In 290 of the 300 largest US cities, no carrier clearly leads on the FCC figures, so in town the choice rarely turns on the map. Out of town it does. The FCC does not publish a figure labelled rural, but it publishes each carrier's coverage for every county, and on the filing as of December 31, 2025 that is where the carriers pull apart.
On the carriers' FCC filings as of December 31, 2025, in the 467 counties where coverage runs out (the best carrier leaves at least 25% of the land uncovered), Verizon leads outdoors in the most (241) and AT&T leads in a moving car in the most (339).
We count a county as one where coverage runs out when even the best-covered carrier leaves at least 25% of its land outside its filing, after taking out the county's water. That is the same test this site uses everywhere to decide whether an area's coverage is thin, not a threshold picked for this guide.
Where coverage runs out: who leads
Of 467 counties where coverage runs out, Verizon leads in 241, AT&T leads in 172 and T-Mobile leads in 19, and 35 have no clear leader. The in-car column uses the FCC's second map, for a phone in a moving vehicle, which is the one that matters on country roads.
The order changes in the car: outdoors Verizon leads in the most of these counties, in a car AT&T does.
| Carrier | Counties led, outdoors | Counties led, in a car |
|---|---|---|
| Verizon | 241 | 46 |
| AT&T | 172 | 339 |
| T-Mobile | 19 | 13 |
| No clear leader | 35 | 69 |
A carrier leads a county only when it is at least 5 points ahead of the weakest of the three after allowing for the county's water. 33 counties where one carrier has no row in the filing are left out. 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.
Every county, for comparison
Of 3,083 counties where all three carriers file, Verizon leads in 1696, AT&T leads in 634 and T-Mobile leads in 53, and 700 have no clear leader. In a county that is well covered by everyone, the lead is often a few points of empty land either way.
| Carrier | Counties led, outdoors | Counties led, in a car |
|---|---|---|
| Verizon | 1,696 | 388 |
| AT&T | 634 | 2,193 |
| T-Mobile | 53 | 136 |
| No clear leader | 700 | 366 |
A carrier leads a county only when it is at least 5 points ahead of the weakest of the three after allowing for the county's water. 33 counties where one carrier has no row in the filing are left out. 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.
Rural coverage head to head
The same counties where coverage runs out, one pair of carriers at a time. A county counts for a carrier only when its lead over the other beats the county's water share by 5 points.
Verizon vs T-Mobile: Verizon leads in 325, T-Mobile in 50, and 92 are too close to call.
AT&T vs Verizon: AT&T leads in 122, Verizon in 179, and 166 are too close to call.
AT&T vs T-Mobile: AT&T leads in 300, T-Mobile in 30, and 137 are too close to call.
| Matchup | First carrier leads | Second carrier leads | Too close to call |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon vs T-Mobile | 325 | 50 | 92 |
| AT&T vs Verizon | 122 | 179 | 166 |
| AT&T vs T-Mobile | 300 | 30 | 137 |
Counties where coverage runs out (467). 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.
The states with the most counties where coverage runs out
These states hold the most such counties. The state page shows each carrier's figures and the in-car map.
| State | Counties where coverage runs out | Led by AT&T | Led by T-Mobile | Led by Verizon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | 47 | 6 | 8 | 26 | View → |
| Colorado | 37 | 16 | 0 | 15 | View → |
| West Virginia | 37 | 11 | 2 | 23 | View → |
| California | 29 | 5 | 0 | 18 | View → |
| Idaho | 25 | 6 | 0 | 15 | View → |
| Tennessee | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | View → |
| Kentucky | 23 | 10 | 1 | 11 | View → |
| Oregon | 23 | 9 | 0 | 13 | View → |
| Utah | 20 | 14 | 0 | 4 | View → |
| Washington | 20 | 4 | 1 | 13 | View → |
Outdoor figures. 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.
Nationally, by area
Most of the country's area is the land between towns, so each carrier's share of US area is a rough national measure of how far its network reaches beyond them: Verizon 60.9%, AT&T 57.4% and T-Mobile 47.3% with 4G LTE outdoors, and AT&T 35.3%, Verizon 26.9% and T-Mobile 20.7% in a moving car.
| Carrier | 4G LTE, outdoors | 4G LTE, in a car | 5G 7/1 Mbps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon | 60.9% | 26.9% | 21.9% |
| AT&T | 57.4% | 35.3% | 34.2% |
| T-Mobile | 47.3% | 20.7% | 40.7% |
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.
Before you choose a carrier for the country
A county figure is still an average over a lot of land. Check your own ZIP code on our homepage, and if the address matters, the FCC map's address search. In hilly or forested country the signal at the house can differ from the map on either side, and the only real test is a phone on that network at the house.