Chisago County

Table of goal data by year

Year	Rank	100/20 Mbps
2024	#60 of 87	80.71%
2023	#60 of 87	76.81%
2022	#60 of 87	73.63%
2021	#58 of 87	73.34%
2020	#53 of 87	71.92%
2019	#51 of 87	71.26%
2018	#32 of 87	69.53%
2017	#29 of 87	65.45%

Red dots represent unserved locations.

Wired (wireline) and wireless (fixed, non-mobile) served location percentage at various speeds.

Chisago County: Slow Improvement Needs a Jump Start

Chisago County’s rank dips from 60 to 65 for broadband access out of 87 counties.

Few counties have been as engaged as Chisago is with promoting better broadband as a 2021 report from the Institute for Local Self Reliance pointed out. Like several other counties, Chisago County has areas where there is one national provider (or another). Often national providers are not as engaged in rural areas as providers with roots in the community. Chisago has found creative ways to get around that in several towns in the county.

Chisago County is getting a yellow ranking because they growth seems to have slowed down.

• Over the years, Chisago County (or cities within) has invested $900,841 (total) for matches for 3 successful MN Broadband grants. This is an indicator of local government that is engaged and (literally) invested in better, local broadband.
• Chisago County will benefit from a 2024 $801,700 MN Broadband grant award that will serve 237 locations between Chisago and Anoka Counties.
• Chisago County will not benefit from any line extension awards.
• Last years’ estimates indicated that it would cost $45.3 million to get ubiquitous broadband in the county. (I haven’t updated the number because recent report offers scenarios of costs based on BEAD funding rules that make current estimates less predictable than in the past. Yet, I think the number is still helpful.)
• In 2022, Chisago ranked 16 using Microsoft’s Digital Equity Tool, which looks at various factors of a community.