10 Best Internet Providers in Merced County, CA

Compare Providers Ranked by Coverage, Speed, and Customer Ratings

Above are the top 4 providers in Merced County, CA for most people based on high speed internet coverage, speeds, and customer reviews. Click below to see all providers in your county.

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Speed and technology may vary by address for all providers. Please note we may have a financial relationship with some of the providers above, which does not impact the customer ratings displayed. Customer ratings listed above are national ratings, local Merced County ratings may vary and are shown below.

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Who is the Best Internet Provider in Merced County, CA?

unWired Broadband is the best internet provider in Merced County based on California customer satisfaction ratings and reviews. Based on our extensive and unbiased survey, unWired Broadband had the best reviews at the local, state, and national levels versus all available providers in Merced County, making it a solid recommendation among providers with reviews. unWired Broadband is an option for 99.83% of the county.

The chart and table below show average customer ratings from customers in Merced County, California, and customers throughout the country.

Top Rated Internet Providers in Merced County

Local, State, and National Ratings for all Merced County Internet Providers

Based on 600 reviews from California internet customers, unWired Broadband is the best internet service provider for Merced County residents. unWired Broadband was rated at an average of 5.00 out of 5 in our report for overall customer satisfaction. Cal.net wins for second-place in California, with 5.00 out of 5 stars and 99.6% coverage in Merced County.

At a national level, based on 6022 national reviews for any of the providers listed above, Ayera Technologies is rated higher than any other provider, with a rating of 5.00 out of 5.

Who is the Fastest Internet Provider in Merced County?

According to unbiased feedback from real internet customers in the county, they reported being happiest with speeds provided by unWired Broadband. On the other hand, based on data provided by the internet providers to the FCC, XFINITY from Comcast should have faster speeds at a local level. While we typically put more weight on real-world customer ratings, we display both satisfaction and technical maximum information for customers to decide for themselves.

Data Reported to FCC by ISPs: Average Maximum Available in Merced County

	ISP / Tech Type	Max Advertised Speed
	Frontier Communications	5,000 Mbps
	AT&T	5,000 Mbps
	EarthLink	5,000 Mbps
	unWired Broadband	5,000 Mbps
	XFINITY from Comcast	2,000 Mbps
	Spectrum	1,000 Mbps
	Ayera Technologies	1,000 Mbps
	Verizon	300 Mbps
	T-Mobile Home Internet	100 Mbps
	Cal.net	100 Mbps
	Viasat	100 Mbps
	HughesNet	25 Mbps

Customer Ratings for Internet Provider Speeds in Merced County

Based on data reported by Merced County ISPs to the FCC, the fastest speeds in the county are available through XFINITY from Comcast. The company offers speeds up to 5,000 Mbps in Merced County. Therefore, the average customer can get up to 1,665 Mbps if they're willing to purchase the fastest subscription tier available at their homes.

Additionally, actual customers in the county rated their satisfaction with internet speed highest with unWired Broadband. This indicates unWired Broadband reliably delivers speeds expected by the customer based on the plan they are paying for.

Who is the Cheapest Internet Provider in Merced County?

California customers rate unWired Broadband as the cheapest internet service provider in state. Data comes from customers in the state rating their satisfaction with pricing. This feedback is valuable because it considers price changes and whether the speeds paid for are worth it.

unWired Broadband received a local rating of 5.00 out of 5, which is higher than the average across all internet providers in the country. Cal.net is rated in second place for affordability by the company’s Merced County customers with an average price rating of 5.00 out of 5.

The chart and graph below show how customers in Merced County, California, and the United States rated the affordability of their internet service.

Rated Affordability in Merced County

Merced County Internet Health Assessment

ISP Reports evaluates the technological infrastructure across the United States. This includes assessing a grade for ISP providers and infrastructure in the county and setting an index number for the digital connectivity of its residents. You can view the ISP Report Card and the Digital Connectivity Index for Merced County below, including the metrics used and how Merced County compares to the rest of California and nation.

