Research · Census data study
The 25 Counties Where the Most Households Lack Internet (Census ACS 5-year 2020-2024)
Claiborne Parish, LA has the highest share of households with no internet access at home: 45.4% of its 5,155 households, according to the Census Bureau's ACS 5-year 2020-2024 estimates. We ranked 3,143 counties across 51 states; the median county share is 10.1%, and 178 counties are at 20% or more.
Key findings
What did we find?
- Claiborne Parish, LA ranks first: 45.4% of households (about 2,340) have no internet access at home.
- Together, the top 25 counties contain about 42,038 households without internet.
- The median county among the 3,143 ranked is at 10.1%; the lowest, King County, TX, is at 0.0%.
- 178 counties (5.7% of those ranked) have 20% or more of households without internet.
- Georgia (6), Mississippi (3), New Mexico (3) have the most counties in the top 25.
The ranking
Which counties have the most households without internet?
The 25 counties with the largest share of households that report no internet access at home. Each county links to its page with provider coverage and the full household snapshot.
| Rank | County | State | Share of households without internet | Households without internet | Total households |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Claiborne Parish | Louisiana | 45.4% | 2,340 | 5,155 |
| 2 | Lunenburg County | Virginia | 36.8% | 1,756 | 4,771 |
| 3 | Apache County | Arizona | 36.4% | 7,680 | 21,100 |
| 4 | Pulaski County | Illinois | 36.3% | 704 | 1,940 |
| 5 | Baker County | Georgia | 35.7% | 396 | 1,108 |
| 6 | Alexander County | Illinois | 35.5% | 676 | 1,904 |
| 7 | Holmes County | Ohio | 34.9% | 4,675 | 13,395 |
| 8 | Mora County | New Mexico | 34.1% | 671 | 1,968 |
| 9 | Quitman County | Georgia | 33.1% | 353 | 1,067 |
| 10 | Jasper County | Mississippi | 32.8% | 2,180 | 6,647 |
| 11 | Socorro County | New Mexico | 32.5% | 1,712 | 5,269 |
| 12 | LaGrange County | Indiana | 32.2% | 4,153 | 12,897 |
| 13 | Glascock County | Georgia | 32.2% | 334 | 1,036 |
| 14 | Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | Alaska | 31.9% | 732 | 2,296 |
| 15 | Stewart County | Georgia | 31.4% | 556 | 1,771 |
| 16 | Quitman County | Mississippi | 31.1% | 822 | 2,643 |
| 17 | Warren County | Georgia | 30.9% | 648 | 2,097 |
| 18 | Kenedy County | Texas | 30.9% | 17 | 55 |
| 19 | Duval County | Texas | 30.7% | 937 | 3,053 |
| 20 | Edwards County | Texas | 30.7% | 124 | 404 |
| 21 | McKinley County | New Mexico | 30.5% | 6,513 | 21,353 |
| 22 | Echols County | Georgia | 30.5% | 349 | 1,145 |
| 23 | Amite County | Mississippi | 30.0% | 1,755 | 5,850 |
| 24 | Bienville Parish | Louisiana | 29.7% | 1,650 | 5,556 |
| 25 | Aleutians East Borough | Alaska | 29.2% | 305 | 1,045 |
Shares are Census estimates with margins of error; the count column is the share applied to the county's estimated households, rounded.
Context
How do these counties compare with the rest?
Across the 3,143 counties ranked in 51 states, the median county has 10.1% of households without internet access at home, so the top 25 sit far above the typical county. 178 counties reach 20% or more. The full CSV below ranks every county, so the same comparison can be made for any state.
Methodology
How we calculated this
Measure. The share of households with "No Internet access" (line 013) out of all households (line 001) in Census Bureau table B28002, Presence and Types of Internet Subscriptions in Household, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, ACS 5-year 2020-2024. Households with internet access but no paid subscription (line 012) are not counted as lacking internet. Household counts come from the same table; population is table B01003.
Ranking. Counties are sorted by that share, highest first; ties are broken by the number of households without internet, then by name. The count of households without internet is the share multiplied by the county's household estimate, rounded to the nearest household.
Margins of error. ACS 5-year figures are survey estimates. In small counties the margin of error can be several percentage points, so neighbouring ranks should not be read as meaningful differences; treat the list as a tier, not a precise order.
Coverage and exclusions. Only counties with a published Broadband Trail county page are ranked (3,143 counties in 51 states at this update). A county is published only when both FCC and Census data exist for it, so counties the Census Bureau does not estimate separately, and states not yet covered by this site, are absent. Counties with no published share are skipped rather than counted as zero. "States" here includes the District of Columbia, counted alongside the 50 states.
Use this data
Can I cite or republish these figures?
Yes. Everything on this page is free to cite, chart or republish with attribution to Broadband Trail and a link to this page. The underlying FCC and Census data are public.
Cite this study
Broadband Trail, "The 25 Counties Where the Most Households Lack Internet (Census ACS 5-year 2020-2024)", October 2026, https://broadbandtrail.com/research/counties-most-households-without-internet/
Download the full dataset (CSV, 3,143 rows)
Reporters and researchers: email [email protected] for the full dataset, state cuts or a quote.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year 2020-2024 estimates (tables B01003, B25001, B19013, B28002). Data as of ACS 5-year 2020-2024; retrieved October 9, 2026.
- FCC National Broadband Map (provider filings as of December 30, 2025) decides which counties have a published page; it does not feed the ranking itself.