South Dakota internet, where fiber outran cable
Fiber is available at 61.8% of the 393,489 homes and businesses the FCC counts in South Dakota, and wired broadband of at least 100/20 Mbps at 94.4%. 41.3% of locations have a choice of two or more wired providers at that speed; at 53.1% 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
Cable reaches 50.7% of South Dakota's homes and businesses, the lowest1 share of any state, and much of its wired service comes from local fiber networks instead. Those networks reach many small rural counties more completely than Rapid City and the Black Hills, while a handful of counties west of the Missouri River hold the state's largest gaps.
Who reports home internet in South Dakota
As of June 30, 2026 (FCC data revised November 10, 2026), 57 providers report wired or fixed wireless service somewhere in South Dakota. Reach and speed rank them very differently. Two of the three widest networks are licensed fixed wireless, the category that includes 5G home internet: T-Mobile reports service at 55.6% of the state's 393,489 homes and businesses and Verizon at 51.6%, but they offer 100/20 Mbps at only 16.6% and 21.9%. AT&T's fixed wireless service, absent from the 2022 map, now appears at 25.1%1 of locations.
| Midco | Fiber Cable Licensed wireless | 56.4% | 56.4% | 5 Gbps | 15.1% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile | Licensed wireless | 55.6% | 16.6% | 100 Mbps | – |
| Verizon | Licensed wireless | 51.6% | 21.9% | 300 Mbps | – |
| CenturyLink | Fiber DSL | 42.7% | 1.7% | 2 Gbps | 0.1% |
| Bluepeak | Fiber Cable DSL Fixed wireless | 32.0% | 28.9% | 5 Gbps | 0.8% |
| AT&T | Licensed wireless | 25.1% | 3.4% | 100 Mbps | – |
| Golden West Telecommunications | Fiber Cable DSL | 12.7% | 11.7% | 1 Gbps | 11.2% |
| ITC | Fiber | 5.8% | 5.8% | 1 Gbps | 4.2% |
| Wisp West, Celerity Internet | Fiber Licensed wireless Fixed wireless | 5.4% | 2.2% | 5 Gbps | 0.1% |
| Venture Communications Cooperative Inc | Fiber | 5.1% | 5.1% | 1 Gbps | 4.5% |
| Northern Valley Communications, LLC | Fiber DSL Licensed wireless | 4.9% | 4.6% | 1 Gbps | 1.8% |
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, Viasat, Starlink) report service at nearly every location and are left out of the table.
Among wired networks, Midco has the largest footprint, at 56.4% of locations, mostly cable with fiber at 7.8%; it is the only wired 100/20 provider at 15.1%. Bluepeak follows at 32.0%, with fiber at 8.5%. CenturyLink reports service at 42.7%, nearly all of it DSL: it offers 100/20 Mbps at just 1.7%1.
Smaller local companies supply much of the rest of the wired map. Golden West Telecommunications reports fiber at 11.4% of the state's locations and is the only wired 100/20 provider at 11.2%, nearly as many as Midco. ITC (5.8%), Venture Communications Cooperative (5.1%) and Northern Valley Communications (4.6%) are other local networks whose service is mostly or entirely fiber. Altogether 421 providers report fiber in the state.
Cable reaches only about half the state
Cable is reported at 50.7% of South Dakota's locations, ranking the lowest among the 50 states and DC, against 80.3% nationally. The share has slipped by 2.6 percentage points since June 2022. Fiber, at 61.8%1, now reaches more of the state than cable does.
