North Dakota internet, fiber on the prairie and cable in the cities
Fiber is available at 73.1% of the 327,405 homes and businesses the FCC counts in North Dakota, and wired broadband of at least 100/20 Mbps at 99.3%. 40.0% of locations have a choice of two or more wired providers at that speed; at 59.3% there is only one.1
FCC National Broadband Map, availability as of June 30, 2026 (data revised November 10, 2026), as reported by providers.
Midwest region, West North Central division
North Dakota is close to fully wired: as of June 30, 2026, only 175 of its 327,4051 homes and businesses were unserved, and its BEAD plan covers fewer locations than any other state's. Local telephone cooperatives built fiber across whole rural counties, so the lowest fiber shares are in the counties around Bismarck and Fargo, where cable leads. What most locations lack is a second wired provider.
Who reports home internet in North Dakota
The FCC's National Broadband Map, with data as of June 30, 2026 (revision of November 10, 2026), counts 327,405 broadband serviceable locations in North Dakota: houses, apartment buildings, farms and small businesses. 361 companies report terrestrial service at some of them. A location counts as covered when a provider says it could connect it within ten business days for a standard installation; anyone can challenge a listing on the FCC map.
Midco, the largest wired network (below), also leads the list by reach. The wireless carriers come next: Verizon reports licensed fixed wireless at 55.2% of locations but offers 100/20 Mbps at only 23.0%. T-Mobile reports 54.6% and AT&T, which did not appear on the North Dakota map in June 2022, now reports 30.3%, all of it fixed wireless with a fastest advertised download of 100 Mbps1.
The largest wired network is Midco, at 62.6% of locations, mostly cable with some fiber; it is the only wired provider offering 100/20 Mbps at 16.9%. CenturyLink reaches 33.5%, nearly all of it DSL, and offers 100/20 at 2.2%. Behind them sits a long list of local fiber companies, each covering a few percent of the state: SRT (9.6%), BEK Communications Cooperative (5.9%), Reservation Telephone Cooperative (5.7%) and Northwest Communications (5.7%1).
| Midco | Fiber Cable Licensed wireless | 62.6% | 61.9% | 5 Gbps | 16.9% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon | Licensed wireless | 55.2% | 23.0% | 300 Mbps | – |
| T-Mobile | Licensed wireless | 54.6% | 18.9% | 100 Mbps | – |
| CenturyLink | Fiber DSL | 33.5% | 2.2% | 1 Gbps | – |
| AT&T | Licensed wireless | 30.3% | 6.9% | 100 Mbps | – |
| Sparklight | Fiber Cable | 13.7% | 13.7% | 1 Gbps | 0.6% |
| SRT | Fiber DSL | 9.6% | 9.5% | 2 Gbps | 3.5% |
| Consolidated Communications Networks, Inc | Fiber Cable | 6.7% | 6.7% | 1 Gbps | 2.9% |
| BEK Communications Cooperative | Fiber | 5.9% | 5.9% | 5 Gbps | 5.2% |
| Northwest Communications | Fiber DSL | 5.7% | 4.7% | 1 Gbps | 3.0% |
| Reservation Telephone Cooperative | Fiber DSL | 5.7% | 5.6% | 1 Gbps | 5.5% |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Share of the area's broadband serviceable locations where the provider reports service as of June 30, 2026. "Only wired option" is the share of locations where it is the single wired provider at 100/20 Mbps. Provider-reported and challengeable; speeds are advertised maximums, not measured; no prices. Satellite providers (HughesNet, Starlink, Viasat) report service at nearly every location and are left out of the table.