Merced County ISP Report Card: B-

	Metric (hover for details)	Merced County	California	USA
	Fiber Availability Percent The percentage of households in Merced County that have a Fiber internet connection available to their home.	27.31%	56.12%	67.25%
	Average Download SpeedThe maximum download speed most households can get on average. This is measured by availability in a block group and weighted by the population in that area.	2,144 Mbps	3,631 Mbps	3,293 Mbps
	Provider CountThe number of providers available for most people. This is a weighted average by block rather than a total for Merced County.	7.6	7.4	6.8

 

Merced County Digital Connectivity Index: 61 / 100

	Metric (hover for details)	Merced County	California	USA
	Average Household SizeA larger household size in a county indicates that there will be a greater need for bandwidth due to simultaneous usage, multiple devices, and network congestion.	3.4	3.0	2.7
	Work From Home PercentA higher percent of the population working from home indicates bandwidth requirements being more widely needed rather than consolidated to commercial portions of the city.	7%	15%	14%
	Households with DevicesA higher percentage of households with computing devices in the home indicates a higher level of infrastructure needed to support those households.	91%	96%	95%
	Households with InternetA higher percentage of households with internet indicates a higher need for usage and connectivity in people’s daily lives.	88%	93%	90%
	Households with BroadbandA higher percentage of households with a broadband connection (defined as speeds above 25 Mbps) indicates heavier usage needs within these households.	70%	78%	75%
	Broadband Usage vs. AvailabilityThis measures what percentage of households who have a broadband connection to their home actually have an active subscription to that service.	71%	79%	76%

Merced County ISP Report Card & Digital Connectivity Index

The ISP Report Card in Merced County is B-, which is comparable to other counties. The local demand for broadband internet connectivity in Merced County is high with a score of 61 / 100 in our Digital Connectivity Index. This means that internet service providers operating in Merced County have done a good job meeting the needs of its residents.

The Merced County ISP Report Card evaluates the county on availability and speed metrics compared to other counties in the United States. ISP Infrastructure can vary greatly and on its own isn’t a perfect measure of what a county needs. Please see our ISP Report Card along with the Digital Connectivity Index above to evaluate how well the connectivity demand is met by the existing infrastructure.

88% of Merced County households have an internet connection despite having 99.83% availability. 70% of households have fiber, cable, or DSL, 8% have satellite, 0% are still on dial-up, and 3% of households have internet but don’t pay for a subscription because it’s subsidized by the Affordable Connectivity Program.

As you can see in the table above, while 70% of households have a broadband connection such as fiber, cable or DSL available to their home, 71% subscribe to it. A moderate amount of Merced County residents are taking advantage of the available internet infrastructure.

For more details, please visit our ISP Report Card and Digital Connectivity Index pages.

How do Neighboring Counties Compare to Merced County?

How Much Speed does a Merced County Household Need?

Higher speed is typically preferred, but that comes at a higher price. The average size of a household in Merced County is 3.4, which is larger than the California average of 3.0 and larger than the national average of 2.7. Merced County's average household income is $71,443 which is much lower than the California average of $108,618 and about average for the national average of $90,606. Homes with more people living in them and with higher incomes tend to indicate more devices being used more often.

Merced County also has 20% of its population enrolled in school between the 6th grade and college level, this is higher than the California average of 17%. Additionally, 7% of residents work from home, which is lower than the 15% of residents in California who work from home. This and other factors you can see above show us that the community of Merced County has a high need for internet connectivity and speeds.

Compared to the rest of the country, Merced County households are more technology-disengaged. 91% of households have some sort of computing device, 71% have desktops or laptops in the home, and 90% have smartphones. To see what speeds you are currently getting, please visit our internet speed test tool.

Which Fiber Internet Providers are Available in Merced County?

Which Cable Internet Providers are Available in Merced County?

Which DSL Internet Providers are Available in Merced County?

Which Fixed Wireless and LTE Internet Providers are Available in Merced County?

Which ISP Should You Choose in Merced County?

The right ISP for you depends upon your needs, but in general we can make the following suggestions:

• The best all-around internet service provider in Merced County is unWired Broadband.
• The fastest internet provider should be XFINITY from Comcast. Considering speed for the money and reliability in speeds, unWired Broadband may be a better choice based on real-world local customer feedback.
• The most affordable internet provider in Merced County is unWired Broadband.
• unWired Broadband, HughesNet, and Viasat has the broadest coverage in Merced County, and is most likely to cover your home. To find out exactly what's available at your home, please use our address search tool.

How does Merced County compare to other cities with a similar population?

To see how Merced County stacks up on the national level, it's useful to look at some other cities with similarly sized populations. Below you can see a list of these cities and how they compare to Merced County's B- ISP Report Card and 61 / 100 Digital Connectivity Index.