South Dakota 50.7%District of Columbia 99.7%
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 | Cable available |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 99.7% |
| Massachusetts | 97.4% |
| New Jersey | 97.2% |
| Connecticut | 97.0% |
| Maryland | 94.2% |
| Delaware | 93.3% |
| Hawaii | 91.3% |
| California | 90.5% |
| New York | 90.1% |
| Pennsylvania | 88.4% |
| Florida | 87.4% |
| Illinois | 86.6% |
| New Hampshire | 86.4% |
| Rhode Island | 85.6% |
| Washington | 83.8% |
| Ohio | 83.5% |
| Oregon | 82.5% |
| Utah | 82.0% |
| Michigan | 81.9% |
| Colorado | 81.9% |
| Georgia | 81.4% |
| North Carolina | 79.5% |
| Maine | 79.3% |
| Tennessee | 78.5% |
| Indiana | 78.0% |
| Virginia | 78.0% |
| Nevada | 77.9% |
| Louisiana | 77.4% |
| Texas | 77.0% |
| South Carolina | 75.0% |
| Minnesota | 70.9% |
| New Mexico | 70.8% |
| Alabama | 70.2% |
| Arizona | 69.8% |
| Kentucky | 69.1% |
| Kansas | 69.0% |
| Missouri | 68.1% |
| West Virginia | 67.7% |
| Wisconsin | 67.6% |
| Vermont | 66.9% |
| Idaho | 64.8% |
| Nebraska | 64.4% |
| Iowa | 62.5% |
| Arkansas | 60.3% |
| Wyoming | 59.9% |
| Oklahoma | 59.1% |
| Alaska | 57.6% |
| Mississippi | 56.0% |
| North Dakota | 54.2% |
| Montana | 52.0% |
| South Dakota | 50.7% |
Licensed fixed wireless is also below the national level: it is reported at 72.8% of locations, the 4th lowest share, against 87.3% nationally. DSL is still reported at 45.3%1, almost unchanged since 2022.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Share of broadband serviceable locations where at least one provider reports the technology, at any speed; a location can have several. Satellite is reported almost everywhere and is left out.
Show the numbers
| Technology | South Dakota | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber | 61.8% | 62.6% |
| Cable | 50.7% | 80.3% |
| DSL (copper) | 45.3% | 36.2% |
| Licensed fixed wireless (incl. 5G home) | 72.8% | 87.3% |
| Unlicensed fixed wireless | 20.7% | 19.7% |
Small counties on fiber, the Black Hills on cable
The statewide fiber share, 61.8%, ranks only 20th lowest among the states, below the national 62.6%. County by county the picture is close to the opposite: fiber reaches half or more of the locations in 56 of South Dakota's 662 counties, and in Walworth, Sully, Perkins, Hyde, Harding and other small counties it rounds to 100.0%1. The state figure is pulled down by a few populous counties where cable, not fiber, is the main wire.
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.
The largest of them are in the Black Hills. Lawrence County, with the lowest fiber share in the state, has fiber at 6.1% of its 13,901 locations; Pennington County, around Rapid City and the second-largest county by locations, has 18.7%. Meade County has 23.7%; Custer County, next door, is the exception at 99.1%. East of the river, Codington County, around Watertown, has fiber at 22.5% and Yankton County at 21.9%. By contrast, Brookings County has fiber at 97.9% and Minnehaha County, home to Sioux Falls, at 59.4%1.
| Walworth County, South Dakota | 3,467 | 100.0% | 64.6% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookings County, South Dakota | 12,822 | 97.9% | 71.9% | 99.4% | 97.9% |
| Custer County, South Dakota | 6,103 | 99.1% | 0.0% | 95.4% | 95.4% |
| Brown County, South Dakota | 16,364 | 82.9% | 69.8% | 98.6% | 88.6% |
| Minnehaha County, South Dakota | 68,813 | 59.4% | 56.7% | 99.3% | 90.7% |
| Hughes County, South Dakota | 7,290 | 30.3% | 70.2% | 99.2% | 99.2% |
| Codington County, South Dakota | 12,888 | 22.5% | 77.6% | 96.9% | 37.7% |
| Pennington County, South Dakota | 42,754 | 18.7% | 78.9% | 90.4% | 50.8% |
| Lawrence County, South Dakota | 13,901 | 6.1% | 69.8% | 74.2% | 47.4% |
| South Dakota | 393,489 | 61.8% | 50.7% | 94.4% | 74.8% |
| United States | 115,784,915 | 62.6% | 80.3% | 92.3% | 72.3% |
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.
Wired 100/20 service is also less complete in the Black Hills: 74.2% of Lawrence County's locations and 85.0% of Meade County's, against 94.4%1 statewide.