Fiber is a farm-county network
Fiber is reported at 73.1% of North Dakota's locations, against 62.6% nationally, and the rural counties have the most of it. In 50 of the 532 counties fiber reaches at least half of locations, and in several, among them Wells, Towner, Sheridan and Stutsman, it rounds to 100.0%. The two counties with the least fiber are the two with the most locations: Burleigh County, around Bismarck, at 27.2%, and Cass County, around Fargo, at 35.1%1.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. Darker counties are higher. Point at a county for its value; the county table has every figure. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
Each rural county tends to have one main fiber builder. Dakota Central reports service at 99.9% of locations in Stutsman County, around Jamestown; North Dakota Telephone Company at 99.1% in Benson County; West River Telecommunications Cooperative at 95.3% in Sioux County. In Ward County, around Minot, SRT reports service at 94.1% of locations, and fiber there rose by 47.2 percentage points since June 2022. The largest rise of any county, +58.8 percentage points, was in Billings County, in the Badlands, where Consolidated Communications reports fiber at 57.3%1 of locations.
| Burleigh County, North Dakota | 37,655 | 27.2% | 78.9% | 99.6% | 7.0% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cass County, North Dakota | 53,926 | 35.1% | 89.4% | 98.6% | 85.4% |
| Morton County, North Dakota | 13,609 | 40.2% | 76.0% | 99.7% | 16.6% |
| Ward County, North Dakota | 24,675 | 99.0% | 75.0% | 100.0% | 75.1% |
| Grand Forks County, North Dakota | 21,402 | 74.0% | 54.7% | 97.2% | 53.5% |
| Stutsman County, North Dakota | 9,649 | 100.0% | 61.5% | 100.0% | 61.9% |
| Benson County, North Dakota | 3,476 | 99.1% | 0.0% | 99.1% | 0.0% |
| North Dakota | 327,405 | 73.1% | 54.2% | 99.3% | 40.0% |
| United States | 115,784,915 | 62.6% | 80.3% | 92.3% | 55.6% |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
The cities still have fast wired service; it comes over cable. In Fargo fiber reaches 22.6% of locations, the 20th lowest share among the largest US cities, while Midco reports service at 100.0%. In Burleigh County cable reaches 78.9%1.
Because so much of the rural fiber was already in place in 2022, the statewide share has grown slowly since: from 51.8%3 to 73.1%, a rise of 21.3 percentage points that ranks 15th lowest among the states. Nationally fiber rose by 25.4 percentage points1.
Gigabit offers at almost every address
Offers of 1 Gbps download with 100 Mbps upload reach 95.2% of North Dakota's locations, a share that ranks the highest in the country, ahead of Nevada (93.4%). The national share is 72.3%. Wired service of at least 100/100 Mbps reaches 95.2%1, up from 64.6%3 in June 2022.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
Show the numbers
| State | Gigabit (1,000/100) |
|---|---|
| North Dakota | 95.2% |
| Nevada | 93.4% |
| Connecticut | 92.9% |
| District of Columbia | 90.7% |
| Utah | 88.6% |
| New Hampshire | 88.4% |
| Tennessee | 87.5% |
| Kansas | 84.9% |
| New Jersey | 84.0% |
| Iowa | 82.0% |
| Kentucky | 81.9% |
| Georgia | 81.0% |
| United States | 72.3% |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2022; FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of December 31, 2025; FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Shares of broadband serviceable locations in each FCC release (latest revision of each); the small number is the change in percentage points since June 30, 2022. The FCC's count of locations is updated with each release, so shares are compared rather than counts.
Show the numbers
| Measure | June 30, 2022 | December 31, 2025 | June 30, 2026 | Change (points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gigabit (1,000/100) | 64.2% | 94.6% | 95.2% | 31.0 pts |
| Wired 100/100 Mbps | 64.6% | 94.7% | 95.2% | 30.6 pts |
| Fiber available | 51.8% | 73.6% | 73.1% | 21.3 pts |
| Two or more wired choices | 27.7% | 41.0% | 40.0% | 12.3 pts |
| Unserved | 2.9% | 0.1% | 0.1% | −2.8 pts |
In Burleigh County, where Midco's network is the main wire, the gigabit share rose by 71.9 percentage points in four years, to 91.4%. The county with the lowest share is Traill County, at 58.7%1.
The fastest advertised tiers have moved up as well. In June 2022 the top offer at 8.2% of locations was 2 Gbps or more; by June 2026 that share was 60.3%, and the share whose fastest offer was between 940 Mbps and 2 Gbps fell from 79.4%3 to 38.8%1. These are provider-advertised maximums, not measured speeds.
