Carriers advertise different claims about coverage. The FCC makes each of them file a map of where it offers service, and publishes how much of the country each map covers. On the filing as of December 31, 2025, the answer depends on which kind of coverage you mean.
Verizon and AT&T are within 3.5 points of each other on 4G LTE by area (60.9% and 57.4% of the US), which is effectively level. T-Mobile reports the most 5G (40.7% of the US at 7/1 Mbps or faster).
4G LTE: the coverage that works almost everywhere
4G LTE is still what a phone falls back to outside the big cities, so it decides whether you have signal at all. By share of US area, Verizon reports 60.9%, AT&T reports 57.4% and T-Mobile reports 47.3%.
Area is not population. A share of area counts empty land the same as a city, so the national figures say more about coverage between towns than in them.
| Carrier | 4G LTE, outdoors | 4G LTE, in a car | 5G 7/1 Mbps | 5G 35/3 Mbps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon | 60.9% | 26.9% | 21.9% | 14.1% |
| AT&T | 57.4% | 35.3% | 34.2% | 23.2% |
| T-Mobile | 47.3% | 20.7% | 40.7% | 28.9% |
Share of total US area. Source: FCC National Broadband Map, carrier filings as of December 31, 2025. Share of area where each carrier reports 4G LTE or 5G to a phone outdoors. Carrier-reported, not measured.
5G: a different order
On 5G the order changes: T-Mobile 40.7%, AT&T 34.2% and Verizon 21.9% of US area at 7/1 Mbps or faster. At the faster 35/3 Mbps tier the figures are T-Mobile 28.9%, AT&T 23.2% and Verizon 14.1%.
More 5G area does not mean more signal overall. It means more of the carrier's network has been upgraded, and it matters most if you use a lot of data.
In a moving car
The FCC also asks for a second map, for a phone in a moving vehicle. Every carrier's in-car figure is lower than its outdoor one. For 4G LTE in a car: AT&T 35.3%, Verizon 26.9% and T-Mobile 20.7% of US area. If you drive long distances between towns, this is the number to look at.
State by state
Taking each state's outdoor figures, one carrier reports clearly more coverage than the weakest (at least 5 points more, beyond anything the state's water could explain) in 39 of the 50 states plus DC: Verizon in 30 and AT&T in 9. In the other 12, no carrier clearly leads on coverage.
Our state pages show each state's figures, and the ZIP checker on the homepage narrows it to your town or county.