Internet Backbone

Total capacity of all Internet backbone links to other metropolitan areas as share of employment.

Why Is This Important? Internet backbone is the physical network (usually relying on fiber optic cable) that carries Internet traffic between different networks and is measured in megabits per second.21 It is true that, because data travel at the speed of light, any place connected to any of the backbone networks should be as accessible as any other place. In reality, however, congestion at network hubs and junctions makes places with high levels of capacity better positioned to be home to companies that distribute large amounts of data via the Internet. If the "pipes" are not big enough relative to the amount of data going through them, data transmission speeds will slow. This is not so much an issue for individuals, where their modem speed and the "last mile" of connections usually cause the bottleneck. However, it can be an issue for companies, especially companies that are hosting and transiting large amounts of data. As a result, having a high capacity of Internet backbone in a metropolitan area relative to demand is a competitive advantage.

The Rankings: Backbone capacity has gradually diffused throughout the nation. In 1997, over 60 percent of backbone capacity originated in seven metropolitan areas (e.g., New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago). But by 1999, the same seven accounted for only 41 percent.22 Places with the most backbone capacity relative to demand tend to be located in the middle of the nation. Some metros that score high (e.g., Salt Lake City, St. Louis) may be stops on the "information highway" as backbone links cross the nation. Still others, such as Kansas City, Dallas, and Denver, score high because they are home to companies that are backbone providers. Nevertheless, all these places have high levels of capacity relative to demand.

100th-76th Percentile

75th-51st Percentile

50th-26th Percentile

25th-1st Percentile

METRO AREAS BY RANK
Rank	Metro Area	Score
1	Salt Lake City	103
2	Kansas City	78
3	Atlanta	59
4	Denver	57
5	Dallas	57
6	Las Vegas	52
7	Portland	51
8	Seattle	49
9	Orlando	46
10	San Francisco	45
11	Richmond	44
12	St. Louis	44
13	Washington	43
14	Austin	43
15	New Orleans	43
16	Sacramento	42
17	Chicago	41
18	Indianapolis	39
19	Charlotte	38
20	Jacksonville	36
21	Cleveland	35
22	Houston	30
23	Oklahoma City	28
24	Buffalo	27
25	San Diego	26
26	Phoenix	26
27	Hartford	25
28	Rochester	25
29	Milwaukee	24
30	Tampa	23
31	Greensboro	22
32	Philadelphia	21
33	Miami	21
34	Nashville	21
35	New York	21
36	Raleigh-Durham	20
37	Boston	20
38	Norfolk	20
39	Pittsburgh	19
40	San Antonio	18
41	Detroit	18
42	Memphis	17
43	Los Angeles	16
44	Minneapolis	15
45	Dayton	11
46	West Palm Beach	10
47	Cincinnati	7
48	Columbus	7
49	Louisville	2
50	Grand Rapids	0.5
	U.S. Average	NA
	Top 50 Metro Average	31

ALPHABETICALLY
Metro Area	Rank	Score
Atlanta	3	59
Austin	14	43
Boston	37	20
Buffalo	24	27
Charlotte	19	38
Chicago	17	41
Cincinnati	47	7
Cleveland	21	35
Columbus	48	7
Dallas	5	57
Dayton	45	11
Denver	4	57
Detroit	41	18
Grand Rapids	50	0.5
Greensboro	31	22
Hartford	27	25
Houston	22	30
Indianapolis	18	39
Jacksonville	20	36
Kansas City	2	78
Las Vegas	6	52
Los Angeles	43	16
Louisville	49	2
Memphis	42	17
Miami	33	21
Milwaukee	29	24
Minneapolis	44	15
Nashville	34	21
New Orleans	15	43
New York	35	21
Norfolk	38	20
Oklahoma City	23	28
Orlando	9	46
Philadelphia	32	21
Phoenix	26	26
Pittsburgh	39	19
Portland	7	51
Raleigh-Durham	36	20
Richmond	11	44
Rochester	28	25
Sacramento	16	42
Salt Lake City	1	103
San Antonio	40	18
San Diego	25	26
San Francisco	10	45
Seattle	8	49
St. Louis	12	44
Tampa	30	23
Washington	13	43
West Palm Beach	46	10

Download PDF Version of This Report (3.1MB)
Please expect lengthy download time,
during which your browser window may appear blank.
(PDF version requires Acrobat Reader)

The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI)
Technology, Innovation, and New Economy Project
600 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E., Suite 400, Washington DC 20003
Phone: (202) 547-0001
www.ppionline.org

Website design by OnlineWorkshop.