One wire for half the state
Wired coverage at 100/20 Mbps reaches 94.4% of locations, but at 53.1% exactly one wired provider offers it, the 7th highest share among the states. Two or more wired choices are reported at 41.3%, against 55.6% nationally, and three or more at only 1.6%. Since June 2022 the share with two or more rose by 11.5 percentage points, the 10th lowest1 gain of any state.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | 5.6% | 53.1% | 39.7% | 1.6% |
| Sioux Falls | 0.4% | 32.5% | 63.8% | 3.3% |
| Pennington County | 9.6% | 28.0% | 59.3% | 3.2% |
| Hughes County | 0.9% | 96.7% | 2.4% | 0.0% |
| United States | 7.8% | 36.6% | 44.6% | 11.1% |
Choice comes where networks overlap. In Sioux Falls 67.1% of locations have two or more wired providers, and in Pennington County 62.4%. Hughes County, which includes Pierre, the state capital, shows the other pattern: wired 100/20 service reaches 99.2% of its locations, but 96.7% have exactly one wired provider. Locations reached by two fiber networks are rare: 5.5% statewide, against 12.1%1 nationally.
Since 2022: gigabit offers more than doubled
The fastest change since 2022 has been in speed. A gigabit offer (1,000/100 Mbps) was reported at 26.7% of South Dakota's locations in June 2022 and at 74.8% in June 2026, and symmetrical wired 100/100 service rose from 38.9%3 to 76.7%. Fiber's share rose by 22.9 percentage points over the same four years, a smaller gain than the national 25.4 percentage points1.
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) | 26.7% | 76.5% | 74.8% | 48.2 pts |
| Wired 100/100 Mbps | 38.9% | 78.4% | 76.7% | 37.8 pts |
| Fiber available | 38.9% | 67.3% | 61.8% | 22.9 pts |
| Wired 100/20 Mbps | 83.3% | 94.0% | 94.4% | 11.1 pts |
| Unserved | 7.8% | 2.5% | 2.4% | −5.4 pts |
Multi-gigabit tiers are newer still. The fastest advertised download is 2 Gbps or more at 31.9% of locations, up from 2.1%3 in 2022 but well below the national 61.0%; at 59.7%1 the fastest offer is between 940 Mbps and 2 Gbps.
Fiber's gains were concentrated in a few counties. Clay County, home to Vermillion, gained +70.9 percentage points; Brown County, around Aberdeen, gained +58.5 percentage points and Lincoln County, south of Sioux Falls, +45.0 percentage points. Fiber's share fell in a few counties west of the Missouri River, most in Todd County, by 5.1 percentage points to 19.5%; Bennett and Jackson counties slipped by 3.0 percentage points and 2.4 percentage points1. These are changes in what providers report, not measured construction.
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.
West of the river, fiber on the map and gaps beside it
Statewide, 9,428 locations (2.4%) are unserved under the BEAD definition, without reliable service of at least 25/3 Mbps, down from 7.8%3 in June 2022; 7,1921 more are underserved, with service below 100/20 Mbps. The counties with the highest shares are all west of the Missouri River.
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.
Todd County has the highest unserved share, 26.5%, followed by Mellette County at 23.8%, Corson County at 20.4% and Oglala Lakota County at 18.9%. In several of them a high fiber share and a large gap sit side by side: fiber is reported at 77.5% of Corson County's locations and 87.1% of Dewey County's, while neither county has any cable and the rest of their locations have little or no wired service. Satellite is the only option at 9.5%1 of locations in Corson County, the highest share of any South Dakota county.
| Todd County, South Dakota | 2,874 | 26.5% | 5.5% | 19.5% | 0.0% | 19.2% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mellette County, South Dakota | 1,001 | 23.8% | 0.0% | 76.2% | 0.0% | 64.5% |
| Corson County, South Dakota | 1,911 | 20.4% | 9.5% | 77.5% | 0.0% | 61.7% |
| Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota | 3,985 | 18.9% | 0.3% | 56.3% | 0.2% | 55.7% |
| Bennett County, South Dakota | 1,531 | 11.8% | 0.9% | 82.8% | 0.0% | 80.9% |
| Dewey County, South Dakota | 2,657 | 11.1% | 6.8% | 87.1% | 0.0% | 1.7% |
| Ziebach County, South Dakota | 1,263 | 9.8% | 5.2% | 90.3% | 0.0% | 7.1% |
| Lawrence County, South Dakota | 13,901 | 11.6% | 4.3% | 6.1% | 54.0% | 47.4% |
| South Dakota | 393,489 | 2.4% | 0.6% | 61.8% | 41.3% | 74.8% |
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.
Competition is almost absent here: in Bennett County, Corson, Dewey, Todd and Ziebach counties, the share of locations with two or more wired providers at 100/20 Mbps rounds to zero. And fiber does not always mean a gigabit offer: in Dewey County fiber reaches 87.1% of locations but a 1,000/100 Mbps offer only 1.7%1.