A second wire is the exception
Coverage is nearly complete; choice is not. At 59.3% of locations exactly one wired provider offers 100/20 Mbps, a share that ranks the highest among the states; nationally it is 36.6%. Two or more wired providers compete at 40.0% of locations, against 55.6% nationally, and two separate fiber networks overlap at only 4.7%1.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Different wired providers (fiber, cable or DSL; FCC provider IDs) reporting 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up or more at the same location. Fixed wireless and satellite are not counted.
Show the numbers
| Area | None | One | Two | Three or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 0.7% | 59.3% | 37.1% | 2.9% |
| Fargo | 0.3% | 5.9% | 77.1% | 16.7% |
| Burleigh County | 0.4% | 92.6% | 7.0% | 0.0% |
| Ward County | 0.0% | 24.9% | 75.1% | 0.0% |
| United States | 7.8% | 36.6% | 44.6% | 11.1% |
The two city counties sit at opposite ends. Fargo's Cass County has the highest share of locations with two or more wired choices, 85.4%, where Midco and Sparklight (83.4% of locations) overlap. In Burleigh County the share is 7.0%: Midco covers 92.2% of locations, and CenturyLink, the other wired network there, offers 100/20 at 3.6%. In most co-op counties the fiber network is the only wire; in Benson County the share with a second one rounds to 0.0%1.
Alaska 10.7%District of Columbia 94.3%
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Each dot is a state. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
Show the numbers
| Area | Two or more wired choices |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 94.3% |
| Connecticut | 80.8% |
| Rhode Island | 80.4% |
| Hawaii | 77.3% |
| New Hampshire | 71.0% |
| Utah | 66.9% |
| Tennessee | 66.4% |
| Maryland | 66.2% |
| Texas | 66.2% |
| Florida | 66.0% |
| Kansas | 64.0% |
| New Jersey | 63.9% |
| Nebraska | 63.7% |
| Georgia | 62.0% |
| New York | 60.5% |
| Pennsylvania | 60.3% |
| Indiana | 60.0% |
| Virginia | 58.9% |
| Ohio | 58.7% |
| Delaware | 57.0% |
| Colorado | 57.0% |
| Illinois | 56.4% |
| Iowa | 55.8% |
| Massachusetts | 55.4% |
| Missouri | 55.1% |
| South Carolina | 54.8% |
| North Carolina | 54.7% |
| Maine | 52.9% |
| Alabama | 52.8% |
| Kentucky | 52.7% |
| Louisiana | 52.5% |
| Oklahoma | 51.5% |
| California | 49.9% |
| Oregon | 48.7% |
| Vermont | 46.9% |
| Minnesota | 46.5% |
| Mississippi | 45.7% |
| Arkansas | 44.8% |
| Michigan | 44.4% |
| Wyoming | 42.2% |
| South Dakota | 41.3% |
| Wisconsin | 40.5% |
| Washington | 40.0% |
| North Dakota | 40.0% |
| Idaho | 38.5% |
| West Virginia | 35.2% |
| Nevada | 34.9% |
| Arizona | 33.1% |
| New Mexico | 28.3% |
| Montana | 18.8% |
| Alaska | 10.7% |
Licensed fixed wireless, mostly from Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T, offers 100/20 Mbps at 42.8%1 of locations statewide, up from 8.4%3 in 2022.
The few locations still unserved
Under the federal BEAD definitions, 175 North Dakota locations (0.1%) are unserved, with no reliable terrestrial service of at least 25/3 Mbps, and 500 (0.2%) are underserved. In June 2022 the unserved share was 2.9%3. Satellite is the only reported service at 114 locations, a share (0.0%) tied for the lowest1 among the states.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. Darker counties have larger gaps. Point at a county for its value; the county table has every figure. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
The highest county share is in Sioux County, in the south-central part of the state: 50 of its 1,433 locations (3.5%) are unserved, and at 2.3% satellite is the only option. The rest of the county has fiber, almost all of it from West River Telecommunications Cooperative; Standing Rock Telecom's fixed wireless, reported at 72.8% of locations, advertises at most 10 Mbps. Burleigh County has 491 unserved locations.
