How We Calculate the Connectivity Gap

The U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (table B28002) reports, for every place and every state, how many households have a broadband internet subscription. From those two numbers we take one difference.

connectivity_gap = city broadband % − state broadband %

A gap of 0 means the city matches its state. A gap of −15 means the city is fifteen percentage points below the state as a whole. We rank by the most negative gap, so the top of the list is where the divide inside a state is widest.

What's included

• Places (Census “place” geography) with at least 2,000 households, to keep small-sample noise out.
• The comparison is always to the city's own state — not the national average.
• This is adoption (households that subscribe), not availability (whether service can be bought).

What it does not tell you

• It is a description of a difference, not an explanation. Income, median age, rural geography, housing type and local prices all push the number around.
• A small gap is not “good” if the whole state is poorly connected; always read it next to the raw rates, which we show on every row.
• ACS figures are 5-year estimates with a margin of error, larger for smaller places.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B28002. Back to the connectivity gap list.