Subscriptions trail the wires
Coverage does not settle whether households sign up. In the Census Bureau's 2025 survey, 8.0% of South Dakota households had no internet subscription of any kind (margin of error ±0.8 percentage points), ranking tied for 6th highest among the states by point estimate. Few rely on a phone plan alone: 11.5% had only a cellular data plan, the 7th lowest share. Income separates subscribers clearly: 78.7% of households earning under $20,000 had broadband (margin ±3.5 percentage points), against 95.9%5 of those earning $75,000 or more.
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) | 94.4% | |
| Households subscribing to cable, fiber or DSL (Census) | 76.8% | ±1.2 |
| Households relying only on a cellular data plan | 11.5% | ±0.9 |
| Households with no internet subscription | 8.0% | ±0.8 |
The FCC map contains no prices, and no official source publishes typical South Dakota prices. Lifeline, which takes $9.25 off the phone or internet bill of eligible low-income households each month, had 8,0816 South Dakota subscribers, an estimated 10.2%7 of those eligible. The Affordable Connectivity Program had 24,1948 South Dakota households enrolled when it stopped taking sign-ups in February 2024; it ended on June 1, 2024. In NTIA's 2023 Internet Use Survey, 20.5%9 of the state's households that did not use the internet at home named cost as the main reason, an estimate with a wide margin.
BEAD: a small plan at a high cost per location
South Dakota spends little of its $207.2 million10 Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) allocation, but at a high price per location. Its approved Final Proposal, published by the South Dakota Governor's Office of Economic Development, covers 7,060 locations at a BEAD cost of $72.8 million. That is $10,312 per location, the 4th highest among the states with a plan; providers committed a further $18.5 million11.
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 | 59.2% |
| Cable | 0.0% |
| Fixed wireless | 2.5% |
| Low-Earth-orbit satellite | 38.3% |
Fiber is assigned to 4,178 of the plan's locations (59.2%) and low-Earth-orbit satellite to 2,705 (38.3%, the 7th highest satellite share of any state plan); fixed wireless gets 177. Of the allocation, $134.4 million11 is not assigned to construction in the plan, and how that money may be used was not settled as of November 2026; in September 2026 the state's BEAD office said it was developing its process for NTIA's new BEAD Supplemental Deployment Policy. Two older federal programs also fund South Dakota networks: the state's Capital Projects Fund allocation from the Treasury was $115.9 million12, and USAC records 2,92813 South Dakota locations built with Rural Digital Opportunity Fund support.
| Program | Amount | As of |
|---|---|---|
| BEAD allocation (NTIA, announced June 26, 2023) | $207,227,524 | |
| BEAD Final Proposal: locations to be connected | 7,060 | |
| BEAD Final Proposal: deployment cost | $72,801,060 | |
| BEAD cost per location | $10,312 | |
| BEAD allocation not assigned to deployment | $134,426,464 | |
| Treasury Capital Projects Fund allocation | $115,898,703 | |
| RDOF: locations built with support (cumulative) | 2,928 | |
| Lifeline subscribers claimed | 8,081 | |
| Lifeline participation rate | 10.2% | |
| Households in the Affordable Connectivity Program, February 2024 | 24,194 |
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; 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.
Every county, city and town
Sioux Falls is the only South Dakota city with its own page. The table below lists the state's other cities and towns, with every county above it.
