Counties in North Carolina by population speaking Spanish at home

Duplin County had the highest population speaking Spanish at home of 100 counties in 2023, at 20.2%. Washington County had the lowest, at 0.5%. The median was 5.6% and the figure for North Carolina was 8.4%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest20.2Duplin County
Median5.6100 counties
North Carolina8.4History

Map of counties, 2023

Alamance County: 12.5 %Alexander County: 5.2 %Alleghany County: 8.8 %Anson County: 3.9 %Ashe County: 4.7 %Avery County: 4.1 %Beaufort County: 5.6 %Bertie County: 2 %Bladen County: 6.9 %Brunswick County: 3.4 %Buncombe County: 6.6 %Burke County: 6.1 %Cabarrus County: 9 %Caldwell County: 4.7 %Camden County: 0.8 %Carteret County: 3.6 %Caswell County: 3.7 %Catawba County: 8.5 %Chatham County: 11.3 %Cherokee County: 2 %Chowan County: 3 %Clay County: 1.7 %Cleveland County: 3.4 %Columbus County: 4.3 %Craven County: 5.1 %Cumberland County: 7.6 %Currituck County: 2.3 %Dare County: 6.2 %Davidson County: 7 %Davie County: 6.5 %Duplin County: 20.2 %Durham County: 13.2 %Edgecombe County: 5.3 %Forsyth County: 11.7 %Franklin County: 7.1 %Gaston County: 7.1 %Gates County: 2.8 %Graham County: 2.6 %Granville County: 8.1 %Greene County: 13.9 %Guilford County: 7.1 %Halifax County: 2.7 %Harnett County: 10 %Haywood County: 2.4 %Henderson County: 9.4 %Hertford County: 4.5 %Hoke County: 9.1 %Hyde County: 4.6 %Iredell County: 6.6 %Jackson County: 5.3 %Johnston County: 13.3 %Jones County: 4.1 %Lee County: 17.6 %Lenoir County: 6.9 %Lincoln County: 5.6 %McDowell County: 5.7 %Macon County: 7.1 %Madison County: 1.3 %Martin County: 3.3 %Mecklenburg County: 12.9 %Mitchell County: 2.9 %Montgomery County: 13.8 %Moore County: 5.5 %Nash County: 6.8 %New Hanover County: 5.5 %Northampton County: 1.5 %Onslow County: 7.4 %Orange County: 7.8 %Pamlico County: 2.9 %Pasquotank County: 1.9 %Pender County: 6.5 %Perquimans County: 3.1 %Person County: 4.5 %Pitt County: 6 %Polk County: 5.5 %Randolph County: 11.9 %Richmond County: 7 %Robeson County: 8.2 %Rockingham County: 5.1 %Rowan County: 9 %Rutherford County: 4.5 %Sampson County: 18.8 %Scotland County: 2.6 %Stanly County: 4 %Stokes County: 2 %Surry County: 9.4 %Swain County: 2.3 %Transylvania County: 1.6 %Tyrrell County: 9.9 %Union County: 10.2 %Vance County: 5.8 %Wake County: 8.5 %Warren County: 3.7 %Washington County: 0.5 %Watauga County: 3.8 %Wayne County: 11.4 %Wilkes County: 5.2 %Wilson County: 10.1 %Yadkin County: 10 %Yancey County: 3.9 %
  • Under 2.8
  • 2.8 to 4.3
  • 4.3 to 5.6
  • 5.6 to 7.1
  • 7.1 to 9.9
  • 9.9 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

