Counties in Minnesota by population speaking a language other than English at home

Nobles County had the highest population speaking a language other than English at home of 87 counties in 2023, at 35%. Lake County had the lowest, at 1.4%. The median was 5.2% and the figure for Minnesota was 12.2%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest35Nobles County
Lowest1.4Lake County
Median5.287 counties
Minnesota12.2History

Map of counties, 2023

Aitkin County: 1.5 %Anoka County: 13.7 %Becker County: 3.1 %Beltrami County: 4.8 %Benton County: 5.1 %Big Stone County: 3.6 %Blue Earth County: 8 %Brown County: 5 %Carlton County: 3.3 %Carver County: 7.9 %Cass County: 3.5 %Chippewa County: 9 %Chisago County: 3.8 %Clay County: 7.7 %Clearwater County: 6.3 %Cook County: 4.9 %Cottonwood County: 9.4 %Crow Wing County: 2 %Dakota County: 13.2 %Dodge County: 6 %Douglas County: 2.3 %Faribault County: 5.4 %Fillmore County: 5.2 %Freeborn County: 8.4 %Goodhue County: 3.7 %Grant County: 3.1 %Hennepin County: 18.1 %Houston County: 3.6 %Hubbard County: 3 %Isanti County: 3.2 %Itasca County: 2.2 %Jackson County: 4.9 %Kanabec County: 2.8 %Kandiyohi County: 13.7 %Kittson County: 5.1 %Koochiching County: 2.3 %Lac qui Parle County: 3.6 %Lake County: 1.4 %Lake of the Woods County: 1.9 %Le Sueur County: 6.2 %Lincoln County: 2.2 %Lyon County: 10.2 %McLeod County: 5.9 %Mahnomen County: 10.6 %Marshall County: 4.3 %Martin County: 5.7 %Meeker County: 2.6 %Mille Lacs County: 3.6 %Morrison County: 2.4 %Mower County: 18.8 %Murray County: 6.5 %Nicollet County: 6.6 %Nobles County: 35 %Norman County: 4.1 %Olmsted County: 14.8 %Otter Tail County: 4.3 %Pennington County: 5.9 %Pine County: 3.1 %Pipestone County: 5.4 %Polk County: 6.3 %Pope County: 3.1 %Ramsey County: 23.2 %Red Lake County: 2.7 %Redwood County: 5.3 %Renville County: 6.8 %Rice County: 13.8 %Rock County: 3.7 %Roseau County: 4.2 %St. Louis County: 3.5 %Scott County: 13.3 %Sherburne County: 5.2 %Sibley County: 7.8 %Stearns County: 11.2 %Steele County: 7 %Stevens County: 11.4 %Swift County: 6.1 %Todd County: 12.8 %Traverse County: 7.1 %Wabasha County: 3.8 %Wadena County: 3 %Waseca County: 7 %Washington County: 11.8 %Watonwan County: 23.4 %Wilkin County: 2.8 %Winona County: 4.9 %Wright County: 5.5 %Yellow Medicine County: 4.5 %
  • Under 3
  • 3 to 3.7
  • 3.7 to 5.2
  • 5.2 to 6.5
  • 6.5 to 11
  • 11 and over
%, 2023. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2023

