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 2023, at 44.1%. West Virginia had the lowest, at 2.5%. The median was 12.2% and the figure for the United States was 22%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest44.1California
Lowest2.5West Virginia
Median12.251 states
United States22History

Map of states, 2023

Alabama: 5.9 %Alaska: 15.6 %Arizona: 25.7 %Arkansas: 8.1 %California: 44.1 %Colorado: 16.1 %Connecticut: 23 %Delaware: 14.8 %District of Columbia: 18 %Florida: 30.1 %Georgia: 15.1 %Hawaii: 25.1 %Idaho: 10.7 %Illinois: 23.8 %Indiana: 9.8 %Iowa: 8.9 %Kansas: 12.1 %Kentucky: 6.5 %Louisiana: 8.3 %Maine: 6 %Maryland: 20.6 %Massachusetts: 24.8 %Michigan: 10.2 %Minnesota: 12.2 %Mississippi: 4.2 %Missouri: 6.6 %Montana: 4.2 %Nebraska: 12.3 %Nevada: 29.3 %New Hampshire: 8.1 %New Jersey: 32.7 %New Mexico: 31.6 %New York: 30.7 %North Carolina: 13 %North Dakota: 6.4 %Ohio: 7.7 %Oklahoma: 11.3 %Oregon: 15.1 %Pennsylvania: 12.1 %Rhode Island: 22.7 %South Carolina: 8.2 %South Dakota: 6.7 %Tennessee: 8.3 %Texas: 34.9 %Utah: 15.7 %Vermont: 5.5 %Virginia: 17.2 %Washington: 21 %West Virginia: 2.5 %Wisconsin: 8.8 %Wyoming: 6.8 %
  • Under 6.6
  • 6.6 to 8.7
  • 8.7 to 12
  • 12 to 16
  • 16 to 25
  • 25 and over
%, 2023. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2023