| Adams County | 1,443 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 52.4% | 0.0% | Consolidated Communications Networks, Inc | 72.9% ±4.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes County | 5,674 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2.4% | 0.0% | BEK Communications Cooperative | 66.0% ±4.1 |
| Benson County | 3,476 | 99.1% | 99.1% | 0.0% | 0.5% | North Dakota Telephone Company | 71.4% ±3.2 |
| Billings County | 708 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1.1% | 0.0% | Consolidated Communications Networks, Inc | 64.4% ±8.8 |
| Bottineau County | 5,127 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 28.7% | 0.0% | SRT | 81.9% ±2.9 |
| Bowman County | 1,851 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 62.0% | 0.0% | Consolidated Communications Networks, Inc | 71.9% ±3.6 |
| Burke County | 1,712 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | Northwest Communications | 77.8% ±3.8 |
| Burleigh County | 37,655 | 27.2% | 99.6% | 7.0% | 0.1% | Midco | 78.7% ±1.7 |
| Cass County | 53,926 | 35.1% | 98.6% | 85.4% | 0.0% | Midco | 76.6% ±1.3 |
| Cavalier County | 2,733 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 39.4% | 0.0% | Turtle Mountain Communications | 79.8% ±3.7 |
| Dickey County | 3,351 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | Dickey Rural Telephone Coop | 78.0% ±3.9 |
| Divide County | 1,776 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% | Northwest Communications | 80.7% ±6.2 |
| Dunn County | 2,980 | 92.6% | 96.6% | 26.6% | 0.1% | Consolidated Communications Networks, Inc | 81.7% ±2.3 |
| Eddy County | 1,546 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 50.7% | 0.0% | North Dakota Telephone Company | 78.8% ±4.5 |
| Emmons County | 2,395 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | BEK Communications Cooperative | 65.2% ±3.7 |
| Foster County | 1,929 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 53.0% | 0.0% | Dakota Central | 85.8% ±5.8 |
| Golden Valley County | 1,255 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | Reservation Telephone Cooperative | 68.7% ±6.2 |
| Grand Forks County | 21,402 | 74.0% | 97.2% | 53.5% | 0.0% | Midco | 75.6% ±1.9 |
| Grant County | 2,123 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | West River Telecommunications Cooperative | 68.0% ±3.9 |
| Griggs County | 1,724 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 53.2% | 0.0% | Midco | 68.5% ±4.9 |
| Hettinger County | 1,951 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% | Consolidated Communications Networks, Inc | 76.4% ±5.2 |
| Kidder County | 1,995 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | BEK Communications Cooperative | 63.6% ±4.1 |
| LaMoure County | 2,801 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | Dickey Rural Telephone Coop | 77.1% ±3.7 |
| Logan County | 1,431 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | BEK Communications Cooperative | 74.6% ±6.1 |
| McHenry County | 3,792 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 21.3% | 0.0% | SRT | 72.7% ±4.2 |
| McIntosh County | 2,333 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | BEK Communications Cooperative | 70.5% ±3.5 |
| McKenzie County | 6,535 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2.7% | 0.0% | Reservation Telephone Cooperative | 74.7% ±4.3 |
| McLean County | 7,476 | 97.6% | 97.9% | 23.4% | 0.0% | West River Telecommunications Cooperative | 67.9% ±2.9 |
| Mercer County | 5,202 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 65.2% | 0.0% | West River Telecommunications Cooperative | 82.0% ±2.8 |
| Morton County | 13,609 | 40.2% | 99.7% | 16.6% | 0.1% | Midco | 78.8% ±3.1 |
| Mountrail County | 5,906 | 90.8% | 97.1% | 0.1% | 0.0% | Reservation Telephone Cooperative | 68.4% ±3.9 |
| Nelson County | 2,291 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | Polar Telecommunications Inc | 72.7% ±5.8 |
| Oliver County | 1,028 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 37.0% | 0.0% | West River Telecommunications Cooperative | 77.5% ±7.1 |
