10 Best Internet Providers in Santa Maria, CA

Compare Providers Ranked by Coverage, Speed, and Customer Ratings

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

All Providers

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 Santa Maria ratings may vary and are shown below.

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3. Santa Maria, CA Internet Service Providers

Who is the Best Internet Provider in Santa Maria, CA?

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

Top Rated Internet Providers in Santa Maria

Local, State, and National Ratings for all Santa Maria Internet Providers

Based on 354 reviews from California internet customers, Frontier Communications is the best internet service provider for Santa Maria residents. Frontier Communications was rated at an average of 3.82 out of 5 in our report for overall customer satisfaction. T-Mobile Home Internet wins for second-place in California, with 3.84 out of 5 stars and 93.3% coverage in Santa Maria.

At a national level, based on 4402 national reviews for any of the providers listed above, T-Mobile Home Internet is rated higher than any other provider, with a rating of 4.01 out of 5.

Who is the Fastest Internet Provider in Santa Maria?

Data Reported to FCC by ISPs: Average Maximum Available in Santa Maria

	ISP / Tech Type	Max Advertised Speed
	Astound Broadband	5,000 Mbps
	Frontier Communications	5,000 Mbps
	XFINITY from Comcast	2,000 Mbps
	Verizon	300 Mbps
	Peak Wifi	100 Mbps
	surfnet communications	100 Mbps
	AT&T	100 Mbps
	EarthLink	100 Mbps
	Ranch Wifi	100 Mbps
	T-Mobile Home Internet	100 Mbps
	Viasat	100 Mbps
	HughesNet	25 Mbps

Customer Ratings for Internet Provider Speeds in Santa Maria

Based on data reported by Santa Maria ISPs to the FCC, the fastest speeds in the city are available through Astound Broadband. The company offers speeds up to 5,000 Mbps in Santa Maria. Therefore, the average customer can get up to 5,000 Mbps if they're willing to purchase the fastest subscription tier available at their homes.

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

Who is the Cheapest Internet Provider in Santa Maria?

California customers rate T-Mobile Home Internet 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.

T-Mobile Home Internet received a local rating of 4.11 out of 5, which is higher than the average across all internet providers in the country. Verizon is rated in second place for affordability by the company’s Santa Maria customers with an average price rating of 3.91 out of 5.

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

Rated Affordability in Santa Maria

Santa Maria 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 city 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 Santa Maria below, including the metrics used and how Santa Maria compares to the rest of California and nation.

Santa Maria ISP Report Card: B

	Metric (hover for details)	Santa Maria	California	USA
	Fiber Availability Percent The percentage of households in Santa Maria that have a Fiber internet connection available to their home.	84.65%	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.	4,442 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 Santa Maria.	5.3	7.4	6.8

 

Santa Maria Digital Connectivity Index: 68 / 100

	Metric (hover for details)	Santa Maria	California	USA
	Average Household SizeA larger household size in a city indicates that there will be a greater need for bandwidth due to simultaneous usage, multiple devices, and network congestion.	3.9	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.	6%	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.	94%	96%	95%
	Households with InternetA higher percentage of households with internet indicates a higher need for usage and connectivity in people’s daily lives.	91%	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.	74%	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.	75%	79%	76%

Santa Maria ISP Report Card & Digital Connectivity Index

The ISP Report Card in Santa Maria is B, which is better than other cities. The local demand for broadband internet connectivity in Santa Maria is high with a score of 68 / 100 in our Digital Connectivity Index. This means that internet service providers operating in Santa Maria have done a good job meeting the needs of its residents.

The Santa Maria ISP Report Card evaluates the city on availability and speed metrics compared to other cities in the United States. ISP Infrastructure can vary greatly and on its own isn’t a perfect measure of what a city 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.

91% of Santa Maria households have an internet connection despite having 99.76% availability. 74% of households have fiber, cable, or DSL, 8% have satellite, 0% are still on dial-up, and 2% 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 74% of households have a broadband connection such as fiber, cable or DSL available to their home, 75% subscribe to it. A large amount of Santa Maria 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 Cities Compare to Santa Maria?

How Much Speed does a Santa Maria Household Need?

Higher speed is typically preferred, but that comes at a higher price. The average size of a household in Santa Maria is 3.9, which is larger than the California average of 3.0 and larger than the national average of 2.7. Santa Maria's average household income is $85,180 which is lower than the California average of $108,618 and higher than 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.

Santa Maria 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, 6% 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 Santa Maria has a high need for internet connectivity and speeds.

Compared to the rest of the country, Santa Maria households are about average when it comes to technological engagement. 94% of households have some sort of computing device, 79% have desktops or laptops in the home, and 92% have smartphones. To see what speeds you are currently getting, please visit our internet speed test tool.

Which Fiber Internet Providers are Available in Santa Maria?

Which Cable Internet Providers are Available in Santa Maria?

Which DSL Internet Providers are Available in Santa Maria?

Which Fixed Wireless and LTE Internet Providers are Available in Santa Maria?

Which ISP Should You Choose in Santa Maria?

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 Santa Maria is Frontier.
• The fastest internet provider should be Astound Broadband. Considering speed for the money and reliability in speeds, Frontier Communications may be a better choice based on real-world local customer feedback.
• The most affordable internet provider in Santa Maria is T-Mobile Home Internet.
• XFINITY from Comcast, Viasat, and HughesNet has the broadest coverage in Santa Maria, 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 Santa Maria compare to other cities with a similar population?

To see how Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria's B ISP Report Card and 68 / 100 Digital Connectivity Index.

Customer Reviews

Customer Reviews for Internet Service Providers in California