In this article
After English and Spanish, Chinese is the most common language spoken at home in 13 states, including California, New York, New Jersey and Washington. German leads in 7, Vietnamese in 5, Arabic in 4, and French in 4 plus the District of Columbia, according to Census Bureau data for 2020 to 2024.
In three states Spanish is not even the top language after English: Alaska, where Native languages lead, Hawaii, where the leading group includes Ilocano, Samoan and Hawaiian, and Maine, where it is French. Choose a language on the map to see where it leads, or a state for its top three.
Key figures
13 states
where Chinese is the top language after English and Spanish
7 states
where German is the top language after English and Spanish
3 states
where Spanish is not the top language after English: Alaska, Hawaii and Maine
Most common language spoken at home after English and Spanish, people age 5 and over. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B16001. The Census Bureau groups some languages, such as Yiddish with Pennsylvania Dutch.
Top three languages after English and Spanish, by state
| State | Most common | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Korean (11,347) | Chinese (11,196) | German (9,107) |
| Alaska | Other Native North American languages (24,996) | Tagalog (17,356) | Ilocano, Samoan, Hawaiian or other Austronesian (7,901) |
| Arizona | Navajo (75,037) | Chinese (35,131) | Tagalog (28,866) |
| Arkansas | Ilocano, Samoan, Hawaiian or other Austronesian (7,831) | Vietnamese (4,826) | Thai, Lao or other Tai-Kadai (4,420) |
| California | Chinese (1,291,832) | Tagalog (773,155) | Vietnamese (562,956) |
| Colorado | Chinese (25,066) | German (21,622) | French (20,561) |
| Connecticut | Portuguese (46,176) | Chinese (31,980) | Polish (27,194) |
| Delaware | Chinese (7,909) | Yoruba, Twi, Igbo or other West African (5,665) | Haitian Creole (5,184) |
| District of Columbia | French (10,192) | Amharic, Somali or other Afro-Asiatic (8,379) | Chinese (5,861) |
| Florida | Haitian Creole (461,611) | Portuguese (180,522) | French (106,740) |
| Georgia | Chinese (61,447) | Vietnamese (55,265) | Korean (53,299) |
| Hawaii | Ilocano, Samoan, Hawaiian or other Austronesian (117,184) | Tagalog (60,236) | Japanese (36,889) |
| Idaho | German (4,761) | Russian (3,780) | Chinese (3,712) |
| Illinois | Polish (164,756) | Chinese (107,782) | Tagalog (85,343) |
| Indiana | Yiddish, Pennsylvania Dutch or other West Germanic (35,784) | German (33,131) | Chinese (24,210) |
| Iowa | German (10,026) | Arabic (9,704) | Other languages of Asia (9,503) |
| Kansas | Vietnamese (12,367) | Chinese (9,735) | German (9,573) |
| Kentucky | German (12,379) | Swahili or other Central, East and Southern African (11,502) | Yiddish, Pennsylvania Dutch or other West Germanic (11,103) |
| Louisiana | French (60,276) | Vietnamese (22,288) | Arabic (12,184) |
| Maine | French (30,737) | German (3,159) | Portuguese (3,124) |
| Maryland | Chinese (71,414) | Yoruba, Twi, Igbo or other West African (67,935) | French (61,349) |
| Massachusetts | Portuguese (228,351) | Chinese (145,199) | Haitian Creole (84,163) |
| Michigan | Arabic (172,609) | Chinese (46,756) | Other Indo-European languages (38,621) |
| Minnesota | Amharic, Somali or other Afro-Asiatic (97,586) | Hmong (71,858) | Chinese (23,567) |
| Mississippi | Vietnamese (5,399) | Chinese (4,508) | Other Native North American languages (4,199) |
| Missouri | Chinese (21,123) | German (18,209) | Serbo-Croatian (13,760) |
| Montana | German (6,655) | Other Native North American languages (6,171) | French (1,877) |
| Nebraska | Vietnamese (7,674) | Other languages of Asia (6,906) | Arabic (6,691) |
| Nevada | Tagalog (89,719) | Chinese (36,142) | Amharic, Somali or other Afro-Asiatic (12,274) |
| New Hampshire | French (15,152) | Portuguese (5,479) | Chinese (5,018) |
| New Jersey | Chinese (129,959) | Portuguese (101,030) | Hindi (94,063) |
| New Mexico | Navajo (57,560) | Other Native North American languages (29,098) | Tagalog (6,185) |
| New York | Chinese (600,426) | Russian (227,300) | Yiddish, Pennsylvania Dutch or other West Germanic (225,528) |
| North Carolina | Chinese (40,402) | French (32,625) | Arabic (32,188) |
| North Dakota | German (4,445) | Tagalog (2,632) | Other Native North American languages (2,461) |
| Ohio | Yiddish, Pennsylvania Dutch or other West Germanic (62,928) | Arabic (48,086) | Chinese (43,673) |
| Oklahoma | Vietnamese (15,905) | Other Native North American languages (11,275) | Chinese (10,836) |
| Oregon | Chinese (30,483) | Vietnamese (25,422) | Russian (21,067) |
| Pennsylvania | Chinese (96,828) | Yiddish, Pennsylvania Dutch or other West Germanic (75,853) | Russian (49,194) |
| Rhode Island | Portuguese (30,524) | French (8,247) | Haitian Creole (7,603) |
| South Carolina | German (12,948) | French (11,364) | Chinese (10,658) |
| South Dakota | Other Native North American languages (9,521) | German (6,258) | Amharic, Somali or other Afro-Asiatic (3,115) |
| Tennessee | Arabic (33,139) | Chinese (15,437) | French (12,903) |
| Texas | Vietnamese (247,783) | Chinese (195,841) | Arabic (122,762) |
| Utah | Chinese (16,788) | Ilocano, Samoan, Hawaiian or other Austronesian (15,312) | Portuguese (15,051) |
| Vermont | French (7,398) | German (1,834) | Nepali, Marathi or other Indic (1,752) |
| Virginia | Arabic (63,341) | Chinese (58,783) | Korean (57,773) |
| Washington | Chinese (141,867) | Vietnamese (73,188) | Russian (64,638) |
| West Virginia | Arabic (2,406) | German (1,957) | Chinese (1,842) |
| Wisconsin | Hmong (39,624) | German (27,067) | Chinese (17,702) |
| Wyoming | German (1,780) | Other Native North American languages (1,185) | French (998) |
Patterns in the map
- Chinese leads in 13 states: California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah and Washington.
- German leads in 7: Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina and Wyoming.
- Vietnamese leads in Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. Arabic leads in Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
- French leads in the District of Columbia, Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, and Portuguese in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
- Navajo leads in Arizona and New Mexico, Haitian Creole in Florida, Polish in Illinois, Korean in Alabama, Tagalog in Nevada and Hmong in Wisconsin.
- In Indiana and Ohio the leader is the Census group that combines Pennsylvania Dutch, spoken in Amish communities, with Yiddish and other West Germanic languages. In Minnesota it is the group that includes Amharic and Somali.
Speakers versus people who need an interpreter
This map counts everyone who speaks a language at home. Counting only people who speak English less than "very well" changes some states: by that measure Chinese is the top language after Spanish in 15 states and Vietnamese in 9. See the LEP map for that view, and languages spoken in the U.S. for the national ranking.
Download the data (CSV)The top three languages after English and Spanish in every state, with speaker countsSourcesU.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020-2024, table B16001, retrieved October 24, 2026.