Verizon Coverage Map

Does Verizon have good cell coverage?

Stetson Doggett

Updated:

June 24, 2023

If you’re in search of a new cell phone plan, you may be considering Verizon.

Verizon offers premium plans with premium features.

In the 4G LTE era, Verizon was also known for providing robust, nationwide coverage in more places than anyone else.

But, how does Verizon’s coverage hold up in the 5G era? Is it really “America's most reliable network,” as Verizon claims it is?

In this article, we will explore Verizon’s coverage and compare it to the other major carriers to help you make an informed decision.

Verizon Coverage

Verizon is a mobile network operator, also known as an MNO.

MNOs, like Verizon, build and operate their own cellular networks.

Verizon builds cell towers, purchases spectrum licenses from the FCC, installs networking equipment, and develops its own network cores for both 5G and LTE.

Verizon also publishes its own coverage map.

But sometimes Verizon’s map can be…overly optimistic.

It may say you’ll have service in areas you won’t, and it may show Verizon’s new 5G Ultra Wideband network has been rolled out in areas where it isn’t available yet.

To help give consumers a more accurate picture of what cell coverage is really like, the FCC collected coverage data from the carriers. They also made this coverage data publicly available. So, we built our own custom coverage map for you to use.

In addition to using the FCC's data, we also decided to collect our own.

We created a crowd-sourced map of Verizon's coverage built from over 1.6 million speed tests.

These speed tests were run by real Verizon customers to help report coverage in their area.

See Verizon coverage in your area by using the search bar in the coverage maps below:

Map Key:

Great coverage

Good coverage

Poor coverage

Great coverage = stream 4K videos, video call, use your phone to its fullest potential

Good coverage = stream 480p videos, browse social media, stream music, use the web

Poor coverage = make phone calls, send a text

*The Estimated Coverage Map is created with coverage data from the FCC

Verizon Coverage Quick Stats

Total area covered: 55%
Total square miles covered: 2,095,163
5G area covered: 12%
5G square miles covered: 459,756

The above statistics come from the FCC, which collected data from all network operators on June 30th, 2022.

The FCC displays what percentage of area each carrier covers in the United States.

Currently, Verizon’s network covers the most area in the U.S., but it still only covers 55% of the land area. This may seem less than you would expect, and it’s because large areas of rural land where no one lives, like the vast wilderness of Alaska (17.5% of the land area of the United States) don’t get covered with cell service.

We calculate the total square miles covered by Verizon’s network by multiplying the percentage of area Verizon covers by the total area of the United States, which was reported as 3,805,927 by the United States Census Bureau.

What network does Verizon use?

Verizon uses their own nationwide 4G LTE and 5G networks to provide coverage.

Verizon 5G Coverage

According to FCC data, Verizon is behind when it comes to 5G.

Verizon 5G only covers 12% of the U.S., which is less than T-Mobile (26%) and AT&T (31%).

Still, you don’t need to cover a lot of land area to cover a lot of people.

Verizon says its fast 5G Ultra Wideband network covers 200 million people, or around 60% of the U.S. population. And Verizon’s more extensive Nationwide 5G network covers over 230 million people, or just over 69% of the U.S. population.

Verizon is continuing to build out its 5G network, so you can expect its coverage footprint to continue expanding.

If you haven’t tried Verizon’s network in a while, it may be worth taking advantage of Verizon’s 30 day free trial.

Verizon LTE Coverage

Verizon’s LTE network is nationwide and covers over 99% of the US population.

Verizon vs. AT&T Coverage

Verizon’s coverage is similar to AT&T’s coverage.

From FCC data, both Verizon and AT&T cover 55% of the United States.

5G coverage is a different story though. AT&T has substantially more 5G coverage than Verizon. AT&T offers 31% 5G coverage compared to 12% 5G coverage from Verizon.

Data speeds are very similar between the two carriers.

According to Ookla’s report, Verizon’s median download speed was 69.01 Mbps and its median upload speed was 9.33 Mbps.

Meanwhile, AT&T’s median download speed was 65.57 Mbps and its median upload speed was 7.98 Mbps, very similar to Verizon’s performance.

Both carriers will likely offer similar coverage and data speeds to one another.

You can check more detailed AT&T coverage in your area here.

Verizon vs. T-Mobile Coverage

Verizon coverage is a bit better than T-Mobile coverage.

Verizon covers more of the United States than T-Mobile, with 55% total coverage compared to T-Mobile’s 35% total coverage.

However, T-Mobile has over twice as much 5G coverage as Verizon. 26% of area is covered by T-Mobile 5G, compared to just 12% covered by Verizon 5G.

T-Mobile also has substantially faster median download and upload speeds than Verizon.