| Pembina County | 4,372 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 11.4% | 0.0% | Polar Telecommunications Inc | 77.8% ±2.2 |
| Pierce County | 2,617 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 56.3% | 0.0% | North Dakota Telephone Company | 74.7% ±5.0 |
| Ramsey County | 5,953 | 99.6% | 99.6% | 55.7% | 0.4% | North Dakota Telephone Company | 73.6% ±4.4 |
| Ransom County | 3,159 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | Dickey Rural Telephone Coop | 76.1% ±3.9 |
| Renville County | 1,661 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 40.0% | 0.0% | SRT | 81.7% ±3.4 |
| Richland County | 7,871 | 97.7% | 99.4% | 47.1% | 0.0% | Red River Communications | 76.3% ±2.7 |
| Rolette County | 5,835 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 23.8% | 0.1% | Turtle Mountain Communications | 84.5% ±2.9 |
| Sargent County | 2,521 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% | Dickey Rural Telephone Coop | 77.4% ±3.1 |
| Sheridan County | 1,140 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% | West River Telecommunications Cooperative | 72.1% ±5.5 |
| Sioux County | 1,433 | 96.5% | 96.5% | 0.0% | 3.5% | West River Telecommunications Cooperative | 69.8% ±4.9 |
| Slope County | 523 | 99.2% | 99.2% | 0.0% | 0.8% | Consolidated Communications Networks, Inc | 59.1% ±7.0 |
| Stark County | 13,172 | 77.1% | 100.0% | 73.8% | 0.0% | Consolidated Communications Networks, Inc | 75.1% ±2.7 |
| Steele County | 1,372 | 99.5% | 99.5% | 11.7% | 0.0% | Midco | 56.7% ±6.1 |
| Stutsman County | 9,649 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 61.9% | 0.0% | Dakota Central | 77.8% ±3.6 |
| Towner County | 1,623 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 42.1% | 0.0% | North Dakota Telephone Company | 75.7% ±4.9 |
| Traill County | 4,101 | 58.7% | 99.0% | 17.6% | 0.0% | Midco | 70.1% ±3.6 |
| Walsh County | 6,553 | 63.4% | 99.0% | 1.9% | 0.0% | Midco | 71.1% ±3.6 |
| Ward County | 24,675 | 99.0% | 100.0% | 75.1% | 0.0% | SRT | 81.9% ±1.7 |
| Wells County | 2,939 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 48.6% | 0.0% | North Dakota Telephone Company | 66.1% ±4.3 |
| Williams County | 15,100 | 77.5% | 99.8% | 36.1% | 0.1% | Northwest Communications | 79.5% ±2.9 |
| North Dakota | 327,405 | 73.1% | 99.3% | 40.0% | 0.1% | 76.7% |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year detailed tables. Shares of broadband serviceable locations as of June 30, 2026 (FCC). 2+ wired choices: two or more wired providers at 100/20 Mbps. Unserved: BEAD definition. Largest wired provider: reports fiber, cable or DSL at the most locations. Wired subscription: households with a cable, fiber or DSL subscription, American Community Survey 2020–2024 (± 90% margin of error).
BEAD: little left to build
With so few locations left to connect, North Dakota's Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) plan is the smallest in the country by locations. The state's allocation is $130.2 million, the 4th lowest6 of any state. Its approved Final Proposal covers 279 locations, a count that ranks the lowest among the state plans, at a BEAD cost of $6,133,968; providers committed a further $2,044,657. That is $21,986 per location, which ranks the highest among the states, ahead of Alaska ($13,5287).
Source: NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Final Proposal Overview one-page PDFs. Locations in the state's approved BEAD Final Proposal by technology of the selected projects, as printed in NTIA's Final Proposal overview; subject to NTIA and NIST final review and award.
Show the numbers
| Technology | Share of BEAD locations |
|---|---|
| Fiber | 99.3% |
| Cable | 0.7% |
| Fixed wireless | 0.0% |
| Low-Earth-orbit satellite | 0.0% |
277 of the plan's locations (99.3%) are to get fiber, a share that ranks the highest among the plans, and 0.7% cable; none went to satellite or fixed wireless. $124.0 million7 of the allocation is not assigned to construction in the plan. North Dakota Information Technology publishes the Final Proposal files on its broadband page.
