About 23% of the US population age 5 and older spoke a language other than English at home in 2024, based on American Community Survey data released in September 2025. That works out to roughly 67 to 69 million people across 430 languages spoken or signed nationwide. State-level rates diverge sharply: California sits near 45% while West Virginia lands in the low single digits. This post covers state figures, top languages, English proficiency, and language learning demand.
Bilingualism Rates by US State – TL;DR
- 23% of US residents age 5+ speak a non-English language at home, per ACS 2024.
- Spanish leads with 44.9 million home speakers, making the US the fourth-largest Spanish-speaking country.
- Texas records 35.71% non-English home speakers, California about 43-45%, New Mexico about 34%.
- New Jersey, Florida, California, New York and Texas rank as the most linguistically diverse states.
- US bilingual workers earn 18.8% more on average than monolingual peers, according to Preply’s 2026 report.
The bilingualism rates by US state data below draws from Census Bureau ACS releases, Preply’s 2026 pay premium study, and Start.io’s 94.7 million device analysis. Rates are highest across the Southwest and Northeast corridors and lowest in the Upper Midwest and Appalachia.
How Many Americans Speak a Non-English Language at Home?
The English-only share at home fell to 77% in 2024, down from 78.3% in the 2018-2022 ACS and 78.7% in the 2013-2017 ACS. Non-English home speakers grew from 23.06 million in 1980 to 67.27 million by 2018, a 192% increase against 28% growth for English-only speakers over the same period.
President signed Executive Order 14224 in March 2025 designating English as the official language of the United States, the first such designation in US history. The order does not restrict home language use.
| Metric | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Non-English home speakers | ~23% / 67-69 million | 2024 ACS |
| English-only at home | 77% | 2024 ACS |
| Total languages spoken/signed | 430 | 2024 ACS |
| Spanish home speakers | 44.9 million | 2024 ACS |
| Non-English speakers who are US-born | 45% | ACS 2018 |
| Trilingual population (3 languages) | 1.523 million | 2017-2021 ACS |
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 2024; Census Bureau press release December 7, 2023; Center for Immigration Studies 2019.
Bilingualism Rates by US State: Top and Bottom Rankings
Texas posted 35.71% non-English home speakers in 2024, with Spanish at 28.2%, Vietnamese at 0.87%, and Chinese at 0.7%. California remained the highest at an estimated 43-45%, with Spanish alone at 28.8% of the state population. New Mexico followed at around 34%, and its 26.5% Spanish share reflects centuries of continuous Spanish-speaking settlement.
West Virginia, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont and Maine had the highest English-only concentrations in the 2024 Start.io device analysis. Iowa, Idaho and Maine fell below 15% in a separate TestPrepInsight survey covering second-language ability rather than home-language use.
Non-English Home Speakers by State
| State | Non-English at Home | Top Non-English Language |
|---|---|---|
| California | ~43-45% | Spanish 28.8% |
| Texas | 35.71% | Spanish 28.2% |
| New Mexico | ~34% | Spanish 26.5% |
| New Jersey | 32% | Spanish |
| New York | 31.65% | Spanish 15.01% |
| Nevada | 31% | Spanish |
| Florida | 30% | Spanish |
| Arizona | 28% | Spanish |
| Hawaii | 28% | Tagalog/Ilocano |
| Massachusetts | 24% | Spanish/Portuguese |
| Washington | 22.29% | Spanish 9.09% |
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 2024 via Wikipedia “Languages of the United States”; Center for Immigration Studies 2019 ACS 2018 reference figures.
Which Languages Do Americans Speak at Home?
Spanish accounts for roughly 61% of all non-English home speakers, per the Census Bureau’s June 2025 release covering the 2017-2021 ACS. Chinese follows at 5.1% and Tagalog at 2.5%, with Vietnamese, Arabic, Korean and French rounding out the top ranks. Russian is the most common non-English, non-Spanish language in 11 states — more than Persian and Portuguese, which each top 10 states.
Language distribution in Texas alone shows six non-English languages exceeding 0.4% of the population: Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Hindi, Arabic and Telugu.
| Language | US Home Speakers | Share of Non-English Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | 44.9 million | ~61% |
| Chinese (all dialects) | ~2.8-3.46 million | 5.1% |
| Tagalog | 1.72 million | 2.5% |
| Arabic | 1.31 million | ~2% |
| Vietnamese | ~1.5 million | ~2.2% |
Source: Census Bureau press release June 3, 2025 and December 7, 2023; ACS 2024 figures via Preply January 2026.