Duplin County: 20.2 %Duplin County20.2Sampson County: 18.8 %Sampson County18.8Lee County: 17.6 %Lee County17.6Greene County: 13.9 %Greene County13.9Montgomery County: 13.8 %Montgomery County13.8Johnston County: 13.3 %Johnston County13.3Durham County: 13.2 %Durham County13.2Mecklenburg County: 12.9 %Mecklenburg County12.9Alamance County: 12.5 %Alamance County12.5Randolph County: 11.9 %Randolph County11.9Forsyth County: 11.7 %Forsyth County11.7Wayne County: 11.4 %Wayne County11.4Chatham County: 11.3 %Chatham County11.3Union County: 10.2 %Union County10.2Wilson County: 10.1 %Wilson County10.1Yadkin County: 10 %Yadkin County10Harnett County: 10 %Harnett County10Tyrrell County: 9.9 %Tyrrell County9.9Surry County: 9.4 %Surry County9.4Henderson County: 9.4 %Henderson County9.4Hoke County: 9.1 %Hoke County9.1Rowan County: 9 %Rowan County9Cabarrus County: 9 %Cabarrus County9Alleghany County: 8.8 %Alleghany County8.8Wake County: 8.5 %Wake County8.5Catawba County: 8.5 %Catawba County8.5Robeson County: 8.2 %Robeson County8.2Granville County: 8.1 %Granville County8.1Orange County: 7.8 %Orange County7.8Cumberland County: 7.6 %Cumberland County7.6Onslow County: 7.4 %Onslow County7.4Guilford County: 7.1 %Guilford County7.1Macon County: 7.1 %Macon County7.1Gaston County: 7.1 %Gaston County7.1Franklin County: 7.1 %Franklin County7.1Davidson County: 7 %Davidson County7Richmond County: 7 %Richmond County7Lenoir County: 6.9 %Lenoir County6.9Bladen County: 6.9 %Bladen County6.9Nash County: 6.8 %Nash County6.8Duplin County: 20.2 %Duplin County20.2Sampson County: 18.8 %Sampson County18.8Lee County: 17.6 %Lee County17.6Greene County: 13.9 %Greene County13.9Montgomery County: 13.8 %Montgomery County13.8Johnston County: 13.3 %Johnston County13.3Durham County: 13.2 %Durham County13.2Mecklenburg County: 12.9 %Mecklenburg County12.9Alamance County: 12.5 %Alamance County12.5Randolph County: 11.9 %Randolph County11.9Forsyth County: 11.7 %Forsyth County11.7Wayne County: 11.4 %Wayne County11.4Chatham County: 11.3 %Chatham County11.3Union County: 10.2 %Union County10.2Wilson County: 10.1 %Wilson County10.1Yadkin County: 10 %Yadkin County10Harnett County: 10 %Harnett County10Tyrrell County: 9.9 %Tyrrell County9.9Surry County: 9.4 %Surry County9.4Henderson County: 9.4 %Henderson County9.4Hoke County: 9.1 %Hoke County9.1Rowan County: 9 %Rowan County9Cabarrus County: 9 %Cabarrus County9Alleghany County: 8.8 %Alleghany County8.8Wake County: 8.5 %Wake County8.5Catawba County: 8.5 %Catawba County8.5Robeson County: 8.2 %Robeson County8.2Granville County: 8.1 %Granville County8.1Orange County: 7.8 %Orange County7.8Cumberland County: 7.6 %Cumberland County7.6Onslow County: 7.4 %Onslow County7.4Guilford County: 7.1 %Guilford County7.1Macon County: 7.1 %Macon County7.1Gaston County: 7.1 %Gaston County7.1Franklin County: 7.1 %Franklin County7.1Davidson County: 7 %Davidson County7Richmond County: 7 %Richmond County7Lenoir County: 6.9 %Lenoir County6.9Bladen County: 6.9 %Bladen County6.9Nash County: 6.8 %Nash County6.8
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Duplin County20.2-0.9 pts
2Sampson County18.8+0.5 pts
3Lee County17.6+0.8 pts
4Greene County13.9-1.8 pts
5Montgomery County13.8-0.7 pts
6Johnston County13.3+1.3 pts
7Durham County13.2+1.4 pts
8Mecklenburg County12.9+1.2 pts
9Alamance County12.5+1 pts
10Randolph County11.9+0.9 pts
11Forsyth County11.7+0.6 pts
12Wayne County11.4+0.1 pts
13Chatham County11.3-0 pts
14Union County10.2+0.7 pts
15Wilson County10.1+0.7 pts
16Yadkin County10+0.9 pts
17Harnett County10+0.4 pts
18Tyrrell County9.9+1.7 pts
19Surry County9.4+0.2 pts
20Henderson County9.4+1.4 pts
21Hoke County9.1+0.7 pts
22Rowan County9+1 pts
23Cabarrus County9+0.7 pts
24Alleghany County8.8+1.7 pts
25Wake County8.5+0.7 pts
26Catawba County8.5-0.3 pts
27Robeson County8.2+0.8 pts
28Granville County8.1+1.1 pts
29Orange County7.8+1 pts
30Cumberland County7.6-0.3 pts
31Onslow County7.4+0.1 pts
32Guilford County7.1+0.8 pts
33Macon County7.1+1 pts
34Gaston County7.1+0.8 pts
35Franklin County7.1+0.9 pts
36Davidson County7+0.7 pts
37Richmond County7+0.9 pts
38Lenoir County6.9-0.5 pts
