If you live in Virginia, count yourself fortunate: you have historic homes that sell for millions of dollars, a healthy job economy between shipbuilding, commerce, and industrial jobs, the historic Mount Vernon (home of George Washington) and Monticello (the home of Thomas Jefferson), and in your state’s name lies the legendary Queen Elizabeth – who was called “The Virgin Queen” because she never married. Hence, Virgin-ia.
According to a new study, however, you should be grateful to live in Virginia for another reason: your state has the fastest average Internet speeds in the United States. According to an Akamai Technologies study, Virginia’s average Internet speed stands at around 13.7 Mbps, while Delaware and Massachusetts round out the top 3 – both tied with 13.1 Mbps average Internet speeds. Rhode Island and Washington D.C. stand right on the heels of the top 3 with 12.9 Mbps and 12.8 Mbps average Internet speeds, respectively. Washington State comes in sixth place (12.5), followed by New Hampshire (12.3), Utah (12.1), Michigan (11.8), and Connecticut (11.7).
Alaska is considered to be the state in the Union with the lowest average Internet speeds, with many southern states dominating the slowest average Internet speed slots. Southern states such as North Carolina and South Carolina, however, averaged around 9.7 Mbps average Internet speeds – placing them in the middle tier of the country in Internet performance.