According to Ookla, T-Mobile’s median download and upload speeds were 151.37 Mbps and 12.53 Mbps, respectively.

Verizon got just 65.57 Mbps for its median download speed and 7.98 Mbps for its median upload speed.

Verizon’s speeds will likely improve as it continues to build out its faster 5G Ultra Wideband network.

Both Verizon and T-Mobile will likely perform well in cities with T-Mobile providing slightly faster speeds. When it comes to getting service in rural areas, Verizon’s greater coverage footprint may make it a better option.

You can check T-Mobile coverage in your area here.

Verizon Coverage by State

This data is from the FCC:

Sate	Area Covered (sq km)	Total Percent Covered	Great Coverage	Good Coverage	Poor Coverage
Alaska	0	2.0%	0.4%	0.6%	1.0%
Alabama	125,780	83.9%	36.1%	27.4%	20.5%
Arkansas	118,422	83.0%	33.5%	26.9%	22.7%
Arizona	179,349	64.8%	24.0%	22.2%	18.6%
California	251,383	63.0%	28.5%	21.7%	12.8%
Colorado	223,092	62.7%	19.7%	24.0%	19.1%
Connecticut	12,860	87.2%	56.5%	24.0%	6.8%
District of Columbia	179	98.6%	98.2%	0.4%	0.0%
Delaware	5,185	80.4%	0.8%	1.0%	78.7%
Florida	134,354	80.1%	48.6%	21.7%	9.9%
Georgia	131,395	93.6%	43.7%	32.9%	17.0%
Hawaii	12,543	44.2%	19.3%	14.4%	10.6%
Iowa	124,346	92.3%	52.2%	29.0%	11.1%
Idaho	94,699	46.7%	20.7%	17.3%	8.8%
Illinois	144,562	93.5%	52.6%	29.7%	11.2%
Indiana	92,661	98.3%	56.4%	28.8%	13.0%
Kansas	207,559	98.4%	42.5%	34.1%	21.8%
Kentucky	91,826	74.0%	32.3%	22.9%	18.7%
Louisiana	114,912	78.4%	29.4%	27.7%	21.3%
Massachusetts	21,134	72.1%	44.7%	19.9%	7.5%
Maryland	26,410	78.8%	52.8%	17.1%	8.9%
Maine	36,855	51.6%	17.8%	19.4%	14.4%
Michigan	131,066	46.6%	20.7%	13.6%	12.4%
Minnesota	197,215	79.3%	40.8%	25.5%	13.0%
Missouri	176,347	86.2%	37.2%	28.4%	20.7%
Mississippi	117,117	81.3%	25.0%	27.7%	28.6%
Montana	198,358	53.0%	18.1%	20.5%	14.4%
North Carolina	108,559	80.3%	36.2%	27.0%	17.1%
North Dakota	174,474	92.7%	47.2%	31.1%	14.4%
Nebraska	176,021	86.5%	30.0%	27.2%	29.3%
New Hampshire	21,575	80.1%	32.6%	30.3%	17.2%
New Jersey	19,579	84.8%	0.0%	0.0%	84.7%
New Mexico	224,922	71.0%	23.3%	26.0%	21.7%
Nevada	91,951	42.5%	12.6%	17.7%	12.2%
New York	105,653	72.4%	3.4%	1.0%	68.0%
Ohio	103,714	85.5%	54.9%	18.6%	12.0%
Oklahoma	163,279	55.4%	26.1%	17.3%	11.9%
Oregon	103,850	50.9%	18.2%	19.8%	12.9%
Pennsylvania	106,050	83.0%	16.9%	11.5%	54.6%
Rhode Island	2,961	72.1%	48.7%	17.7%	5.8%
South Carolina	69,818	90.9%	39.5%	31.2%	20.2%
South Dakota	184,372	87.0%	31.8%	28.6%	26.6%
Tennessee	99,496	84.7%	38.9%	26.3%	19.5%
Texas	614,198	83.0%	36.7%	28.3%	18.0%
Utah	136,159	49.2%	17.0%	18.8%	13.4%
Virginia	82,698	83.3%	38.0%	28.9%	16.5%
Vermont	21,246	66.8%	23.6%	27.5%	15.7%
Washington	109,806	54.4%	22.4%	18.7%	13.4%
Wisconsin	109,839	65.1%	28.3%	20.9%	16.0%
West Virginia	40,576	41.7%	16.5%	11.6%	13.6%
Wyoming	142,749	59.1%	15.8%	23.1%	20.2%

