The household broadband subscription estimate is 93.6% in Washington and 84.1% in Mississippi. These 2020–2024 ACS values describe reported household subscriptions, including source-defined cellular plans. They do not measure fixed-network availability or the speed a household receives.
Editorial date:
· First published September 30, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026
Data reviewed September 30, 2026; definition labels reviewed October 1,
2026 · American Public Data
A subscription describes use, not an address-level offering
Census households report whether they have internet subscriptions in source-defined categories. FCC availability data describes what providers report offering at locations. A household can live where service is available without subscribing; a household using a cellular data plan may meet the ACS broadband definition without a fixed wired service. The measures are related but cannot substitute for each other.
Readers often interpret “broadband household” as a home with a cable or fiber connection. That is narrower than the approved ACS measure here. The table labels subscriptions rather than wired connections and keeps the original B28002 definition. It does not promise a minimum speed, a fixed line, unlimited data or simultaneous access for every member of the household.
The numerator and denominator are households
The national subscription share is 91.0%. Its denominator is households, not residents, devices, businesses or serviceable addresses. Multiplying the percentage by the annual population estimate would not produce the number of subscribers. The count in the comparison table comes directly from the appropriate household source cells, preserving the household universe.
Explore the figures behind this comparison
Change the measure or switch a percentage to its source count
. The table and download update together. The United States is a separate
benchmark; selected states are examples, rather than a complete ranking.
Households reporting a broadband internet subscription of any source-defined type. Reference period: 2020–2024. Includes cellular data plans. Household subscriptions differ from provider-reported availability, speed, and performance.
Households with broadband subscriptions·
2020–2024· U.S. Census
Bureau
Source counts and periods come from snapshot apd-2026-10-01-r3. Derived percentage
uncertainty is not calculated; direct margins of error remain in the
indicator download.
A state gap does not establish its cause
Differences may be associated with service offerings, affordability, demographic composition or household choices. The subscription table alone cannot isolate these explanations. Median household income can supply context, but a state-level association is not a household-level finding about why someone lacks service. The table below offers the two measures separately with their own units and definitions.
Close leading values are not confirmed performance ranks
Washington, Colorado (93.5%) and California (93.5%) have closely spaced point estimates. Ordering the exact percentages does not demonstrate that one state’s underlying rate is meaningfully higher. This release retains component margins of error but has not calculated uncertainty for the derived percentage. Avoid turning tenths of a percentage point into a claim about network quality.
Choose the next dataset for the next question
For availability, use validated provider-location data with its reporting date and terms. For speed, use an appropriate performance dataset and explain its sampling method. For education access, investigate household devices and the needs of students rather than assuming a subscription means an adequate learning setup. The frozen ACS export supports a specific household subscription statement, without certifying service at an address.
Source tables and calculation record
Original producer: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2024 five-year detailed tables, describing 2020–2024.
Website data snapshot: apd-2026-10-01-r3. The article arithmetic uses retained
observations and documented indicator definitions; displayed percentages
are rounded, while exports preserve their underlying precision.
Census comparison guidance
explains why source product and sampling uncertainty belong in a survey
comparison.
Population Estimates Program documentation
explains the estimate framework and vintage revisions. The article
examples do not imply household-level links between separate state
totals.
Explore New York’s no-vehicle households alongside public transit and driving commute shares. Understand household and worker denominators in Census data.
Compare residents age 65 and older by percentage and count. Maine and Florida illustrate how service planning differs from a demographic share comparison.
Colorado leads the state work-from-home point estimates. Explore the worker universe, five-year period and why usual commuting does not measure hybrid schedules.