English Proficiency Across Language Groups
Around 62% of non-English home speakers also speak English “very well,” according to ACS 2018-2022 data. French and German speakers clear 80% at that level, reflecting heritage-speaker communities several generations removed from immigration. Chinese speakers sit at 48.2% and Vietnamese speakers at about 43%, indicating more recent arrival patterns.
Spanish speakers report 61% English proficiency at the “very well” level. Tagalog speakers rank highest among major Asian-language groups at 69.8%.
| Language Group | Speaks English “Very Well” |
|---|---|
| French / German | 80%+ |
| Tagalog | 69.8% |
| Spanish | 61% |
| Korean | ~55% |
| Chinese | 48.2% |
| Vietnamese | ~43% |
Source: US Census Bureau press release December 7, 2023 citing ACS 2018-2022.
Bilingualism Rates by US State: Language Learning Demand
New York leads all states in per-capita language learning search volume at 265.9 monthly searches per 100,000 people, per Preply’s January 2026 analysis of Google Ads Keyword Planner data. California posts the largest absolute volume at 196,420 monthly searches. Colorado and Washington rank in the top ten despite trailing on non-English home speaker share, pointing to career and travel motivations.
Spanish is the most sought second language among Spanish learners in the US, accounting for close to a quarter of all North American learners on Preply. Education drives 33% of second-language study, travel 26%, personal interest 23%, and business 18%, per TestPrepInsight’s April 2025 survey. Language learning app usage grew 34% year-over-year in 2024.
Top 10 States by Language Learning Search Volume (Per Capita)
| State | Monthly Searches / 100K |
|---|---|
| New York | 265.9 |
| Illinois | 219.8 |
| California | 210.8 |
| Massachusetts | 208.9 |
| Colorado | 202.1 |
| Texas | 200.7 |
| Connecticut | 198.6 |
| New Jersey | 196.1 |
| Florida | 194.7 |
| Washington | 191.5 |
Source: Preply “Bilingualism Statistics 2026” January 29, 2026 citing Google Ads Keyword Planner.
Economic Value of Bilingualism in the US
Bilingual workers in the US earn 18.8% more on average than monolingual peers, well above the global average of 12.7% and the UK figure of 11.5%. Only 2.37% of US job listings explicitly require bilingual applicants, compared with 4.44% in Canada — the highest rate globally.
Rhode Island leads in survey-based bilingualism with 876,488 residents able to communicate in a second language, followed by New Mexico and New Jersey. The US bilingual daily-use rate of about 23% tracks close to the EU average of 25%. Global bilingualism sits near 43%, with 17% of people worldwide speaking three or more languages, according to Kylian.ai’s May 2025 report.
Regional Patterns in Bilingualism Rates by US State
English-Spanish bilinguals concentrate across the Southwest and Florida. English-Chinese bilinguals cluster in California and New York. English-Slavic bilinguals appear across Illinois, New York and New Jersey. English-German bilingualism holds strongest in the Dakotas and Pennsylvania.
Québécois French is the most common non-English language in Maine and Vermont. Portuguese in Massachusetts runs about 10 times the national concentration. Los Angeles, Houston, New York, Phoenix and Chicago hold the largest bilingual populations by city count.
Fastest-Growing States for Non-English Speakers (1980-2018)
| State | Growth in Non-English Speakers |
|---|---|
| Nevada | +1,088% |
| Georgia | +952% |
| North Carolina | +802% |
| Virginia | +488% |
| Tennessee | +459% |
Source: Center for Immigration Studies 2019 citing ACS 2018.
FAQs
What percentage of Americans are bilingual in 2026?
About 23% of the US population age 5 and older speaks a language other than English at home, per ACS 2024 data. That equals 67 to 69 million people. Around 62% of them also speak English “very well.”
Which US state has the highest bilingualism rate?
California has the highest non-English home speaker rate at roughly 43-45%. Texas follows at 35.71% and New Mexico at about 34%. Spanish is the leading non-English language in all three.
Which state has the lowest bilingualism rate?
West Virginia records the lowest non-English home speaker rate. Montana, North Dakota, Vermont and Maine also rank near the bottom, per Start.io’s 2024 device data. Iowa and Idaho fall below 15% on survey measures.
How much more do bilingual workers earn in the US?
US bilingual workers earn 18.8% more on average than monolingual workers, according to Preply’s January 2026 report. That premium beats the global average of 12.7% and the UK rate of 11.5%.
What is the most spoken non-English language in the US?
Spanish is the most spoken non-English language, with 44.9 million home speakers per ACS 2024. That accounts for about 61% of all non-English home speakers and makes the US the fourth-largest Spanish-speaking country.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_the_United_States
https://preply.com/en/blog/bilingualism-statistics/
https://cis.org/Report/673-Million-United-States-Spoke-Foreign-Language-Home-2018