| Aurora County | 1,788 | 99.8% | 99.5% | 0.2% | 0.4% | Midstate Communications | 65.5% ±5.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beadle County | 8,312 | 31.9% | 98.7% | 4.0% | 0.0% | Midco | 69.6% ±3.2 |
| Bennett County | 1,531 | 82.8% | 80.9% | 0.0% | 11.8% | Golden West Telecommunications | 55.3% ±9.0 |
| Bon Homme County | 3,519 | 86.2% | 92.7% | 2.0% | 0.3% | Golden West Telecommunications | 70.6% ±4.0 |
| Brookings County | 12,822 | 97.9% | 99.4% | 72.9% | 0.3% | Mediacom | 74.4% ±2.8 |
| Brown County | 16,364 | 82.9% | 98.6% | 58.4% | 0.9% | Northern Valley Communications, LLC | 72.3% ±3.0 |
| Brule County | 2,889 | 99.9% | 99.9% | 0.1% | 0.1% | Midstate Communications | 64.4% ±4.9 |
| Buffalo County | 776 | 99.4% | 99.4% | 0.0% | 0.6% | Midstate Communications | 30.7% ±7.4 |
| Butte County | 4,997 | 27.1% | 82.9% | 39.9% | 10.2% | Midco | 72.4% ±2.9 |
| Campbell County | 1,211 | 99.9% | 99.9% | 0.4% | 0.1% | Valley FiberCom | 72.8% ±4.0 |
| Charles Mix County | 4,957 | 75.1% | 88.6% | 0.2% | 0.4% | TSC | 66.4% ±3.4 |
| Clark County | 2,253 | 98.7% | 98.7% | 0.5% | 1.2% | ITC | 73.3% ±4.0 |
| Clay County | 5,305 | 77.3% | 89.6% | 53.0% | 4.8% | Midco | 73.5% ±4.4 |
| Codington County | 12,888 | 22.5% | 96.9% | 67.4% | 0.1% | Midco | 71.6% ±3.1 |
| Corson County | 1,911 | 77.5% | 77.5% | 0.0% | 20.4% | West River Telecommunications Cooperative | 75.2% ±3.4 |
| Custer County | 6,103 | 99.1% | 95.4% | 7.1% | 4.1% | Golden West Telecommunications | 68.1% ±4.2 |
| Davison County | 8,745 | 95.8% | 99.1% | 74.4% | 0.0% | Midco | 68.9% ±4.0 |
| Day County | 4,021 | 98.3% | 98.3% | 42.6% | 1.6% | ITC | 71.5% ±3.8 |
| Deuel County | 2,711 | 99.7% | 99.7% | 0.1% | 0.3% | ITC | 68.9% ±4.7 |
| Dewey County | 2,657 | 87.1% | 87.1% | 0.0% | 11.1% | CRST Telephone Authority | 69.1% ±4.4 |
| Douglas County | 1,823 | 99.8% | 99.5% | 1.0% | 0.3% | Golden West Telecommunications | 65.4% ±5.6 |
| Edmunds County | 2,433 | 87.1% | 96.8% | 48.3% | 1.3% | Midco | 79.3% ±4.5 |
| Fall River County | 5,012 | 99.6% | 97.7% | 0.0% | 1.2% | Golden West Telecommunications | 68.1% ±4.6 |
| Faulk County | 1,366 | 97.7% | 97.7% | 2.6% | 2.1% | Venture Communications Cooperative Inc | 63.6% ±5.1 |
| Grant County | 3,876 | 90.3% | 98.0% | 41.6% | 1.1% | ITC | 68.8% ±4.8 |
| Gregory County | 3,013 | 99.0% | 98.7% | 0.0% | 0.3% | Golden West Telecommunications | 62.1% ±4.2 |
| Haakon County | 1,565 | 100.0% | 98.7% | 0.0% | 1.2% | Golden West Telecommunications | 75.1% ±7.5 |
| Hamlin County | 3,527 | 99.6% | 99.6% | 31.4% | 0.3% | ITC | 66.6% ±2.9 |
| Hand County | 2,131 | 83.8% | 98.4% | 30.2% | 0.7% | Venture Communications Cooperative Inc | 69.8% ±4.4 |
| Hanson County | 1,710 | 95.6% | 95.6% | 0.9% | 2.3% | TrioTel | 70.6% ±3.7 |
| Harding County | 939 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.1% | 0.0% | West River Cooperative Telephone Company | 81.1% ±6.2 |
| Hughes County | 7,290 | 30.3% | 99.2% | 2.4% | 0.4% | CenturyLink | 81.8% ±3.3 |
| Hutchinson County | 3,956 | 99.3% | 99.2% | 0.3% | 0.6% | Golden West Telecommunications | 71.5% ±2.9 |
| Hyde County | 906 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | Venture Communications Cooperative Inc | 82.9% ±7.4 |