39Bladen County6.90 pts
40Nash County6.8+0.6 pts
41Iredell County6.6+0.2 pts
42Buncombe County6.6+1 pts
43Davie County6.5+0.3 pts
44Pender County6.5+0.3 pts
45Dare County6.2-0.8 pts
46Burke County6.1+0.4 pts
47Pitt County6+1 pts
48Vance County5.8-1.1 pts
49McDowell County5.7-0.1 pts
50Lincoln County5.6-0.4 pts
51Beaufort County5.6-0.4 pts
52Moore County5.5+0.5 pts
53Polk County5.5+0.5 pts
54New Hanover County5.5+1.1 pts
55Jackson County5.3+0.4 pts
56Edgecombe County5.30 pts
57Wilkes County5.2-0.1 pts
58Alexander County5.2+1 pts
59Craven County5.10 pts
59Rockingham County5.1-0.5 pts
61Caldwell County4.7+0.2 pts
62Ashe County4.7+0.4 pts
63Hyde County4.6-5.2 pts
64Hertford County4.5+1.1 pts
65Rutherford County4.5+0.5 pts
66Person County4.5+0.8 pts
67Columbus County4.3-0.7 pts
68Avery County4.1+0.3 pts
69Jones County4.1-0.8 pts
70Stanly County4-0.1 pts
71Yancey County3.9+0.1 pts
72Anson County3.9-0.7 pts
73Watauga County3.8+0.9 pts
74Caswell County3.7+0.1 pts
75Warren County3.7+0.1 pts
76Carteret County3.6+0.4 pts
77Brunswick County3.4+0.4 pts
78Cleveland County3.4+0.1 pts
79Martin County3.3-0.8 pts
80Perquimans County3.1+0.6 pts
81Chowan County3+0.6 pts
82Mitchell County2.9-0.9 pts
83Pamlico County2.9-0.5 pts
84Gates County2.8-0.6 pts
85Halifax County2.7+0.3 pts
86Scotland County2.60 pts
87Graham County2.6-0.4 pts
88Haywood County2.4-0.2 pts
89Currituck County2.3-1.3 pts
90Swain County2.3-0.6 pts
91Cherokee County2-0.1 pts
92Bertie County2+1 pts
93Stokes County2-0.2 pts
94Pasquotank County1.9-1.2 pts
95Clay County1.7-0.9 pts
96Transylvania County1.6-0.2 pts
97Northampton County1.5-0.3 pts
98Madison County1.3+0.4 pts
99Camden County0.8+0.1 pts
100Washington County0.5-0.4 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 5 and over who speak Spanish 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 or Hispanic origin. Hispanic origin is hispanic_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 Spanish 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 Spanish at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs (Counties in North Carolina by population speaking Spanish 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 Spanish at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in North Carolina by population speaking Spanish 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/spanish-spoken-at-home/north-carolina-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 Spanish at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs. Counties in North Carolina by population speaking Spanish 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/spanish-spoken-at-home/north-carolina-counties?period=2023.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak Spanish at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in North Carolina by population speaking Spanish 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/spanish-spoken-at-home/north-carolina-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak Spanish at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in North Carolina by population speaking Spanish 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/spanish-spoken-at-home/north-carolina-counties?period=2023. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak Spanish 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 Spanish at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in North Carolina by population speaking Spanish 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/spanish-spoken-at-home/north-carolina-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/spanish-spoken-at-home/north-carolina-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 Spanish 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 Spanish at home?

Duplin County, with 20.2% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest population speaking Spanish at home?

Washington County, with 0.5% 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 Spanish at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Population speaking Spanish at home: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings