Access to high-speed internet has become a fundamental driver of health and well-being — shaping access to telehealth, employment, education, and social connection. Yet broadband availability remains deeply unequal across U.S. neighborhoods, making it an important variable for researchers studying social determinants of health.

Today we’re excited to release Broadband Availability by Census Tract and ZCTA, United States, 2025, the latest addition to the National Neighborhood Data Archive.

What’s in the dataset

The dataset provides neighborhood-level measures of broadband availability aggregated to census tracts and ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Variables include download and upload speed tiers, technology types (fiber to the premises, coaxial cable, fixed wireless, and satellite), low-latency service availability, and federal unserved/underserved/served classifications. Four geographic versions are available: Census Tract 2010, Census Tract 2020, ZCTA 2010, and ZCTA 2020.

The dataset is built from the FCC’s Broadband Data Collection program, which collects location-level availability data from internet service providers on a biannual basis.

A note for returning users

The broadband landscape has shifted since our 2014–2020 dataset was released. Earlier research often focused on gradations of speed — distinguishing, say, 25 Mbps from 100 Mbps service. Today the more meaningful divide is simpler: does a location have access to fast, reliable broadband, or doesn’t it? This dataset reflects that shift, with variables designed around the federal unserved and underserved thresholds that now anchor most policy and research discussions.

Building on a NaNDA staple

Our previous broadband dataset, covering 2014–2020, is one of NaNDA’s most-used resources — with 1,356 downloads and 5 data-related publications to date. We’re glad to bring it up to date for researchers who need current data, and both versions remain available for longitudinal work.

How to access it

Anyone can download the dataset for free at ICPSR: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR302937. Full documentation is included.

As always, we welcome questions at our monthly virtual Office Hours or via email: [email protected]