| Jackson County | 1,563 | 71.7% | 83.2% | 0.0% | 10.7% | Golden West Telecommunications | 57.3% ±7.5 |
| Jerauld County | 1,146 | 99.7% | 99.7% | 0.2% | 0.2% | Venture Communications Cooperative Inc | 73.5% ±5.2 |
| Jones County | 805 | 99.9% | 99.8% | 0.0% | 0.3% | Golden West Telecommunications | 75.1% ±11.3 |
| Kingsbury County | 3,620 | 94.9% | 94.9% | 42.9% | 2.8% | Valley FiberCom | 68.8% ±3.9 |
| Lake County | 6,347 | 51.2% | 94.9% | 39.7% | 1.8% | Midco | 72.8% ±3.1 |
| Lawrence County | 13,901 | 6.1% | 74.2% | 54.0% | 11.6% | Midco | 72.0% ±3.8 |
| Lincoln County | 25,145 | 60.8% | 98.4% | 72.6% | 0.4% | Midco | 85.5% ±1.6 |
| Lyman County | 2,419 | 99.8% | 99.2% | 0.2% | 0.6% | Golden West Telecommunications | 64.9% ±5.6 |
| Marshall County | 2,825 | 99.7% | 99.7% | 0.1% | 0.3% | Venture Communications Cooperative Inc | 81.3% ±2.9 |
| McCook County | 3,207 | 97.5% | 96.8% | 2.0% | 2.6% | Golden West Telecommunications | 72.8% ±2.7 |
| McPherson County | 1,630 | 99.9% | 99.9% | 0.1% | 0.1% | Valley FiberCom | 67.5% ±6.5 |
| Meade County | 12,035 | 23.7% | 85.0% | 50.2% | 6.0% | Midco | 72.8% ±3.0 |
| Mellette County | 1,001 | 76.2% | 64.5% | 0.0% | 23.8% | Golden West Telecommunications | 60.5% ±9.2 |
| Miner County | 1,613 | 98.1% | 98.1% | 0.2% | 1.6% | Alliance Communications Cooperative Inc | 70.7% ±5.1 |
| Minnehaha County | 68,813 | 59.4% | 99.3% | 56.1% | 0.1% | Midco | 81.4% ±1.1 |
| Moody County | 3,339 | 90.1% | 97.8% | 43.8% | 0.0% | Valley FiberCom | 73.9% ±3.7 |
| Oglala Lakota County | 3,985 | 56.3% | 68.7% | 0.2% | 18.9% | Golden West Telecommunications | 64.7% ±7.6 |
| Pennington County | 42,754 | 18.7% | 90.4% | 62.4% | 2.7% | Midco | 78.1% ±1.5 |
| Perkins County | 2,366 | 100.0% | 99.3% | 0.0% | 0.7% | West River Cooperative Telephone Company | 77.3% ±6.3 |
| Potter County | 2,145 | 99.9% | 99.9% | 0.0% | 0.1% | Venture Communications Cooperative Inc | 73.0% ±4.7 |
| Roberts County | 5,707 | 99.6% | 99.6% | 0.9% | 0.1% | RCTech | 70.8% ±2.8 |
| Sanborn County | 1,309 | 99.9% | 99.9% | 0.0% | 0.1% | Santel | 63.6% ±6.9 |
| Spink County | 4,021 | 87.7% | 94.5% | 27.2% | 4.4% | Northern Valley Communications, LLC | 71.1% ±3.8 |
| Stanley County | 1,816 | 36.0% | 97.9% | 4.4% | 0.9% | Midco | 76.1% ±7.1 |
| Sully County | 1,389 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | Venture Communications Cooperative Inc | 63.0% ±5.4 |
| Todd County | 2,874 | 19.5% | 53.3% | 0.0% | 26.5% | Golden West Telecommunications | 64.0% ±5.8 |
| Tripp County | 3,264 | 97.9% | 95.5% | 0.0% | 2.6% | Golden West Telecommunications | 72.1% ±5.8 |
| Turner County | 4,935 | 63.6% | 90.2% | 21.8% | 1.7% | Bluepeak | 73.7% ±2.9 |
| Union County | 7,364 | 69.8% | 90.8% | 48.9% | 2.2% | Long Lines Metro, LLC | 71.5% ±3.6 |
| Walworth County | 3,467 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 65.0% | 0.0% | Midco | 81.6% ±5.1 |
| Yankton County | 10,114 | 21.9% | 92.2% | 54.0% | 2.8% | Midco | 69.6% ±3.5 |
| Ziebach County | 1,263 | 90.3% | 90.1% | 0.0% | 9.8% | CRST Telephone Authority | 76.6% ±4.4 |
| South Dakota | 393,489 | 61.8% | 94.4% | 41.3% | 2.4% | 75.6% |
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).
