Annual report - updated July 2026
State of Lifeline 2026: eligible households, enrollment gaps, and the post-ACP digital divide.
Lifeline is still the permanent federal low-income phone and internet benefit, but enrollment remains far below need. This report turns Cliq Mobile's state data into a public resource for journalists, libraries, benefits navigators, and digital inclusion teams.
Eligible households represented
37.7M
37,689,943 across states with complete data
Current Lifeline subscribers
8.2M
8,218,198 active subscribers in this dataset
Estimated enrollment gap
29.5M
Eligible households not currently enrolled
Overall participation
22%
Subscribers divided by eligible households
Key findings
Post-ACP demand did not disappear.
ACP ended in 2024, but the need for low-cost connectivity remained. Lifeline is smaller than ACP, more restrictive, and harder for many households to discover.
The biggest states still have the biggest gaps.
California, New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and other large states show substantial eligible populations that are not enrolled in Lifeline.
Local navigation is the missing layer.
Most households search through benefit portals, EBT cards, Medicaid names, county offices, and provider brands. Outreach should meet people through those local paths.
Largest enrollment gaps
| State | Gap | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 2,707,918 | 268,488 |
| California | 2,672,696 | 1,714,389 |
| Florida | 2,126,858 | 320,164 |
| New York | 1,716,229 | 962,076 |
| Illinois | 1,189,279 | 187,015 |
| North Carolina | 1,143,154 | 101,307 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,118,738 | 401,205 |
| Ohio | 1,091,039 | 267,909 |
| Georgia | 879,836 | 244,341 |
| Michigan | 796,887 | 413,333 |
Lowest participation rates
| State | Participation | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | 3% | 1,621 |
| Kansas | 6% | 16,018 |
| Montana | 6% | 6,437 |
| Nebraska | 6% | 11,408 |
| New Hampshire | 6% | 6,397 |
| Oregon | 6% | 30,801 |
| Idaho | 8% | 13,692 |
| North Carolina | 8% | 101,307 |
Broadband pressure: where Lifeline need overlaps weaker coverage
This first-pass pressure score combines Lifeline participation with FCC broadband summary signals: wired 100/20 availability, fiber 100/20 availability, and stationary mobile 5G coverage at 35/3. It is a screening tool for outreach and reporting, not a claim that a specific Lifeline provider serves every address.
| State | Pressure score | Lifeline participation | Wired 100/20 | Fiber 100/20 | 5G 35/3 area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 67/100 | 30% | 71.5% | 14.2% | 0.9% |
| Montana | 61/100 | 6% | 77.5% | 40.4% | 30.7% |
| Wyoming | 61/100 | 3% | 76% | 48.8% | 26.4% |
| Idaho | 58/100 | 8% | 79.4% | 44.3% | 33.4% |
| New Mexico | 57/100 | 14% | 82.6% | 28.2% | 42.6% |
| Arizona | 55/100 | 18% | 85.7% | 35.1% | 34.6% |
| Oregon | 55/100 | 6% | 92.3% | 51.7% | 25.3% |
| Maine | 53/100 | 10% | 92.1% | 59.4% | 22% |
Broadband source: Federal Communications Commission Broadband Data Collection summary downloads, June 2026. Lifeline source: USAC program data and Cliq state eligibility estimates listed below.
Open the national broadband coverage mapTop states by estimated Lifeline eligibility
These state pages are priority internal-link and content-refresh targets because even small ranking improvements can reach large eligible audiences.
| State | Eligible | Subscribers | Major cities |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 4,387,085 | 1,714,389 | Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco |
| Texas | 2,976,406 | 268,488 | Houston, Dallas, San Antonio |
| New York | 2,678,305 | 962,076 | New York City, Buffalo, Rochester |
| Florida | 2,447,022 | 320,164 | Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa |
| Pennsylvania | 1,519,943 | 401,205 | Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown |
| Illinois | 1,376,294 | 187,015 | Chicago, Aurora, Naperville |
| Ohio | 1,358,948 | 267,909 | Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati |
| North Carolina | 1,244,461 | 101,307 | Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro |
Methodology and sources
This report uses the March 2026 state Lifeline participation workbook, 2024 ACS eligible-household estimates, the December 2025 county service-type workbook, and Q1 2026 National Verifier eligibility data. The broadband pressure table adds FCC Broadband Data Collection summary fields released in June 2026: wired 100/20 availability, fiber 100/20 availability, and mobile 5G 35/3 area coverage. Rows with incomplete eligibility or subscriber data are excluded from summary calculations.
Treat this as a working public report, not an official government publication. Texas and Oregon are NLAD opt-out states, so county and National Verifier application detail can be limited even when statewide subscriber and eligibility data is available.
Get future Lifeline data updates
Monthly-ish updates on provider changes, recertification reminders, and benefit-program changes.