Research reveals the US states with the highest interest in public Wi-Fi

What’s the news?

Thanks to a study by the Saily eSIM app, we now have a better understanding of where in the US people are most likely to be using public Wi-Fi. The company’s research focused on the levels of public interest in the subject in each state.

Saily’s team analyzed Google search volumes for queries like “free Wi-Fi” and "public Wi-FI” across all 50 states and territories, including Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, adjusting for population. The data shows that six states have significantly higher per capita Wi-Fi-related search activity than others, and that might be a problem.

Connecting to public Wi-Fi networks can put users at risk of man-in-the-middle attacks and data exposure. We’ll explain why that is later, but for now, let’s take a closer look at the data.

The results

Saily ranked all 50 states and territories (including Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico) using a 0 to 100 scoring system, with 0 representing the state with the lowest search volumes per capita. Six states or territories managed to score below 20 on that scale — from lowest to highest, they were Puerto Rico, Wyoming, Idaho, Maine, South Dakota, and California. 

A low ranking is good news. The less people are interested in accessing public Wi-Fi, the fewer potential victims there are for Wi-Fi related cyberattacks. 

At the other end of the scale, coming in with scores of 55 up to 87, were North Carolina, Maryland, Nevada, New York, and Louisiana. Those five states showed significantly higher per capita search activity than others, though the study didn’t provide insight into why that might be.

One part of the US topped the list though, and it wasn’t actually a state — Washington, D.C., led the pack with its score of 100. Remember, Saily’s researchers corrected for population size, so even though Washington, D.C., is a relatively small area of the US, public Wi-Fi search volumes are statistically much higher there than they should be.

METHODOLOGY: Saily’s team used Semrush, a digital visibility tool, to gather annual search volumes for keywords related to free Wi-Fi and public Wi-Fi. The data was adjusted for population size and normalized on a scale from 0 to 100 to allow for fair comparison across states and territories.

The risks of public Wi-Fi

So what’s the big deal? Public Wi-Fi can be a free and convenient way to get online, especially for tourists. Is it really a problem if a lot of people in the US are trying to make use of it?

Well, it might be. Public Wi-Fi can come with serious risks to internet users. When you log on to a public network, you have no way of telling how secure it is. Has it been configured properly to protect users, or could a hacker have already gained access to the router? In the worst case scenario, a bad actor might be able to spy on any of the sensitive data you send or receive over the network.

Sometimes hackers don’t even need to access someone else’s public Wi-Fi — they can just set up their own. Cybercriminals often deploy so-called evil twin attacks, in which they activate their own hotspot and mimic a legitimate network nearby. If you log on to the hacker’s Wi-Fi by accident, perhaps seeing that it shares a name with the cafe or transport hub you’re currently in, you could be in trouble.

Tourists are at particular risk from unsafe public Wi-Fi, since they often don’t have a local data plan on their cell phones, but some options are available to mitigate the dangers here.

Saily’s eSIM app enhances online safety

When travelers to the US use the Saily eSIM app, their digital security is significantly enhanced. They don’t need to use high-risk public Wi-Fi hotspots anymore, because Saily connects their devices to reliable US cell providers. 

The Saily app also comes with built-in security features, reducing online trackers, shielding virtual location data, and blocking ads. That’s not surprising, though, because the app comes from the company behind NordVPN, Nord Security. Online safety has always been a priority for both Saily and the wider Nord Security family.

Users traveling to the US should think twice before using public Wi-Fi and opening themselves up to a range of risk factors. The Saily eSIM app offers a safer, more reliable approach to internet access abroad.