Data / Rankings / Population speaking a language other than English at home / US states

US states by population speaking a language other than English at home

California had the highest population speaking a language other than English at home of 51 states in 2022, at 43.9%. West Virginia had the lowest, at 2.5%. The median was 11.9% and the figure for the United States was 21.7%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest43.9California
Lowest2.5West Virginia
Median11.951 states
United States21.7History

Map of states, 2022

Alabama: 5.4 %Alaska: 15.7 %Arizona: 26.4 %Arkansas: 7.8 %California: 43.9 %Colorado: 16.2 %Connecticut: 22.6 %Delaware: 13.9 %District of Columbia: 17.6 %Florida: 29.9 %Georgia: 14.5 %Hawaii: 25.7 %Idaho: 10.7 %Illinois: 23.4 %Indiana: 9.2 %Iowa: 8.7 %Kansas: 11.8 %Kentucky: 5.9 %Louisiana: 7.6 %Maine: 5.9 %Maryland: 19.8 %Massachusetts: 24.5 %Michigan: 9.9 %Minnesota: 12 %Mississippi: 4 %Missouri: 6.3 %Montana: 4.1 %Nebraska: 11.9 %Nevada: 29.8 %New Hampshire: 7.9 %New Jersey: 32.2 %New Mexico: 32.6 %New York: 30.6 %North Carolina: 12.3 %North Dakota: 6.7 %Ohio: 7.5 %Oklahoma: 10.9 %Oregon: 15.3 %Pennsylvania: 11.8 %Rhode Island: 22.4 %South Carolina: 7.6 %South Dakota: 6.5 %Tennessee: 7.6 %Texas: 35.1 %Utah: 15.5 %Vermont: 5.4 %Virginia: 16.7 %Washington: 20.6 %West Virginia: 2.5 %Wisconsin: 8.7 %Wyoming: 6.8 %
  • Under 6.6
  • 6.6 to 8.4
  • 8.4 to 12
  • 12 to 16
  • 16 to 25
  • 25 and over
%, 2022. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2022

