The South here is the Census Bureau's South region: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. It takes in all the states usually counted as the Southeast.
Verizon is the clear outdoor leader in 10 of 17 (16 states plus DC). County by county, Verizon leads in the most (844 of 1,394).
Every state in the South
In a car, AT&T leads in 12 and Verizon leads in 1, and 4 have no clear leader.
| State | AT&T | T-Mobile | Verizon | Outdoor leader | In-car leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 81.9% | 57.6% | 87.6% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | AT&T | View → |
| Arkansas | 76.6% | 56.2% | 88.6% | Verizon | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | View → |
| Delaware | 78.1% | 73.7% | 99.4% | No clear leader on land (21.7% water) | No clear leader on land (21.7% water) | View → |
| District of Columbia | 99.2% | 99.7% | 100% | Tie (within 5 points) | Tie (within 5 points) | View → |
| Florida | 69.7% | 58.1% | 90.5% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | No clear leader on land (24.9% water) | View → |
| Georgia | 84.5% | 62.5% | 96.2% | Verizon | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | View → |
| Kentucky | 74% | 60.8% | 71.2% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | AT&T | View → |
| Louisiana | 80.9% | 62.4% | 79.1% | No clear leader on land (17.5% water) | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | View → |
| Maryland | 75.2% | 71.9% | 95.4% | No clear leader on land (21.7% water) | No clear leader on land (21.7% water) | View → |
| Mississippi | 85.3% | 64.5% | 78.2% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | AT&T | View → |
| North Carolina | 76.5% | 68% | 89.7% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | View → |
| Oklahoma | 84.9% | 83.1% | 79% | No clear leader on land (1.9% water) | AT&T | View → |
| South Carolina | 87.7% | 72.5% | 96% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | AT&T | View → |
| Tennessee | 79.4% | 63.1% | 81.1% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | AT&T | View → |
| Texas | 84.1% | 72.3% | 86.8% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | AT&T | View → |
| Virginia | 66.4% | 59.4% | 88.1% | Verizon | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | View → |
| West Virginia | 49.4% | 41.9% | 51.4% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | AT&T | 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 South Atlantic, the East South Central states and the West South Central states
The South Atlantic (Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia): Verizon leads 413 of 570 counties, 65 run out of coverage, thinnest Pocahontas County, WV at 15.8%.
The East South Central states (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee): Verizon leads 173 of 355 counties, 60 run out of coverage, thinnest Jackson County, TN at 48.4%.
The West South Central states (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas): Verizon leads 258 of 469 counties, 25 run out of coverage, thinnest Brewster County, TX at 34.4%.
| Division | Counties | AT&T leads | T-Mobile leads | Verizon leads | Runs out | Thinnest county |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The South Atlantic | 570 | 30 | 9 | 413 | 65 | Pocahontas County, WV |
| The East South Central states | 355 | 143 | 2 | 173 | 60 | Jackson County, TN |
| The West South Central states | 469 | 99 | 4 | 258 | 25 | Brewster County, TX |
County by county
1,394 counties where all three carriers file; in 150 even the best carrier leaves 25%+ of the land uncovered.
| Carrier | Counties led, outdoors | Counties led, in a car |
|---|---|---|
| Verizon | 844 | 214 |
| AT&T | 272 | 1,032 |
| T-Mobile | 15 | 16 |
| No clear leader | 263 | 132 |
The least-covered counties in the South
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pocahontas County, WV | 15.8% | 16.5% | 4.8% | 2.7% | AT&T |
| Highland County, VA | 22.8% | 10% | 7.4% | 21.5% | Verizon |
| Webster County, WV | 26.7% | 22.5% | 14.1% | 1.9% | AT&T |
| Jackson County, TN | 48.4% | 34.8% | 10.4% | 43.5% | Verizon |
| Hancock County, TN | 51.4% | 33.1% | 20% | 45.7% | Verizon |
| McCreary County, KY | 59.1% | 32.7% | 23.9% | 45.9% | Verizon |
| Brewster County, TX | 34.4% | 24.9% | 16.8% | 22.7% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) |
| Presidio County, TX | 52.2% | 49.1% | 26.3% | 33.1% | AT&T |
| Terrell County, TX | 53.8% | 39.4% | 41.1% | 15% | T-Mobile (AT&T close behind) |
5G across the South
5G at 35/3 Mbps, any carrier: District of Columbia 98.6%, West Virginia 32.4%, the US 39.4%.
| State | 5G 7/1 Mbps | 5G 35/3 Mbps | 4G LTE, any carrier | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 64.2% | 46.7% | 95.1% | View → |
| Arkansas | 67.7% | 49.7% | 91.9% | View → |
| Delaware | 89.8% | 80.6% | 99.9% | View → |
| District of Columbia | 99.6% | 98.6% | 100% | View → |
| Florida | 76.4% | 57.5% | 91.9% | View → |
| Georgia | 71.8% | 52.8% | 97.5% | View → |
| Kentucky | 71.4% | 53.8% | 89.1% | View → |
| Louisiana | 74.1% | 55.4% | 95.3% | View → |
| Maryland | 81% | 66.8% | 98.7% | View → |
| Mississippi | 72.4% | 47.4% | 95.9% | View → |
| North Carolina | 66.7% | 49.9% | 94.8% | View → |
| Oklahoma | 83.1% | 68.3% | 97.8% | View → |
| South Carolina | 74.9% | 57.5% | 98% | View → |
| Tennessee | 64.7% | 50.2% | 88.9% | View → |
| Texas | 75.5% | 61.9% | 93.3% | View → |
| Virginia | 58.9% | 43.1% | 91.4% | View → |
| West Virginia | 43.9% | 32.4% | 66.7% | View → |