The Midwest here is the Census Bureau's Midwest region: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Verizon is the clear outdoor leader in 9 of the 12 states. County by county, Verizon leads in the most (537 of 1,055).
Every state in the Midwest
In a car, AT&T leads in 9 and T-Mobile leads in 1, and 2 have no clear leader.
| State | AT&T | T-Mobile | Verizon | Outdoor leader | In-car leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 93% | 83.6% | 96% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | AT&T | View → |
| Indiana | 93.5% | 83.3% | 97.6% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | AT&T | View → |
| Iowa | 75.3% | 93.1% | 97.7% | Verizon (T-Mobile close behind) | T-Mobile | View → |
| Kansas | 89.3% | 84.9% | 94.2% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | AT&T | View → |
| Michigan | 49.7% | 36.3% | 68% | No clear leader on land (41.5% water) | No clear leader on land (41.5% water) | View → |
| Minnesota | 90.6% | 69.5% | 87.3% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | AT&T | View → |
| Missouri | 85.9% | 68.8% | 89.1% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | AT&T | View → |
| Nebraska | 73.8% | 75.1% | 81.8% | Verizon | AT&T | View → |
| North Dakota | 93.4% | 81.4% | 95.2% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | AT&T | View → |
| Ohio | 87.7% | 75.9% | 95.1% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | View → |
| South Dakota | 89.6% | 71.8% | 89.8% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | AT&T | View → |
| Wisconsin | 63.5% | 59.9% | 74.7% | No clear leader on land (17.3% water) | No clear leader on land (17.3% water) | View → |
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 East North Central states and the West North Central states
The East North Central states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin): Verizon leads 221 of 437 counties, 11 run out of coverage, thinnest Iron County, MI at 61.1%.
The West North Central states (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota): Verizon leads 316 of 618 counties, 20 run out of coverage, thinnest Garden County, NE at 67.5%.
| Division | Counties | AT&T leads | T-Mobile leads | Verizon leads | Runs out | Thinnest county |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The East North Central states | 437 | 70 | 1 | 221 | 11 | Iron County, MI |
| The West North Central states | 618 | 117 | 27 | 316 | 20 | Garden County, NE |
County by county
1,055 counties where all three carriers file; in 31 even the best carrier leaves 25%+ of the land uncovered.
| Carrier | Counties led, outdoors | Counties led, in a car |
|---|---|---|
| Verizon | 537 | 112 |
| AT&T | 187 | 726 |
| T-Mobile | 28 | 107 |
| No clear leader | 303 | 110 |
The least-covered counties in the Midwest
The three thinnest in each Census division, by share of land with 4G from any carrier; counties a fifth or more water are left out.
| County | 4G, any carrier | AT&T | T-Mobile | Verizon | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron County, MI | 61.1% | 45.1% | 28.6% | 49.8% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) |
| Price County, WI | 70.4% | 48.2% | 34% | 63.7% | Verizon |
| Baraga County, MI | 71% | 41.7% | 32.9% | 66.1% | Verizon |
| Garden County, NE | 67.5% | 53.3% | 46% | 50.4% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) |
| Shannon County, MO | 70.1% | 51.8% | 21.1% | 58.5% | Verizon |
| Reynolds County, MO | 70.8% | 54.3% | 18% | 55.1% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) |
5G across the Midwest
5G at 35/3 Mbps, any carrier: Iowa 76.6%, Michigan 34.7%, the US 39.4%.
| State | 5G 7/1 Mbps | 5G 35/3 Mbps | 4G LTE, any carrier | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 87% | 76.1% | 97.4% | View → |
| Indiana | 88% | 73.4% | 98.7% | View → |
| Iowa | 88.7% | 76.6% | 99% | View → |
| Kansas | 84.3% | 64.6% | 98.6% | View → |
| Michigan | 45.8% | 34.7% | 74.6% | View → |
| Minnesota | 78.5% | 63% | 94.6% | View → |
| Missouri | 69.6% | 53% | 95% | View → |
| Nebraska | 65% | 46.3% | 91.7% | View → |
| North Dakota | 86.6% | 70.6% | 98.4% | View → |
| Ohio | 85.9% | 75.4% | 97.5% | View → |
| South Dakota | 77.3% | 62.9% | 95.7% | View → |
| Wisconsin | 59.6% | 45% | 87.7% | View → |