California: 44.1 %California44.1Texas: 34.9 %Texas34.9New Jersey: 32.7 %New Jersey32.7New Mexico: 31.6 %New Mexico31.6New York: 30.7 %New York30.7Florida: 30.1 %Florida30.1Nevada: 29.3 %Nevada29.3Arizona: 25.7 %Arizona25.7Hawaii: 25.1 %Hawaii25.1Massachusetts: 24.8 %Massachusetts24.8Illinois: 23.8 %Illinois23.8Connecticut: 23 %Connecticut23Rhode Island: 22.7 %Rhode Island22.7Washington: 21 %Washington21Maryland: 20.6 %Maryland20.6District of Columbia: 18 %District of Columbia18Virginia: 17.2 %Virginia17.2Colorado: 16.1 %Colorado16.1Utah: 15.7 %Utah15.7Alaska: 15.6 %Alaska15.6Oregon: 15.1 %Oregon15.1Georgia: 15.1 %Georgia15.1Delaware: 14.8 %Delaware14.8North Carolina: 13 %North Carolina13Nebraska: 12.3 %Nebraska12.3Minnesota: 12.2 %Minnesota12.2Kansas: 12.1 %Kansas12.1Pennsylvania: 12.1 %Pennsylvania12.1Oklahoma: 11.3 %Oklahoma11.3Idaho: 10.7 %Idaho10.7Michigan: 10.2 %Michigan10.2Indiana: 9.8 %Indiana9.8Iowa: 8.9 %Iowa8.9Wisconsin: 8.8 %Wisconsin8.8Louisiana: 8.3 %Louisiana8.3Tennessee: 8.3 %Tennessee8.3South Carolina: 8.2 %South Carolina8.2Arkansas: 8.1 %Arkansas8.1New Hampshire: 8.1 %New Hampshire8.1Ohio: 7.7 %Ohio7.7Wyoming: 6.8 %Wyoming6.8South Dakota: 6.7 %South Dakota6.7Missouri: 6.6 %Missouri6.6Kentucky: 6.5 %Kentucky6.5North Dakota: 6.4 %North Dakota6.4Maine: 6 %Maine6Alabama: 5.9 %Alabama5.9Vermont: 5.5 %Vermont5.5Mississippi: 4.2 %Mississippi4.2Montana: 4.2 %Montana4.2West Virginia: 2.5 %West Virginia2.5California: 44.1 %California44.1Texas: 34.9 %Texas34.9New Jersey: 32.7 %New Jersey32.7New Mexico: 31.6 %New Mexico31.6New York: 30.7 %New York30.7Florida: 30.1 %Florida30.1Nevada: 29.3 %Nevada29.3Arizona: 25.7 %Arizona25.7Hawaii: 25.1 %Hawaii25.1Massachusetts: 24.8 %Massachusetts24.8Illinois: 23.8 %Illinois23.8Connecticut: 23 %Connecticut23Rhode Island: 22.7 %Rhode Island22.7Washington: 21 %Washington21Maryland: 20.6 %Maryland20.6District of Columbia: 18 %District of Columbia18Virginia: 17.2 %Virginia17.2Colorado: 16.1 %Colorado16.1Utah: 15.7 %Utah15.7Alaska: 15.6 %Alaska15.6Oregon: 15.1 %Oregon15.1Georgia: 15.1 %Georgia15.1Delaware: 14.8 %Delaware14.8North Carolina: 13 %North Carolina13Nebraska: 12.3 %Nebraska12.3Minnesota: 12.2 %Minnesota12.2Kansas: 12.1 %Kansas12.1Pennsylvania: 12.1 %Pennsylvania12.1Oklahoma: 11.3 %Oklahoma11.3Idaho: 10.7 %Idaho10.7Michigan: 10.2 %Michigan10.2Indiana: 9.8 %Indiana9.8Iowa: 8.9 %Iowa8.9Wisconsin: 8.8 %Wisconsin8.8Louisiana: 8.3 %Louisiana8.3Tennessee: 8.3 %Tennessee8.3South Carolina: 8.2 %South Carolina8.2Arkansas: 8.1 %Arkansas8.1New Hampshire: 8.1 %New Hampshire8.1Ohio: 7.7 %Ohio7.7Wyoming: 6.8 %Wyoming6.8South Dakota: 6.7 %South Dakota6.7Missouri: 6.6 %Missouri6.6Kentucky: 6.5 %Kentucky6.5North Dakota: 6.4 %North Dakota6.4Maine: 6 %Maine6Alabama: 5.9 %Alabama5.9Vermont: 5.5 %Vermont5.5Mississippi: 4.2 %Mississippi4.2Montana: 4.2 %Montana4.2West Virginia: 2.5 %West Virginia2.5
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2023 (%)Change on 2022
1California44.1+0.2 pts
2Texas34.9-0.2 pts
3New Jersey32.7+0.5 pts
4New Mexico31.6-1 pts
5New York30.70 pts
6Florida30.1+0.2 pts
7Nevada29.3-0.5 pts
8Arizona25.7-0.8 pts
9Hawaii25.1-0.6 pts
10Massachusetts24.8+0.2 pts
11Illinois23.8+0.4 pts
12Connecticut23+0.4 pts
13Rhode Island22.7+0.3 pts
14Washington21+0.4 pts
15Maryland20.6+0.8 pts
16District of Columbia18+0.4 pts
17Virginia17.2+0.5 pts
18Colorado16.1-0 pts
19Utah15.7+0.2 pts
20Alaska15.6-0 pts
21Oregon15.1-0.1 pts
22Georgia15.1+0.6 pts
23Delaware14.8+0.9 pts
24North Carolina13+0.7 pts
25Nebraska12.3+0.5 pts
26Minnesota12.2+0.2 pts
27Kansas12.1+0.3 pts
28Pennsylvania12.1+0.2 pts
29Oklahoma11.3+0.3 pts
30Idaho10.7-0 pts
31Michigan10.2+0.2 pts
32Indiana9.8+0.6 pts
33Iowa8.9+0.2 pts
34Wisconsin8.8+0.2 pts
35Louisiana8.3+0.7 pts
35Tennessee8.3+0.8 pts
37South Carolina8.2+0.6 pts
38Arkansas8.1+0.3 pts
39New Hampshire8.1+0.2 pts
40Ohio7.7+0.3 pts
41Wyoming6.8+0.1 pts
42South Dakota6.7+0.2 pts
43Missouri6.6+0.3 pts
44Kentucky6.5+0.5 pts
45North Dakota6.4-0.3 pts
46Maine60 pts
47Alabama5.9+0.5 pts
48Vermont5.5+0.1 pts
49Mississippi4.2+0.2 pts
50Montana4.20 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/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 (US states 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, US states 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/us-states?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. US states 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/us-states?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, US states 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/us-states?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_population_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: US states 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/us-states?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: US states 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/us-states?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/us-states?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 state has the highest population speaking a language other than English at home?

California, with 44.1% in 2023, 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 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

US states: more rankings