Nobles County: 35 %Nobles County35Watonwan County: 23.4 %Watonwan County23.4Ramsey County: 23.2 %Ramsey County23.2Mower County: 18.8 %Mower County18.8Hennepin County: 18.1 %Hennepin County18.1Olmsted County: 14.8 %Olmsted County14.8Rice County: 13.8 %Rice County13.8Anoka County: 13.7 %Anoka County13.7Kandiyohi County: 13.7 %Kandiyohi County13.7Scott County: 13.3 %Scott County13.3Dakota County: 13.2 %Dakota County13.2Todd County: 12.8 %Todd County12.8Washington County: 11.8 %Washington County11.8Stevens County: 11.4 %Stevens County11.4Stearns County: 11.2 %Stearns County11.2Mahnomen County: 10.6 %Mahnomen County10.6Lyon County: 10.2 %Lyon County10.2Cottonwood County: 9.4 %Cottonwood County9.4Chippewa County: 9 %Chippewa County9Freeborn County: 8.4 %Freeborn County8.4Blue Earth County: 8 %Blue Earth County8Carver County: 7.9 %Carver County7.9Sibley County: 7.8 %Sibley County7.8Clay County: 7.7 %Clay County7.7Traverse County: 7.1 %Traverse County7.1Steele County: 7 %Steele County7Waseca County: 7 %Waseca County7Renville County: 6.8 %Renville County6.8Nicollet County: 6.6 %Nicollet County6.6Murray County: 6.5 %Murray County6.5Polk County: 6.3 %Polk County6.3Clearwater County: 6.3 %Clearwater County6.3Le Sueur County: 6.2 %Le Sueur County6.2Swift County: 6.1 %Swift County6.1Dodge County: 6 %Dodge County6Pennington County: 5.9 %Pennington County5.9McLeod County: 5.9 %McLeod County5.9Martin County: 5.7 %Martin County5.7Wright County: 5.5 %Wright County5.5Pipestone County: 5.4 %Pipestone County5.4Nobles County: 35 %Nobles County35Watonwan County: 23.4 %Watonwan County23.4Ramsey County: 23.2 %Ramsey County23.2Mower County: 18.8 %Mower County18.8Hennepin County: 18.1 %Hennepin County18.1Olmsted County: 14.8 %Olmsted County14.8Rice County: 13.8 %Rice County13.8Anoka County: 13.7 %Anoka County13.7Kandiyohi County: 13.7 %Kandiyohi County13.7Scott County: 13.3 %Scott County13.3Dakota County: 13.2 %Dakota County13.2Todd County: 12.8 %Todd County12.8Washington County: 11.8 %Washington County11.8Stevens County: 11.4 %Stevens County11.4Stearns County: 11.2 %Stearns County11.2Mahnomen County: 10.6 %Mahnomen County10.6Lyon County: 10.2 %Lyon County10.2Cottonwood County: 9.4 %Cottonwood County9.4Chippewa County: 9 %Chippewa County9Freeborn County: 8.4 %Freeborn County8.4Blue Earth County: 8 %Blue Earth County8Carver County: 7.9 %Carver County7.9Sibley County: 7.8 %Sibley County7.8Clay County: 7.7 %Clay County7.7Traverse County: 7.1 %Traverse County7.1Steele County: 7 %Steele County7Waseca County: 7 %Waseca County7Renville County: 6.8 %Renville County6.8Nicollet County: 6.6 %Nicollet County6.6Murray County: 6.5 %Murray County6.5Polk County: 6.3 %Polk County6.3Clearwater County: 6.3 %Clearwater County6.3Le Sueur County: 6.2 %Le Sueur County6.2Swift County: 6.1 %Swift County6.1Dodge County: 6 %Dodge County6Pennington County: 5.9 %Pennington County5.9McLeod County: 5.9 %McLeod County5.9Martin County: 5.7 %Martin County5.7Wright County: 5.5 %Wright County5.5Pipestone County: 5.4 %Pipestone County5.4
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Nobles County35+2.7 pts
2Watonwan County23.4+0.5 pts
3Ramsey County23.20 pts
4Mower County18.8+0.6 pts
5Hennepin County18.1+0.1 pts
6Olmsted County14.8+0.6 pts
7Rice County13.8+0.5 pts
8Anoka County13.7+0.8 pts
9Kandiyohi County13.7-0.2 pts
10Scott County13.3-0.2 pts
11Dakota County13.2+0.2 pts
12Todd County12.8+0.7 pts
13Washington County11.8+0.7 pts
14Stevens County11.4+2.9 pts
15Stearns County11.2+0.8 pts
16Mahnomen County10.6+0.7 pts
17Lyon County10.2-0.8 pts
18Cottonwood County9.4+0.3 pts
19Chippewa County9+0.6 pts
20Freeborn County8.4-0.6 pts
21Blue Earth County8+0.5 pts
22Carver County7.9+0.5 pts
23Sibley County7.8+0.3 pts
24Clay County7.7-0.5 pts
25Traverse County7.1+1 pts
26Steele County7+0.4 pts
27Waseca County7+0.2 pts
28Renville County6.8+0.2 pts
29Nicollet County6.6+1 pts