California: 43.9 %California43.9Texas: 35.1 %Texas35.1New Mexico: 32.6 %New Mexico32.6New Jersey: 32.2 %New Jersey32.2New York: 30.6 %New York30.6Florida: 29.9 %Florida29.9Nevada: 29.8 %Nevada29.8Arizona: 26.4 %Arizona26.4Hawaii: 25.7 %Hawaii25.7Massachusetts: 24.5 %Massachusetts24.5Illinois: 23.4 %Illinois23.4Connecticut: 22.6 %Connecticut22.6Rhode Island: 22.4 %Rhode Island22.4Washington: 20.6 %Washington20.6Maryland: 19.8 %Maryland19.8District of Columbia: 17.6 %District of Columbia17.6Virginia: 16.7 %Virginia16.7Colorado: 16.2 %Colorado16.2Alaska: 15.7 %Alaska15.7Utah: 15.5 %Utah15.5Oregon: 15.3 %Oregon15.3Georgia: 14.5 %Georgia14.5Delaware: 13.9 %Delaware13.9North Carolina: 12.3 %North Carolina12.3Minnesota: 12 %Minnesota12Nebraska: 11.9 %Nebraska11.9Pennsylvania: 11.8 %Pennsylvania11.8Kansas: 11.8 %Kansas11.8Oklahoma: 10.9 %Oklahoma10.9Idaho: 10.7 %Idaho10.7Michigan: 9.9 %Michigan9.9Indiana: 9.2 %Indiana9.2Iowa: 8.7 %Iowa8.7Wisconsin: 8.7 %Wisconsin8.7New Hampshire: 7.9 %New Hampshire7.9Arkansas: 7.8 %Arkansas7.8Louisiana: 7.6 %Louisiana7.6South Carolina: 7.6 %South Carolina7.6Tennessee: 7.6 %Tennessee7.6Ohio: 7.5 %Ohio7.5Wyoming: 6.8 %Wyoming6.8North Dakota: 6.7 %North Dakota6.7South Dakota: 6.5 %South Dakota6.5Missouri: 6.3 %Missouri6.3Maine: 5.9 %Maine5.9Kentucky: 5.9 %Kentucky5.9Alabama: 5.4 %Alabama5.4Vermont: 5.4 %Vermont5.4Montana: 4.1 %Montana4.1Mississippi: 4 %Mississippi4West Virginia: 2.5 %West Virginia2.5California: 43.9 %California43.9Texas: 35.1 %Texas35.1New Mexico: 32.6 %New Mexico32.6New Jersey: 32.2 %New Jersey32.2New York: 30.6 %New York30.6Florida: 29.9 %Florida29.9Nevada: 29.8 %Nevada29.8Arizona: 26.4 %Arizona26.4Hawaii: 25.7 %Hawaii25.7Massachusetts: 24.5 %Massachusetts24.5Illinois: 23.4 %Illinois23.4Connecticut: 22.6 %Connecticut22.6Rhode Island: 22.4 %Rhode Island22.4Washington: 20.6 %Washington20.6Maryland: 19.8 %Maryland19.8District of Columbia: 17.6 %District of Columbia17.6Virginia: 16.7 %Virginia16.7Colorado: 16.2 %Colorado16.2Alaska: 15.7 %Alaska15.7Utah: 15.5 %Utah15.5Oregon: 15.3 %Oregon15.3Georgia: 14.5 %Georgia14.5Delaware: 13.9 %Delaware13.9North Carolina: 12.3 %North Carolina12.3Minnesota: 12 %Minnesota12Nebraska: 11.9 %Nebraska11.9Pennsylvania: 11.8 %Pennsylvania11.8Kansas: 11.8 %Kansas11.8Oklahoma: 10.9 %Oklahoma10.9Idaho: 10.7 %Idaho10.7Michigan: 9.9 %Michigan9.9Indiana: 9.2 %Indiana9.2Iowa: 8.7 %Iowa8.7Wisconsin: 8.7 %Wisconsin8.7New Hampshire: 7.9 %New Hampshire7.9Arkansas: 7.8 %Arkansas7.8Louisiana: 7.6 %Louisiana7.6South Carolina: 7.6 %South Carolina7.6Tennessee: 7.6 %Tennessee7.6Ohio: 7.5 %Ohio7.5Wyoming: 6.8 %Wyoming6.8North Dakota: 6.7 %North Dakota6.7South Dakota: 6.5 %South Dakota6.5Missouri: 6.3 %Missouri6.3Maine: 5.9 %Maine5.9Kentucky: 5.9 %Kentucky5.9Alabama: 5.4 %Alabama5.4Vermont: 5.4 %Vermont5.4Montana: 4.1 %Montana4.1Mississippi: 4 %Mississippi4West Virginia: 2.5 %West Virginia2.5
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2022 (%)Change on 2021
1California43.9+0.1 pts
2Texas35.1-0 pts
3New Mexico32.6-0.4 pts
4New Jersey32.2+0.2 pts
5New York30.6+0.1 pts
6Florida29.9+0.1 pts
7Nevada29.8-0.1 pts
8Arizona26.4-0.2 pts
9Hawaii25.7-0.2 pts
10Massachusetts24.5+0.2 pts
11Illinois23.4+0.2 pts
12Connecticut22.6+0.3 pts
13Rhode Island22.4-0 pts
14Washington20.6+0.3 pts
15Maryland19.8+0.3 pts
16District of Columbia17.6+0.2 pts
17Virginia16.7+0.2 pts
18Colorado16.2-0.1 pts
19Alaska15.7+0.1 pts
20Utah15.50 pts
21Oregon15.3-0 pts
22Georgia14.5+0.2 pts
23Delaware13.9+0.1 pts
24North Carolina12.3+0.2 pts
25Minnesota120 pts
26Nebraska11.90 pts
27Pennsylvania11.8+0.1 pts
28Kansas11.80 pts
29Oklahoma10.9+0.2 pts
30Idaho10.7-0 pts
31Michigan9.90 pts
32Indiana9.2+0.3 pts
33Iowa8.7+0.2 pts
34Wisconsin8.70 pts
35New Hampshire7.9-0.1 pts
36Arkansas7.8+0.1 pts
37Louisiana7.6-0.1 pts
38South Carolina7.6+0.1 pts
39Tennessee7.6+0.1 pts
40Ohio7.5+0.1 pts
41Wyoming6.8-0.1 pts
42North Dakota6.7+0.4 pts
43South Dakota6.5+0.1 pts
44Missouri6.3+0.1 pts
45Maine5.90 pts
46Kentucky5.9+0.1 pts
47Alabama5.4+0.1 pts
47Vermont5.4-0.1 pts
49Montana4.1+0.1 pts
50Mississippi4+0.1 pts
51West Virginia2.50 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 states 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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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 (US states by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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, US states by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2022. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-c16001.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/us-states?period=2022. 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. US states by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-c16001.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/us-states?period=2022.

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, US states by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-c16001.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/us-states?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_population_2022,
  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: US states by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-c16001.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/us-states?period=2022. 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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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: US states by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-c16001.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/us-states?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/us-states?period=2022.
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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-c16001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

California, with 43.9% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

West Virginia, with 2.5% in 2022.

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

US states: more rankings