Other federal programs are listed below. The Treasury's Capital Projects Fund allocated $113.3 million8 to the state, the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund reports 1,0529 locations built, and USDA ReConnect loans total $16.9 million10.
| Program | Amount | As of |
|---|---|---|
| BEAD allocation (NTIA, announced June 26, 2023) | $130,162,815 | |
| BEAD Final Proposal: locations to be connected | 279 | |
| BEAD Final Proposal: deployment cost | $6,133,968 | |
| BEAD cost per location | $21,986 | |
| BEAD allocation not assigned to deployment | $124,028,847 | |
| Treasury Capital Projects Fund allocation | $113,276,228 | |
| RDOF: locations built with support (cumulative) | 1,052 | |
| USDA ReConnect grants reported to USAspending | $0 | |
| Lifeline subscribers claimed | 6,952 | |
| Lifeline participation rate | 10.1% | |
| Households in the Affordable Connectivity Program, February 2024 | 17,742 |
Source: NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Award Recipients pages; NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Final Proposal Overview one-page PDFs; Department of the Treasury, Capital Projects Fund Awards Made to States, Territories, and Freely Associated States, to date; USAC, CAF Disbursements and Locations Data; Department of the Treasury, spending_by_award API for Assistance Listings 10.752; Universal Service Administrative Co., Lifeline Disbursements; USAC, Lifeline participation rate; USAC, ACP Enrollments by County as of February 8, 2024. BEAD figures are as printed in NTIA's Final Proposal overview, subject to final review; "not assigned to deployment" is the allocation minus the deployment cost (NTIA calls it savings; how it may be used is not settled). The ACP stopped taking applications on February 8, 2024 and ended on June 1, 2024.
Wired almost everywhere, subscribed less often
Availability and subscription diverge. In the Census Bureau's 2025 survey, 92.2% of North Dakota households had a broadband subscription of any kind (margin of error ±0.9 percentage points), 9th lowest among the states by point estimate, and 7.7% had no internet subscription at all. In 2019 that last share was 15.6%15. Households subscribing to cable, fiber or DSL stood at 77.4%, and 11.9%14 relied only on a cellular data plan.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year detailed tables. Availability is a share of locations as of June 30, 2026 (FCC); subscriptions are a share of households from the American Community Survey, 2025 (whiskers: 90% margin of error). Different units and dates: read the gap as a sign, not an exact number.
Show the numbers
| Measure | Share | MOE |
|---|---|---|
| Wired 100/20 Mbps available (FCC, share of locations) | 99.3% | |
| Households subscribing to cable, fiber or DSL (Census) | 77.4% | ±1.7 |
| Households relying only on a cellular data plan | 11.9% | ±1.3 |
| Households with no internet subscription | 7.7% | ±0.9 |
Two groups stand out in the state rankings. 85.2% of North Dakotans 65 and older lived in a household with a computer and broadband, a rate tied for 6th lowest among the states, and 95.9% of households earning $75,000 or more, tied for 2nd lowest14. In NTIA's 2023 Internet Use Survey, 58.2% of North Dakota households that did not use the internet at home said the main reason was that they did not need it; 7.6%16 named cost, an estimate with a wide margin of error.
The FCC map lists no prices. When the Affordable Connectivity Program stopped enrolling in February 2024, 17,74213 North Dakota households were signed up, an estimated 5.4 per 100 households17; the program ended on June 1, 2024. Lifeline, the remaining federal discount, had 6,95211 subscribers in the state.
Questions and answers
What internet providers serve North Dakota?
Apart from satellite, the widest reported reach belongs to Midco (62.6% of locations, fiber and cable and licensed fixed wireless), Verizon (55.2%, licensed fixed wireless) and T-Mobile (54.6%, licensed fixed wireless). Most rural fiber comes from local companies and cooperatives such as SRT, BEK Communications, Reservation Telephone Cooperative, Northwest Communications and Dakota Central. In all, 361 companies report terrestrial service somewhere in the state.