30Murray County6.5-0.7 pts
31Polk County6.3-0.9 pts
32Clearwater County6.3+0.6 pts
33Le Sueur County6.20 pts
34Swift County6.1+0.3 pts
35Dodge County6-0.2 pts
36Pennington County5.9+1.2 pts
37McLeod County5.9+0.6 pts
38Martin County5.7+0.4 pts
39Wright County5.5+0.9 pts
40Pipestone County5.4-0.4 pts
41Faribault County5.4+0.5 pts
42Redwood County5.3+0.4 pts
43Sherburne County5.2+0.8 pts
44Fillmore County5.2-0.6 pts
45Kittson County5.1+0.9 pts
46Benton County5.1-1.5 pts
47Brown County5+0.1 pts
48Winona County4.9-0.3 pts
49Cook County4.9-1 pts
50Jackson County4.9+0.4 pts
51Beltrami County4.8-0.2 pts
52Yellow Medicine County4.5+0.5 pts
53Otter Tail County4.3+0.3 pts
54Marshall County4.3+0.2 pts
55Roseau County4.2-0.2 pts
56Norman County4.1+0.2 pts
57Wabasha County3.8+0.8 pts
58Chisago County3.8+0.5 pts
59Goodhue County3.7+0.2 pts
60Rock County3.7+0.4 pts
61Big Stone County3.6-0.3 pts
62Mille Lacs County3.6+0.3 pts
63Houston County3.6+0.8 pts
63Lac qui Parle County3.6+0.5 pts
65St. Louis County3.5+0.1 pts
66Cass County3.5-0.1 pts
67Carlton County3.3-0.2 pts
68Isanti County3.2-0.8 pts
69Pope County3.1-0 pts
70Pine County3.1-0.5 pts
71Grant County3.1+0.5 pts
72Becker County3.10 pts
73Hubbard County3-0.4 pts
74Wadena County3+0.2 pts
75Wilkin County2.8+0.5 pts
76Kanabec County2.8+0.1 pts
77Red Lake County2.7-0.2 pts
78Meeker County2.6-0.4 pts
79Morrison County2.4-0 pts
80Koochiching County2.3-0.2 pts
81Douglas County2.3-0.3 pts
82Lincoln County2.2-0.1 pts
83Itasca County2.2-0 pts
84Crow Wing County2-0.1 pts
85Lake of the Woods County1.9+0.2 pts
86Aitkin County1.5-0.2 pts
87Lake County1.40 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of all people aged 5 and over. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

Measures the language used at home, not English ability: most people in this group also speak English. Spanish speakers are shown separately in spanish_at_home_share.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-c16001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs (Counties in Minnesota by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-c16001.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in Minnesota by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-c16001.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/minnesota-counties?period=2023. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs. Counties in Minnesota by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-c16001.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/minnesota-counties?period=2023.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in Minnesota by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-c16001.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/minnesota-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_minnesota_by_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in Minnesota by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-c16001.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/minnesota-counties?period=2023. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-c16001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in Minnesota by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-c16001.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/minnesota-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/minnesota-counties?period=2023.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-c16001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest population speaking a language other than English at home?

Nobles County, with 35% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest population speaking a language other than English at home?

Lake County, with 1.4% in 2023.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Population speaking a language other than English at home: other rankings

Counties in Minnesota: more rankings