Greater Boston here is five counties in Massachusetts: Suffolk County, which holds Boston, and Middlesex, Norfolk, Essex and Plymouth counties around it. The metro area also takes in two counties in New Hampshire; they are not in this guide. Suffolk, Essex and Plymouth counties take in a lot of coastal water, so a large part of their area is water.
No carrier is the clear outdoor leader in any of the 5 counties: in Middlesex all three are within 5 points of each other, and in Essex, Norfolk, Plymouth and Suffolk no carrier clearly leads once the county's water is allowed for. In a moving car, AT&T leads in Middlesex County; in Essex, Norfolk, Plymouth and Suffolk no carrier clearly leads once the county's water is allowed for. In the 3 Greater Boston cities among the 300 largest in the US, outdoors no carrier is the clear leader in any of them; in a car, no carrier is the clear leader in any of the 3 cities.
Every Greater Boston county, outdoors
| County | 4G, any carrier | AT&T | T-Mobile | Verizon | Water | Outdoor leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, MA | 100% | 62.1% | 61.8% | 100% | 40.6% | No clear leader on land (40.6% water) |
| Middlesex County, MA | 100% | 98.3% | 97.3% | 99.9% | 3.4% | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Norfolk County, MA | 100% | 91.5% | 90.6% | 99.8% | 10.9% | No clear leader on land (10.9% water) |
| Plymouth County, MA | 99.8% | 62.5% | 59.5% | 99.2% | 39.8% | No clear leader on land (39.8% water) |
| Suffolk County, MA | 100% | 50% | 50.3% | 100% | 51.5% | No clear leader on land (51.5% water) |
Reading the county figures
Suffolk County: Verizon 100% and AT&T 50%, but with 51.5% of the county water that gap does not show more land covered.
Norfolk County: Verizon 99.8% and T-Mobile 90.6%, but with 10.9% of the county water that gap does not show more land covered.
Essex County: Verizon 100% and T-Mobile 61.8%, but with 40.6% of the county water that gap does not show more land covered.
Plymouth County: Verizon 99.2% and T-Mobile 59.5%, but with 39.8% of the county water that gap does not show more land covered.
Middlesex County: all three carriers within 5 points of each other outdoors.
The largest Greater Boston cities
The 3 Greater Boston cities among the 300 largest in the US, biggest first. Outdoors and in a car, no carrier is the clear leader in any of the 3 cities.
| City | Population | AT&T | T-Mobile | Verizon | Water | Leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 673,458 | 55.2% | 55.2% | 100% | 46.1% | No clear leader on land (46.1% water) | View → |
| Cambridge | 121,186 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 9.9% | Tie (within 5 points) | View → |
| Lowell | 120,418 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 6.3% | Tie (within 5 points) | View → |
Population: 2024 estimates.
Town by town
102 towns, each the main town of a ZIP code, the large cities included. Outdoors, AT&T leads in 1 and Verizon leads in 1 of the 102 towns, and 100 have no clear leader. In a car, AT&T leads in 54, Verizon leads in 8 and T-Mobile leads in 6 of the 102 towns, and 34 have no clear leader.
| Carrier | Towns led, outdoors | Towns led, in a car |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T | 1 | 54 |
| Verizon | 1 | 8 |
| T-Mobile | 0 | 6 |
| No clear leader | 100 | 34 |
Where one carrier pulls clear in Greater Boston
Widest in-car margin first, 12 of 68.
| Town | AT&T, in a car | T-Mobile, in a car | Verizon, in a car | In-car leader | Outdoor leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Island Shores | 50% | 0% | 90.6% | Verizon | No clear leader on land (11% water) |
| The Pinehills | 85.2% | 16.8% | 72.3% | AT&T | AT&T (Verizon close behind) |
| South Duxbury | 34.3% | 12.8% | 76.5% | Verizon | Verizon (AT&T close behind) |
| Swampscott | 40% | 35% | 96.2% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | No clear leader on land (55% water) |
| Townsend | 80.5% | 70.7% | 24.4% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Cochituate | 87% | 40% | 72% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Onset | 72.4% | 27.6% | 72.4% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Essex | 98.2% | 85.5% | 54.5% | AT&T (T-Mobile close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Foxborough | 91.4% | 90% | 51.4% | AT&T (T-Mobile close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Salisbury | 74% | 52.5% | 90.6% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | No clear leader on land (24.2% water) |
| North Pembroke | 97.1% | 67.6% | 60% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Dedham | 96.5% | 67.7% | 59.5% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
In a moving car
| County | AT&T, in a car | T-Mobile, in a car | Verizon, in a car | In-car leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, MA | 47.7% | 40.4% | 79% | No clear leader on land (40.6% water) |
| Middlesex County, MA | 75.2% | 63.6% | 64.5% | AT&T |
| Norfolk County, MA | 77.2% | 64.2% | 68.9% | No clear leader on land (10.9% water) |
| Plymouth County, MA | 45.6% | 35.2% | 60.3% | No clear leader on land (39.8% water) |
| Suffolk County, MA | 49.3% | 48.7% | 91.3% | No clear leader on land (51.5% water) |
5G in Greater Boston
| County | 5G 7/1 Mbps | 5G 35/3 Mbps | 4G LTE, any carrier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, MA | 90% | 64.9% | 100% |
| Middlesex County, MA | 92.8% | 79.2% | 100% |
| Norfolk County, MA | 93.8% | 82.2% | 100% |
| Plymouth County, MA | 74.3% | 53% | 99.8% |
| Suffolk County, MA | 89.4% | 68.5% | 100% |