| Sioux Falls | 213,748 | 55.1% | 88.9% | 67.1% | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid City | 80,589 | 7.5% | 45.9% | 83.7% | 4 |
| Aberdeen | 27,961 | 80.9% | 88.3% | 79.5% | 4 |
| Brookings | 25,355 | 97.3% | 97.3% | 95.2% | 3 |
| Watertown | 23,736 | 4.1% | 24.0% | 87.2% | 3 |
| Yankton | 15,816 | 2.0% | 2.0% | 88.3% | 3 |
| Mitchell | 15,756 | 96.3% | 96.3% | 95.9% | 3 |
| Huron | 14,607 | 0.9% | 29.9% | 0.7% | 1 |
| Spearfish | 14,154 | 5.4% | 98.8% | 82.4% | 4 |
| Box Elder | 13,936 | 69.6% | 82.4% | 70.4% | 3 |
| Pierre | 13,848 | 3.1% | 98.9% | 1.7% | 3 |
| Vermillion | 11,720 | 87.3% | 99.3% | 87.3% | 4 |
| Brandon | 11,306 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 97.7% | 2 |
| Harrisburg | 10,405 | 14.4% | 40.8% | 67.8% | 3 |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates; Census Bureau, 2020 Census Block Assignment Files. Shares of broadband serviceable locations inside city limits (2020 census blocks), as of June 30, 2026. Population: July 1, 2025 estimate. Gigabit: 1,000/100 Mbps.
Questions and answers
What internet providers serve South Dakota?
Apart from satellite, the providers with the widest reported reach are Midco (56.4% of locations, mostly cable), T-Mobile (55.6%) and Verizon (51.6%), both licensed fixed wireless, then CenturyLink (42.7%, mostly DSL) and Bluepeak (32.0%1). Local fiber networks such as Golden West Telecommunications, ITC, Venture Communications Cooperative and Northern Valley Communications cover most of the rest. Figures are as of June 30, 2026.
How much of South Dakota has fiber internet?
At least one provider reports fiber at 61.8% of South Dakota's 393,489 homes and businesses as of June 30, 2026, up from 38.9%3 in June 2022. Fiber reaches half or more of the locations in 56 of the state's 662 counties, but only 6.1% in Lawrence County and 18.7%1 in Pennington County.
How many South Dakota homes lack broadband?
The largest gaps are west of the Missouri River, in Todd, Mellette, Corson and Oglala Lakota counties. Statewide, counting FCC locations rather than people, 9,428 homes and businesses (2.4%) were unserved under the BEAD definition, with no reliable service of at least 25/3 Mbps, and 7,192 more were underserved. At 2,3651 locations only satellite providers report service.
How much BEAD money does South Dakota get?
$207.2 million10. South Dakota's approved plan covers 7,060 locations at a BEAD cost of $72.8 million, or $10,312 each, the 4th highest among the states; $134.4 million11 is unassigned.
Checking one address in South 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 South Dakota
Large cities with their own page: Sioux Falls.
Neighboring states: Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wyoming. Put South Dakota side by side with any state or large city in the comparison tool.
| Ranking | Value | Rank (1 = highest) |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber internet availability by state | 61.8% | 32nd of 51 |
| Internet speed by state: where gigabit service is offered | 74.8% | 23rd of 51 |
| Broadband coverage by state | 94.4% | 17th of 51 |
| Internet provider competition by state | 41.3% | 41st of 51 |
| Unserved and underserved broadband locations by state | 2.4% | 25th of 51 |
| Where fiber has grown since 2022 | 22.9% | 34th of 51 |
| 5G home internet and licensed fixed wireless by state | 72.8% | 48th of 51 |
| Households with an internet subscription by state | 91.9% | tied 45th of 51 |
| BEAD broadband funding by state | 10,312.0% | 4th 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 2025 1-year detailed tables; 2025 (calendar-year sample); released October 29, 2026. api.census.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
- NTIA Data Explorer "Analyze Table"; November 2023 (also all prior waves 1994-2021). www.ntia.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
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year detailed tables; 2020-2024; released January 29, 2026. api.census.gov
- Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates; July 1, 2025; released May 14, 2026. www.census.gov
- Census Bureau, 2020 Census Block Assignment Files; released December 11, 2020. www2.census.gov
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.