How many people in North Dakota lack broadband?
Very few, by the FCC's count of locations rather than people: as of June 30, 2026, 175 North Dakota locations (0.1%) were unserved, without reliable service of at least 25/3 Mbps, and 500 more were underserved, below 100/20 Mbps. At 1141 locations satellite was the only service reported.
What is the cheapest internet in North Dakota?
No federal source publishes North Dakota prices, and the cooperatives and cable companies file none with the FCC; each must post a broadband facts label with the price of every plan. For low-income households the federal option is Lifeline, $9.25 off a month, which USAC estimates reaches 10.1%12 of those eligible here.
How much BEAD money does North Dakota get?
North Dakota received $130.2 million6 but has almost nothing left to build: the approved plan covers 279 locations, the fewest of any state, at $6,133,968. $124.0 million7 is not assigned to construction.
Checking one address in North Dakota
The figures on this page describe the whole area. Which providers report service at a single home or apartment is shown only on the FCC's own map: search the address at broadbandmap.fcc.gov. If a provider is listed there but cannot actually connect you within ten business days, or the location is missing or misplaced, the map has a button to file a challenge; providers must respond, and corrections flow into later releases. Prices and plans are not part of the FCC data: each provider must show them on its broadband facts label at the point of sale.
More on internet in and around North Dakota
Large cities with their own page: Fargo.
Neighboring states: Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota. Put North Dakota side by side with any state or large city in the comparison tool.
| Ranking | Value | Rank (1 = highest) |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber internet availability by state | 73.1% | 12th of 51 |
| Internet speed by state: where gigabit service is offered | 95.2% | 1st of 51 |
| Broadband coverage by state | 99.3% | 2nd of 51 |
| Internet provider competition by state | 40.0% | 44th of 51 |
| Unserved and underserved broadband locations by state | 0.1% | 50th of 51 |
| Where fiber has grown since 2022 | 21.3% | 37th of 51 |
| 5G home internet and licensed fixed wireless by state | 75.5% | 47th of 51 |
| Households with an internet subscription by state | 92.2% | 43rd of 51 |
| BEAD broadband funding by state | 21,986.0% | 1st of 50 |
Sources
- FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Availability as of June 30, 2026; released November 10, 2026. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
- Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. www2.census.gov
- FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2022; Availability as of June 30, 2022; released May 10, 2024. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
- FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of December 31, 2025; Availability as of December 31, 2025; released November 3, 2026. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year detailed tables; 2020-2024; released January 29, 2026. api.census.gov
- NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Award Recipients pages; Allocations announced 2023-06-26; released June 26, 2023. broadbandusa.ntia.gov
- NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Final Proposal Overview one-page PDFs. broadbandusa.ntia.gov
- Department of the Treasury, Capital Projects Fund Awards Made to States, Territories, and Freely Associated States, to date; Allocations under ARPA sec. 604 (awards announced 2022-06 to 2023). home.treasury.gov
- USAC, CAF Disbursements and Locations Data. opendata.usac.org
- Department of the Treasury, spending_by_award API for Assistance Listings 10.752; Awards with action dates FY2008 to 2026-09-30. api.usaspending.gov
- Universal Service Administrative Co., Lifeline Disbursements; Support months 2018-01 to 2026-09. opendata.usac.org
- USAC, Lifeline participation rate; released August 17, 2026. www.usac.org
- USAC, ACP Enrollments by County as of February 8, 2024; Enrolled households as of 2024-02-08 (Data Month January 2024 file). www.usac.org
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year detailed tables; 2025 (calendar-year sample); released October 29, 2026. api.census.gov
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019 1-year detailed tables; 2019. api.census.gov
- NTIA Data Explorer "Analyze Table"; November 2023 (also all prior waves 1994-2021). www.ntia.gov
- US Internet Map, Our calculation from the sources named in the definition.
Margins of error (±) are at the 90% confidence level. A difference is called significant only when it passes the Census Bureau's test at that level. How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.