Verizon Data Speeds by State

Sate	Average Download Speed	Average Upload Speed	Average Ping
Alaska	28.6 Mbps	15.4 Mbps	95.1 ms
Alabama	52.7 Mbps	13.8 Mbps	83.6 ms
Arkansas	42.8 Mbps	13.5 Mbps	78.7 ms
Arizona	55. Mbps	15.2 Mbps	78.8 ms
California	67.5 Mbps	16.7 Mbps	59.4 ms
Colorado	62.9 Mbps	14.9 Mbps	81.3 ms
Connecticut	90.4 Mbps	18.8 Mbps	54.9 ms
District of Columbia	157.8 Mbps	19.2 Mbps	70.4 ms
Delaware	91.9 Mbps	17.8 Mbps	59.9 ms
Florida	79.2 Mbps	16. Mbps	80. ms
Georgia	64.7 Mbps	14. Mbps	91.9 ms
Hawaii	32. Mbps	14.7 Mbps	132.8 ms
Iowa	56. Mbps	15.3 Mbps	64.4 ms
Idaho	43.6 Mbps	13.7 Mbps	117.2 ms
Illinois	79.5 Mbps	19.9 Mbps	56.9 ms
Indiana	78.5 Mbps	17.2 Mbps	63.4 ms
Kansas	49.2 Mbps	15.6 Mbps	79.7 ms
Kentucky	52.6 Mbps	14.6 Mbps	80. ms
Louisiana	52.4 Mbps	14.6 Mbps	70.8 ms
Massachusetts	89.1 Mbps	18.3 Mbps	68.6 ms
Maryland	64.5 Mbps	14.8 Mbps	66.1 ms
Maine	40. Mbps	14.8 Mbps	80. ms
Michigan	68.7 Mbps	16.1 Mbps	67.6 ms
Minnesota	94.5 Mbps	17. Mbps	61.9 ms
Missouri	63.3 Mbps	15.9 Mbps	72.1 ms
Mississippi	24.7 Mbps	11.6 Mbps	94.5 ms
Montana	36.2 Mbps	14.7 Mbps	123.1 ms
North Carolina	52.8 Mbps	12.7 Mbps	69.2 ms
North Dakota	97.1 Mbps	19.2 Mbps	62.5 ms
Nebraska	64.6 Mbps	17.1 Mbps	67.9 ms
New Hampshire	48.5 Mbps	14.4 Mbps	67. ms
New Jersey	84.9 Mbps	16.7 Mbps	46.5 ms
New Mexico	31.6 Mbps	13.5 Mbps	139.7 ms
Nevada	73.6 Mbps	15.4 Mbps	61.9 ms
New York	87. Mbps	16.7 Mbps	69.5 ms
Ohio	55.2 Mbps	15.2 Mbps	64.9 ms
Oklahoma	46.3 Mbps	13.6 Mbps	73.4 ms
Oregon	46.3 Mbps	13.1 Mbps	70.6 ms
Pennsylvania	79.2 Mbps	15.5 Mbps	56.9 ms
Rhode Island	146.8 Mbps	20.7 Mbps	48.5 ms
South Carolina	51.8 Mbps	12.9 Mbps	71.7 ms
South Dakota	46.7 Mbps	16.7 Mbps	74.7 ms
Tennessee	65.2 Mbps	15.4 Mbps	83.6 ms
Texas	60.4 Mbps	13.7 Mbps	67.4 ms
Utah	60.7 Mbps	16.6 Mbps	104.4 ms
Virginia	47.3 Mbps	12.9 Mbps	70.2 ms
Vermont	37. Mbps	11.7 Mbps	79.6 ms
Washington	62.6 Mbps	14.8 Mbps	63.1 ms
Wisconsin	61.7 Mbps	14.1 Mbps	61.5 ms
West Virginia	32.9 Mbps	12.6 Mbps	83.6 ms
Wyoming	28.1 Mbps	13.6 Mbps	122.2 ms

Verizon Coverage Frequently Asked Questions

Is Verizon coverage good?

Verizon has the largest coverage area of any cellular network and covers over 99% of Americans. For most people, Verizon will have good coverage.

Does Verizon offer 5G?

Yes. Verizon offers Nationwide 5G and Ultra Wideband 5G. Nationwide 5G covers more people, and Ultra Wideband 5G delivers super fast data speeds.

Does Verizon have coverage in Canada?

Yes. All of Verizon's postpaid plans include unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of high-speed data per day in Canada.

Does Verizon have coverage in Mexico?

Yes. All of Verizon's postpaid plans include unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of high-speed data in Mexico.

Does Verizon have international coverage?

Verizon charges $10 per day for international service for most of their plans. The international add-on is called the TravelPass, and it includes unlimited talk, text, and 2GB of high-speed data per 24-hour period in the country you're visiting.