State Performance and National Trends
New Hampshire ranks as the seventh fastest state for internet speed in the United States, according to recent findings from Faro. This AI readiness group released data in August 2026 assessing connectivity across the country. While the state average appears strong, a closer look at county-level data reveals significant disparities. Only one of the state's 10 counties cracked the national top 200 list for internet speed.
Strafford County leads the pack locally, recording an average speed of 443.8 megabits per second. This placed the county in the 60th spot among the 2,530 counties nationwide that met the minimum testing requirements. At the other end of the spectrum, Coos County recorded the slowest speeds in New Hampshire at 277.8 megabits per second, landing in the 1,728th position. The data suggests that broad state averages often mask the reality of connection quality for individual residents.
Data Analysis and Infrastructure Realities
Faro analyzed internet connectivity statistics from the first quarter of 2026 to evaluate how prepared U.S. regions are for future AI applications. The survey covered 3,144 counties across the country. Researchers found a notable gap between metropolitan areas and rural locales, with a difference of 57.9 megabits per second. These results highlight the ongoing challenges in achieving uniform access to high-speed networks.
Broadband providers previously reported that 98.2% of premises in New Hampshire could receive service at 100 megabits per second or faster. Actual measurements taken by the study painted a slightly different picture, finding that 90.8% of devices hit that threshold. While New Hampshire has seen measured speeds grow by 51.2% since 2023, this growth trails the national average of 55% during that same three-year window.
The Digital Divide and Future Implications
Richard Rubenstein, the founder and CEO of Faro, noted that geography provides a poor explanation for connectivity outcomes. The distance between the fastest and slowest counties in America is sevenfold. In contrast, the variance between state-level averages is barely more than one and a half. This suggests that residents in close proximity can experience vastly different internet quality depending on their specific location.
He argued that state-wide data serves as a misleading metric for policy makers. Planners looking to bridge the digital divide must move beyond aggregate tables to address specific infrastructure gaps at the county level. With southern and western states dominating the top 10 list for overall speed, New Hampshire faces pressure to keep pace with national connectivity advancements. Access remains a critical factor for the region as industries shift toward higher data requirements.