88.7%, over the past nine years.
Link Wyoming is one of many recipients of such grants. Since 2010 the program has been awarded $4,153,833 for Wyoming’s Broadband Initiative. Additionally, $10,671,802 was awarded to numerous other projects whose aim is to stimulate growth in Wyoming’s broadband infrastructure.